Jim King – ‘gypsy guy’ at PGA Tour

The PGA Tour bulletin on August 13 said, “Jim King died of Covid-19 infection and had an underlying disease at the age of 86”.

“Jim is one of the worst, most stubborn guys on the planet. But he’s also the bravest, most passionate and disciplined man I’ve ever met in my life. Jim always has a plan, from the moment he wakes up to the end. when going back to bed,” Jeff Lewis recalled of his longtime best friend.

King was born on September 7, 1937, until U-25 started practicing golf during his military service. Before this subject, he also practiced boxing and rarely lost every fight. King seems to follow martial arts.

But during a fight at a bar, he was seriously injured in the eye area by an opponent’s bottle hit. The doctor said Jim would go blind if he continued to fight. King had to give up his boxing gloves to focus on golf. By practicing on the narrow field of the army, King became an expert at directing the ball, straight and precise.

In 1960, he saluted the PGA Tour. At that time, King was nearly 1.88 meters tall, weighed 104 kg and had passed a high-performance amateur rugby midfielder, boxer, and US Army paratrooper.

King is inherently hot-tempered. In an outburst of anger near the 16th green of the second round of the 1973 USI Classic in Massachusetts, he grabbed referee Pete Sesso by the throat and threatened to strangle him. Before that, Sesso warned King to slow down and start the timer. The violent behavior resulted in King being disqualified and suspended indefinitely.

However, King still got the rematch, after sitting out four tournaments. Up to the time of retirement, King attended a total of 255 PGA Tour events and the Champions branch, of which 12 times finished in the top 10 with a combined bonus of 370,000 USD but did not win. He last attended the senior general award group in 2011.

King is a lifetime member of the Professional Golf Association of America (PGAA). In 1982, the organization launched the PGA Stroke Play Championship on the Stadium course of the PGA National Florida golf complex. King entered the match and won with a record of 278 strokes over 72 holes on a par72 course.

Even so, King had yet to win the PGA Tour. Because he has talent but does not meet the time. “I hit the ball like no one. If you don’t believe me, just ask Orville Moody or Gary Player. They know very well. If given the chance, I can win right away,” King said after finishing third in the PGA Championship major.

Contrary to King who struggled with the title, Player was born in 1935, later a PGA Tour monument with nine majors in 24 championships.

“I like Jim. We have always been friends. He may not be outstanding, but he always strives. Jim never gives up. Who knows what would happen if Jim learned golf at a young age,” Player Share about your colleague King on Golfweek 13/8.

When he was still able to play golf, King often asked his daughter Marla Ribeiro to be a caddy. After his father passed away, Ribeiro revealed that his father struggled to overcome his fear of heights when he became a paratrooper. And he wants his daughter to not have this syndrome.

“Dad often told me to jump from the second floor and he stood on the ground to support him. He didn’t want me to be scared like him when he had to jump out of a military plane. And I was lucky to accompany him on the field and be close to him in the field. the last years of his life,” Ribeiro recalled of his late father.

The King’s visit will take place on the afternoon of August 22 at Aycock-Riverside Funeral Home, near his home in Jupiter, Florida.

Quoc Huy