Jim English
Jim English won his Nebraska Amateur golf championship while a student at Creighton University in 1947 and was the runner-up the next summer.
Perhaps the most prestigious tournament in those days was the Trans-Miss. English was the 1950 champion, recording an 11&10 victory in the 36-hole final match, a margin that remains the most lopsided in Trans-Miss history.
During that time, Jim simultaneously held the course record at the Happy Hollow Club, Omaha Field Club, and Highland Country Club.
After moving from Nebraska, English became a dominant golfer in Colorado, Iowa, and Kansas. He won the Iowa Open in 1950 and the Kansas Amateur championship in 1954 and 1956. In Colorado, he won the state match play title in 1957 and 1960 as well as the stroke play crown in 1958, 59, and 61. English was also the Broadmoor Invitational winner in 1955 and 1964.
English, who was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1980, qualified for the U.S. Open seven times and was the low amateur in 1959, thus topping Jack Nicklaus who failed to make the 36-hole cut.
Jim and his wife Margaret, who died in 1972, were the parents of 11 children. “They are my real riches – a beautiful family,” English said.
