The Iowa Golf Association, during preparations for the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame induction coming in June of this year, was notified of the passing ​of Hall of Fame Member Jim English on June 26, 2016.

Jim never played in an Iowa Amateur, which explains why he never won one. Job commitments made it too difficult for English to miss three days of work. But he still did plenty of winning. English was especially dominant in one stretch that saw him win the 1950 Iowa Masters, the 1950 Trans-Mississippi, the 1951 Iowa Open and the 1951 Herman Sani Invitational. English considered the Trans-Miss his most prestigious victory as an Iowa resident. His 11-10 victory in the 36-hole championship match is the largest margin of victory in tournament history.

Jim was an insurance broker for most of his career along with being a champion amateur golfer. English moved to Kansas in 1952 and won the Kansas Amateur the only two times he competed, in 1954 and 1956. After moving to Colorado, English won five Colorado State Amateur titles, a Colorado Open and four Colorado State Senior titles. He also won the prestigious Broadmoor Invitational twice. Jim qualified for nine U.S. Opens and was the low amateur in the 1959 Open at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, where he beat a few other amateurs named Jack Nicklaus, Charlie Coe, Billy Joe Patton and Deane Beman. Jim also played in the U.S. Amateur six times, reaching the quarterfinals in 1951.

He is in the Colorado, Nebraska ​and Iowa Golf Halls of Fame and was a long-time member and 11-time Club Champion at Columbine Country Club in Littleton, Colorado. Jim was a charter member at the TPC at Plum Creek, then a member at Lone Tree until his death. He was a parishioner of Church of the Risen Christ in Denver.

For more on English’s Iowa Golf Hall of Fame résumé visit: http://iowagolf.org/hof-english-jim/