Jacobsen Not A Joke Golf’s Jester Still Having Fun, But Now He’s Winning, Too

Peter Jacobsen is a golf clown, the Bob Hope of the PGA Tour.

He stuffs a hundred golf balls inside his shirt to imitate the girth of Craig “The Walrus” Stadler.

He takes a mighty slash at a teed ball like a woodcutter swinging at a tree, then hitches his pants like, of course, Arnold Palmer.

He founded a musical band of tour player-musicians, called “Jake Trout and The Flounders.”

Jacobsen is fun to be around. He was eagerly sought by tour sponsors because of the way he entertains galleries and Pro-Am sponsors.

But nobody took the free-spirited Jacobsen seriously as a professional golfer until this year. The winner of only four PGA Tour events, Jacobsen was considered a journeyman player at best.

Suddenly, he has become much more than a golf jester. He has retooled his game and his mental approach. He won at Pebble Beach and proved it was no fluke by winning the next week at Torrey Pines.

He’s back in the Masters for the first time since 1992. And he’s a threat to win his first major.

“Maybe I’m a late bloomer like Nick Price,” said the 41-year-old Jacobsen. “Maybe it just took me this long to figure it out.”

Jacobsen’s game is Masters sharp. His putting has been excellent, and in Wednesday’s practice round he was driving the ball 20 yards ahead of Tom Watson and dead down the middle of the fairway.

He has played in 11 tournaments at Augusta National Golf Club, with his best finish 13th in 1981. His best round has been a 5-under-par 67. In 38 rounds, he has shot in the 60s only twice in the Masters.

So what changed Jacobsen into a contender from a great pretender?

“I improved from the inside out,” Jacobsen said. “I lost my father to cancer. And I lost my brother to AIDS.

“I’ll never forget what Buddy Allin said to me. I was playing with him and he had a chance to win. He was faced with an extremely difficult shot over a bunker. He took a full swing with a wedge and popped it close to make par.

“I said ‘That took courage to take that shot.’ He said ‘Peter, when you see people die in Vietnam, this is a piece of cake.’ That really affected me.”

Jacobsen added “This is probably the thing that has inspired me the most, the death of two family members.”

That was the mental side.

Technically, Jacobsen had to change some things in his golf swing - particularly his short game. He has become one of the most consistent ball strikers and finishers on tour.

“I’ve had fits with my putting, particularly at Augusta,” Jacobsen said. “But control of my speed is better. I will be able to lag putts to a survivable length here. I can lag from 40 feet now. Excuse me, sometimes you have to lag putts from 5 feet here the greens are so fast.”

Jacobsen is motivated to take the next step up to a major.

“I want to hit every shot with intention and attention,” he said. “I want to win.”

So is golf’s clown prince putting away his slapstick?

No way.

“People look as me as a funny, happy-go-lucky guy and a jokester,” Jacobsen said. “I say thank you very much. I want people to know I’m having fun playing a game.”

Rain predicted

For those coming to Augusta National Golf Course for the first round of the 59th Masters, umbrellas might be necessary.

Today’s weather forecast of rain, possibly heavy, won’t stop the field of 86, which includes some of the world’s finest players. But it might make them happier.

TV coverage

Portions of all four rounds of the Masters will be televised nationally.

The USA Network will have live coverage on cable during the first two rounds from 1-3:30 p.m. PDT. CBS will take over for the last two rounds, showing play from noon-3:30 p.m. on Saturday and from 1-4 on Sunday.