John Fought
Encyclopedia
John Fought III is an American
golf course architect and professional golfer
who has played on the PGA Tour
, Nationwide Tour
and Champions Tour
.
Fought (rhymes with "boat") was born in Portland, Oregon
. His grandmother started him playing golf at age 7. Fought attended Brigham Young University
in Provo, Utah
, where he was a distinguished member of the golf
team for four years; he helped the Cougars win four titles at the Cougar Classic, four WAC Championships, and 29 tournament titles overall during his college career. Also during that time, Fought was ranked number one by Golf Digest
and won the 1977 U.S. Amateur. He played on the 1976 Eisenhower Trophy
and 1977 Walker Cup
teams. He turned professional in 1977 and joined the PGA Tour in 1978.
Fought played on the PGA Tour
full-time from 1979–1985. He has a dozen top-10 finishes including two back-to-back wins in September 1979. He received the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award in 1979. His best finish in a major
was a solo 5th at the 1983 PGA Championship
. Injuries to his back and neck in the mid-1980s forced him to retire from full-time tour play. Since then, he has played in a limited number of Nationwide Tour
and Champions Tour
events.
Fought established a second career as a golf course architect beginning in the late 1980s, founding John Fought Design in Scottsdale, Arizona
. Early in this phase of his career, he worked with Bob Cupp Design before starting his own firm in the 1990s. His award-winning designs have included Pumpkin Ridge
in North Plains, Oregon
, The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club
also in Oregon, and a restoration of an original Donald Ross design at Pine Needles Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina
. Other John Fought designs or collaborations include The Gallery North and South courses in Tucson
(the North course hosted the 2000 Tucson Open and the South course will host the Accenture World Match Play starting in 2007). Fought and his wife Mary have three children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
golf course architect and professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who has played on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
, Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
and Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
.
Fought (rhymes with "boat") was born in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. His grandmother started him playing golf at age 7. Fought attended Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
, where he was a distinguished member of the golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
team for four years; he helped the Cougars win four titles at the Cougar Classic, four WAC Championships, and 29 tournament titles overall during his college career. Also during that time, Fought was ranked number one by Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
and won the 1977 U.S. Amateur. He played on the 1976 Eisenhower Trophy
Eisenhower Trophy
The Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. It is named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States when the tournament was first played, who was a keen amateur golfer. Recent tournaments have...
and 1977 Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
teams. He turned professional in 1977 and joined the PGA Tour in 1978.
Fought played on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
full-time from 1979–1985. He has a dozen top-10 finishes including two back-to-back wins in September 1979. He received the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award in 1979. His best finish in a major
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
was a solo 5th at the 1983 PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
. Injuries to his back and neck in the mid-1980s forced him to retire from full-time tour play. Since then, he has played in a limited number of Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
and Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
events.
Fought established a second career as a golf course architect beginning in the late 1980s, founding John Fought Design in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
. Early in this phase of his career, he worked with Bob Cupp Design before starting his own firm in the 1990s. His award-winning designs have included Pumpkin Ridge
Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club
Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club is a golf club near Portland, Oregon, located just north of North Plains in Washington County. The award-winning 36-hole club opened in 1992 and has hosted several major golf tournaments, including the U.S. Women's Open in both 1997 and 2003. Since 2009, it has hosted the...
in North Plains, Oregon
North Plains, Oregon
North Plains is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, off U.S. 26 on the northwest outskirts of the Portland metropolitan area. The population was 1,605 at the 2000 census; by July 2007 the population was estimated to be 1,813.-Geography:...
, The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club
The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club
The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club is a 36-hole private and public golf club in the Portland, Oregon metro area in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The award winning club in Washington County, Oregon, opened in 1997 and hosted the Champions Tour major, The Tradition from 2003 to 2006...
also in Oregon, and a restoration of an original Donald Ross design at Pine Needles Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina
Southern Pines, North Carolina
Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 10,918 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Southern Pines is located at ....
. Other John Fought designs or collaborations include The Gallery North and South courses in Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
(the North course hosted the 2000 Tucson Open and the South course will host the Accenture World Match Play starting in 2007). Fought and his wife Mary have three children.
Amateur wins
- 1975 Pacific Coast AmateurPacific Coast AmateurThe Pacific Coast Amateur is an annual amateur golf tournament. It has been played since 1967 and is organized by the Pacific Coast Golf Association...
- 1977 U.S. Amateur, Trans-Mississippi AmateurTrans-Mississippi AmateurThe Trans-Mississippi Amateur or Trans-Miss Amateur is an annual golf tournament. It is organized by the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association and was first played in 1901. It is played at a different course each year that are located near or west of the Mississippi River. From 1987 to 2009, the field...
, Broadmoor Invitational - Sun Devil Classic
- LDS All-Church Championships
- British Universities Amateur Federation
PGA Tour wins
- 19791979 PGA TourThe 1979 PGA Tour season was played from January 11 to October 28. The season consisted of 44 official money events. Tom Watson won the most tournaments, five, and there were 11 first-time winners. The tournament results and award winners are listed below....
(2) Buick-Goodwrench Open, Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic