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J. B. Holmes

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For other people named John Holmes, seeJohn Holmes (disambiguation).

J. B. Holmes
Personal information
Full nameJohn Bradley Holmes[1]
NicknameJB
Born(1982-04-26)April 26, 1982(age 42)
Campbellsville, Kentucky
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Sporting nationalityUnited States
ResidenceOrlando, Florida
Career
CollegeUniversity of Kentucky
Turned professional2005
Current tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins8
Highestranking12 (April 5, 2015)[2]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour5
Other3
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT4:2016
PGA ChampionshipT24/24th: 2010, 2015
U.S. Open12th: 2017
The Open Championship3rd:2016

John Bradley "J.B." Holmes(born April 26, 1982) is an American professionalgolferwho plays on thePGA Tour.

Early life

Holmes, born inCampbellsville, Kentucky,began to play on the varsity golf team atTaylor County High Schoolin Campbellsville when he was in the third grade.[3][4]He suffered a mild form ofdyslexiawhen in school.[5]Holmes's childhood friend, Brandon Parsons, is his caddy. While in high school he played on the Pepsi Junior Golf Tour. He attended theUniversity of KentuckyinLexington,helping to achieveSECTitle while there, and represented the United States in the 2005Walker Cupbefore turning professional later that year.[6]

Professional career

Holmes was medalist at the 2005PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.He tied for tenth in his first PGA Tour start at the 2006Sony Open in Hawaiiand in February that year he won theFBR Open,making him the fastest golfer to reach $1,000,000 in career earnings on the PGA Tour. It was his fifth tournament as a professional and his fourth on the PGA Tour.

After this victory his form fell away, and this continued in 2007 when he made only 2 top ten finishes and ended the year in 118th place on the money list.

On February 3, 2008, Holmes won the FBR Open for the second Tour win of his career and also captured the tournament title for the second time in three years. Starting the final round with a four shot lead, on the 18th tee he was one shot behindPhil Mickelson.Holmes birdied the 18th to force a play-off and then defeated Mickelson on the first playoff hole (the 18th) by making a six-foot birdie putt after a 359-yard drive.[7]This victory took Holmes to 62nd in theOfficial World Golf Ranking.In 2008, Holmes reached a career-high 42nd in the OWGR.

Style of play

Holmes, along with fellow 2006 rookies such asCamilo VillegasandBubba Watson,is known for hitting the ball long distances, in excess of 300 yards (312.7 yards, ranking him number 2 in driving distance, only 6 yards behind the leader, Watson). As such, he plays courses by routinely hitting hisdriveras far as he can, reminiscent ofJohn Daly's "Grip it and Rip It" philosophy, and using his distance advantage to put him closer to the green and in position for a wedge or short iron to the green. While the style of play is not new, many critics have complained that J.B. Holmes's style has ushered in a new wave of golfers dedicated to smashing the ball as far as they can, assisted by the newer golf equipment offered by golf club companies and hacking the ball out of the rough onto the green, effectively eliminating the equalizing effect that the sport of golf usually affords shorter, accurate hitters.

2008 Ryder Cup

In the2008 Ryder Cup,Holmes defeated Europe'sSøren Hansen2&1 during Sunday's singles matches to bring the United States within one point of clinching the Ryder Cup.Jim Furykwould later defeatMiguel Ángel Jiménezon the 17th hole to clinch the Ryder Cup. Holmes and another Ryder Cup teammate,Kenny Perry,were named Kentuckians of the Year for 2008 byKentucky Monthlymagazine.

Brain surgery

After shooting an 80 in the first round, Holmes withdrew from the2011 PGA Championshipin August. He had been dealing withvertigosymptoms for several months and eventually was diagnosed with structural defects in thecerebellumknown asChiari malformations.[8]He underwent brain surgery on September 1, 2011, and about a month later, doctors discovered that Holmes was allergic to the adhesive used on the webbed titanium plate at the base of his skull. He was airlifted from his home in Kentucky toJohns Hopkinsin Baltimore for another surgery. Holmes returned to thePGA Tourin late January2012at theFarmers Insurance Open.[9][10]

