The best golfer from every U.S. state

Oregon: Peter Jacobsen

Many golf fans are likely most familiar with Peter Jacobsen because of his work in the broadcast booth. While that may be the case, he undoubtedly enjoyed a solid playing career in the sport as well. Most importantly, he’s a player with strong ties to Oregon, both being born in Portland and attending the University of Oregon, where he won an Pac-8 Conference Championship in 1974 to help put the Ducks program on the map.

Jacobsen turned professional after his time with the Ducks in 1976. He didn’t have immediate success in terms of wins, but he did quickly become a favorite among fans as he was able to connect with his exuding character and personality — something that has served him well as a broadcaster. However, Jacobsen was able to finally get the monkey off his back in terms of wins as he topped Mark Lye and Billy Kratzert by one stroke at the 1980 Buick-Goodwrench Open. That would be the first of seven PGA Tour victories for him. Impressively, his last came in 2003, just shy of 23 years after his first victory as a professional.

By his career’s end, Jacobsen was never able to win a major championship, but he certainly put himself in contention or near the top of the leaderboard a number of times. He finished T11 at The Masters in 1981 and at The Open Championship in 1985, finished T7 at the 1984 U.S. Open and twice came in third at the PGA Championship (1983, 1986). Not a bad career for the Oregonian, even if it’s not littered with victories.