Bobby Jones (1902-71) posing for the cameras at the 1928 U.S. Open.  Jones was the Tiger Woods of his day, a young phenom who burst onto the scene at the age of 14.  From 1923-30 he won 13 major titles, a record which stood until Jack Nicklaus surpassed him in 1973.

Jones retired at the height of his powers, the stress of the game being too great for him to continue.  What makes his record so extraordinary is that he was really a weekend golfer, never playing or practicing much, warming up for his major competitions by playing a few smaller tournaments, and then being ready to beat the world.  From age 14 to 28 Jones played in only 52 tournaments, winning 23 of them - a 44% winning percentage.  He was an amazing talent and later founded the Augusta National Golf Club, where the Masters tournament is played.

When crippled with a debilitating  degenerative disease when he was only in his late 40's, Jones once told a friend not to cry for him, since in life, as in golf, we have to "play the ball as it lies."  He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.