The Immortal Bobby

Of all the giants of golfs Golden Age, Bobby Jones was the most revered. His intelligence, modesty, eloquence, and charmand the fact he remained an amateur throughout his careerso completely captivated the public that at times it seemed almost beside the point that he was also the best golfer in the world. Joness fame reached its peak in 1930 when he became the only golfer to ever win the Grand Slam and the only person in history to receive a second ticker-tape parade on Broadway. Yet beneath the easy grace he exhibited on and off the golf course, there was another Bobby Jonesone who through the years battled his volatile temper; the pressure of competition that grew so unbearable he was often left near tears and unable to take any pleasure in winning; and, in the final decades of his life, an agonizing physical decline that robbed him of everything but his dignity. Drawing on scores of interviews, a careful reconstruction of contemporary accounts, and Joness voluminous correspondence, award-winning sportswriter Ron Rapoport reveals the man behind the legend and provides a moving depiction of a long-gone sporting age.