2012–15: Recovery and comeback

After brain surgery, Holmes played in 26 events in 2012. Elbow and ankle injuries limited him to six PGA Tour events in 2013 and did not play again until theDunlop Phoenix Tournamenton theJapan Golf Tour.Holmes satisfied his medical extension through earnings at the2014Zurich Classic of New Orleans,finishing T11. He would need a T63 at theWells Fargo Championshipto earn entry into the2014 Players ChampionshipviaFedEx Cuppoints. Holmes would get his first win in six years, regained his Tour status through the 2015–2016 season, and moved from 242nd to 68th in theOfficial World Golf Ranking.[11]The win also earned Holmes entry into the2014 PGA ChampionshipatValhalla Golf ClubinLouisville, Kentucky.

In February 2015, Holmes lost in a four-man sudden-death playoff at theFarmers Insurance Open.He held a co-lead after the 54-hole stage withHarris English,but could only shoot a level-par final round to enter the playoff. At the first playoff hole, Holmes made a birdie to move on to the second playoff hole withJason Day,after English andScott Stallingswere eliminated with pars. On the par-three second playoff hole, Holmes flew the green and could not get down in two from the back rough, leaving Day with two putts from 15 feet for the victory.

In the first round of theWGC-Cadillac Championship,Holmes shot a 62 for a total of 10-under-par to lead by four strokes after the first day. His round included eight birdies and an eagle to tie the tournament record. Holmes retained his lead after the second round, despite a one-over-par 73. He led by two shots going into the weekend and opened up a five-shot lead following a 70 in the third round, which included a hole-in-one at the par-3 fourth hole. However his lead had gone by the sixth hole in the final round, after he bogeyed three of his opening six holes. Holmes played the rest of his round in even-par and would go on to shoot a 75 to finish one behind winnerDustin Johnson.His runner-up finish moved Holmes to 19th in the world rankings, his highest ever placing to date.

2018

In January 2018, Holmes was criticized by his fellow pros on social media after taking four minutes and ten seconds over his second shot to the 18th hole in the final round of theFarmers Insurance Open.Holmes needed an eagle to get into a playoff but eventually laid up.[12]Holmes later said he was 'shocked' by the negative reaction to incident, comments that sparked another backlash.[13]Fellow pro Justin Thomas defended Holmes though, saying he would have done exactly the same had he been in his position.[14]

2019

On February 17, 2019, Holmes won theGenesis Open,his fifth PGA Tour victory and first in nearly four years. Holmes overcame a four shot deficit in the final round to finish one stroke ahead of the 54-hole leaderJustin Thomas,at the end of a marathon 34-hole final day. The pivotal moment occurring at the 13th hole during the final round, when Holmes holed a 12-foot par putt and Thomas missed two short putts, resulting in a double bogey.[15]

Holmes shared the 36-hole lead at the2019 Open ChampionshipatRoyal Portrushwith IrishmanShane Lowry.Holmes shot opening rounds of 66-68 for an eight under total. However, he was unable to get it done on the weekend, shooting 69–87 to drop to a tie for 67th.

Personal life

Holmes is married to the former Erica Kalbhin. The couple got married in 2013. The couple have a son who was born in 2017.[16]Holmes is aChristian.[17][18]

Holmes has a Goldendoodle service dog named Ace that helps him with hisvertigo.[16]

Professional wins (8)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Feb 5,2006 FBR Open 68-64-65-66=263 −21 7 strokes United StatesJ. J. Henry,United StatesSteve Lowery,
United StatesRyan Palmer,United StatesScott Verplank,
ColombiaCamilo Villegas
2 Feb 3,2008 FBR Open(2) 68-65-66-71=270 −14 Playoff United StatesPhil Mickelson
3 May 4,2014 Wells Fargo Championship 70-67-66-71=274 −14 1 stroke United StatesJim Furyk
4 Apr 5,2015 Shell Houston Open 65-70-73-64=272 −16 Playoff United StatesJordan Spieth,United StatesJohnson Wagner
5 Feb 17,2019 Genesis Open 63-69-68-70=270 −14 1 stroke United StatesJustin Thomas

PGA Tour playoff record (2–2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2008 FBR Open United StatesPhil Mickelson Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 2009 Shell Houston Open EnglandPaul Casey Lost to bogey on first extra hole
3 2015 Farmers Insurance Open AustraliaJason Day,United StatesHarris English,
United StatesScott Stallings 		Day won with par on second extra hole
English and Stallings eliminated by birdie on first hole
4 2015 Shell Houston Open United StatesJordan Spieth,United StatesJohnson Wagner Won with par on second extra hole
Spieth eliminated by par on first hole

Other wins (3)

Results in major championships

Tournament 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament T25
U.S. Open CUT T48 CUT T27
The Open Championship CUT CUT 69
PGA Championship T37 T29 WD
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Masters Tournament CUT T4 50
U.S. Open T17 T27 CUT 12
The Open Championship T14 CUT CUT CUT 3 T54
PGA Championship T24 WD T64 24 CUT T28 CUT
Tournament 2019
Masters Tournament T62
PGA Championship CUT
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship T67
Top 10
Did not play

WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 1 1 2 5 4
PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 6
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 5
The Open Championship 0 0 1 1 1 2 10 5
Totals 0 0 1 2 2 8 35 20
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (2017 Masters – 2017 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
The Players Championship T38 T16 T10 CUT T13 T6 CUT CUT T51 CUT T41 CUT CUT
Top 10
Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

Results not in chronological order before 2015.

Tournament 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Championship T40 T18 2 59 T12
Match Play R64 QF T9 T28 T51 T17
Invitational T50 T36 T36 T44 T26 T37 T27 T60 54
Champions T28 T35
Top 10
Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur
Professional

See also

References

  1. ^"For a burly, long-hitting Ryder Cup star, J.B. Holmes has remained remarkably anonymous".Golf.com. April 5, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon April 13, 2009.RetrievedJanuary 26,2012.
  2. ^"Week 14 2015 Ending 5 Apr 2015"(pdf).OWGR.RetrievedSeptember 25,2019.
  3. ^"After 10 years on his school team, Holmes joins the PGA Tour varsity".PGA of America.Associated Press.January 6, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon January 9, 2007.RetrievedJanuary 8,2007.
  4. ^2007 PGA Tour Media Guide.PGA Tour. p. 2/86.
  5. ^Hack, Damon (January 29, 2006)."Holmes Finally Finds Some Clarity and Focus".The New York Times.
  6. ^Holmes reflects back on the Ryder Cup ride[permanent dead link]
  7. ^"Holmes regroups, then beats Mickelson in FBR playoff".PGA Tour. February 3, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon September 10, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 26,2012.
  8. ^"J.B. Holmes to have brain surgery".ESPN.August 23, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 26,2012.
  9. ^"J.B. Holmes, after a scare with brain surgery, gets back to golf".Washington Post.Associated Press. January 24, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon January 27, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 26,2012.
  10. ^"What they said: J.B. Holmes - interview transcript".PGA Tour. January 24, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 26,2012.[dead link]
  11. ^"J.B. Holmes' Journey Back From Brain Surgery Brings Him Win At Quail Hollow".Fox Sports.May 4, 2014.RetrievedAugust 24,2020.
  12. ^Inglis, Martin (January 29, 2018)."J.B. Holmes blasted by fellow pros for slow play".bunkered.
  13. ^Inglis, Martin (January 31, 2018)."J.B. Holmes 'shocked' at reaction to slow play storm".bunkered.
  14. ^Inglis, Martin (February 1, 2018)."Justin Thomas on J.B. Holmes: 'I have his back all day'".bunkered.
  15. ^Ferguson, Doug (February 17, 2019)."J.B. Holmes rallies to win a marathon finish at Genesis Open".PGA of America. Associated Press.RetrievedFebruary 23,2019.
  16. ^abDodge, Sam."Erica Holmes, J.B. Holmes' Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".RetrievedJuly 21,2019.
  17. ^Zarley, Kermit."J. B. Holmes Wins Genesis Open".RetrievedJuly 21,2019.
  18. ^Mercer, Kevin."Golfer J.B. Holmes among British Open leaders, thankful to God for surviving two brain surgeries".RetrievedJuly 21,2019.
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