Peter Jacobsen
by Oregon Golf Editor
Peter Erling Jacobsen (born March 4, 1954) is an American professional golfer.
Early life
Jacobsen was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Portland’s Lincoln High School. He played golf in college at the University of Oregon.
Golf career
Jacobsen is one of golf’s most colorful personalities, that makes him quite popular with fans. He has always been a fine golfer, with a 23 year stretch between first and last victories. He has played on two Ryder Cup teams (1985, 1995). His win at the 2003 Greater Hartford Open at age 49 made him one of the oldest to win on the PGA Tour. That year he was voted comeback player of the year.
Jacobsen currently plays mainly on the Champions Tour, and sometimes on the PGA Tour. In his first year of eligibility for senior golf he won the 2004 U.S. Senior Open, which is one of senior golf’s major championships, and he followed up with a second senior major at the 2005 Senior Players Championship. These are the only two wins Jacobsen has on the Champions Tour, an accomplishment also reached by golfing greats Arnold Palmer, whose first two wins on what was then the Senior PGA Tour were both majors, and Jack Nicklaus, whose first six wins on the Senior PGA Tour were all majors. Jacobsen was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
Jacobsen also has two shows on The Golf Channel: Peter Jacobsen Plugged In, and Peter and Friends. Both are panel discussion shows, although Plugged In has more variety to it, featuring bands like Hootie and the Blowfish, and also Jacobsen’s own band, whereas Peter and Friends is entirely discussion.
Peter is known for his laid-back, humorous personality. During a three-day charity event in Oregon that he hosts, The Challenge, he is known to do impressions of other players, such as Craig Stadler. The Golf Channel has even filmed Jacobsen during the event, and has released a DVD and VHS of the footage, titled “Peter’s Party.”
Peter Jacobsen also owns Peter Jacobsen Productions. This company has run various golf tournaments including the JELD-WEN Tradition, one of the majors on the Champions Tour. Until 2002 it also produced the Fred Meyer Challenge, an annual Oregon tournament.
Family
Jacobsen married in December 1976 to Jan. The couple have three children: Amy born in 1980, Kristen born in 1982, and Mickey born in 1984.
PGA Tour wins (7)
1980 (1) Buick-Goodwrench Open
1984 (2) Colonial National Invitation, Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open
1990 (1) Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
1995 (2) AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Buick Invitational of California
2003 (1) Greater Hartford Open
Other wins (4)
1976 Oregon Open (as an amateur)
1979 Oregon Open
1989 Isuzu Kapalua International
2003 Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge (with Mark Calcavecchia and John Daly)
Champions Tour wins (2)
2004 U.S. Senior Open
2005 Senior Players Championship
Senior major championships are shown in bold.
Other senior wins (1)
2008 Wendy’s Champions Skins Game (with Fuzzy Zoeller)
