Jess Sweetser


Jesse William Sweetser was an amateur golfer, best known as the first American-born player to win the British Amateur.

Early life and college career

In 1902, Sweetser was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He later attended Phillips Exeter Academy.
For college, Sweetser attended Yale University. He was a member of the Yale Bulldogs golf team. In 1920, Sweetser won the individual title at the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships. While at Yale, Sweetser regularly played the U.S. Amateur. He played the 1922 U.S. Amateur at the age of 20, defeating Bobby Jones, 8 and 7, in the semi-final and then Chick Evans, 3 and 2, in the final match. The following year, at the 1923 U.S. Amateur, he again made it to the finals again but lost on the second playoff hole to Max Marston. He also played on the original Walker Cup team in 1922.

Golf career

In his professional life, Sweetser started work as a stockbroker in the 1920s, and later went to work for Curtiss-Wright. He still played high-level amateur golf during this timeframe. In 1926, Sweetser won the British Amateur at Muirfield, defeating Scottish amateur Fred Simpson, 6 and 5, in the final match. He continued to play for the American team of the Walker Cup team for the remainder of the 1920s. He was also selected for the 1930 team but withdrew for business reasons.
In 1967, Sweetser retired as vice-president of Martin Marietta. In his retirement, he maintained involvement with the golf world. In 1967 and 1973, he was the captain of the American Walker Cup team. Sweetser also served as treasurer and on the executive committee of the United States Golf Association late in life.

Death

Sweetser died on May 27, 1989, in Bethesda, Maryland.

Awards and honors

In 1986, he was named the Bob Jones Award winner, given in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.

Tournament wins

this list may be incomplete

Major championships

Results timeline

Tournament19301931193219331934193519361937193819391940
Masters TournamentNYFNYFNYFNYF58WD4033T29
U.S. Open
U.S. AmateurSFDNQR64R128R32R16
British AmateurNT

Sweetser played in the Masters each year from 1952 to 1955 but withdrew on each occasion.
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Source for The Masters:
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur:
Source for 1923 British Amateur:
Source for 1926 British Amateur:

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur