Clarity on the course
Published 8:34 pm Thursday, July 3, 2014
Jones a regular in international play
Gerry Jones Jr. has used discipline to hone his talents at the early age of 13 and become a recurring presence on the international stage of youth golf.
He qualified this spring to participate later this month in the 2014 Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Thirteen-year-old Gerry Jones Jr. of Suffolk competes earlier this year in Pinehurst, N.C., where he has logged experience in an international event, which will help him later this month when he participates in a similar Florida-based tournament.
(Photo submitted by Gerry Jones Sr.)
To make the cut, Jones won the 12- to 13-year-old boys division of the Capital-Virginia Optimist Junior Golf qualifying tournament, producing a round of 77 at The Hanover Country Club in Ashland.
“It was great,” Jones said. “My first time winning the qualifier and then going to the international tournament, it’s going to be a great experience meeting kids from all over the world, competing with them.”
It was the third year that Jones had competed in the qualifier, having been invited each year. His father, Gerry Jones Sr., suspects the invitations were a result of his son’s successful performances in Virginia State Golf Association events.
He said his son worked hard to break through to the Optimist International, which is one of the largest and best-known junior golf tournaments in the world.
“He’s actually representing the state of Virginia in his age category,” Gerry Jones Sr. said.
Gerry Jr. said the achievement probably ranks at the top of his career accomplishments. However, it is not his first international appearance.
Last year, he played in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, N.C.
Following the Optimist International, he will compete in the 2014 U.S. Kids Golf Teen World Championship in Pinehurst, N.C., on July 24-26. He qualified for this by winning the fall 2013 U.S. Kids Golf Hampton Roads Local Tour for the second straight year in his respective age group.
“It’s been a real treat to watch him develop so quickly,” Gerry Jones Sr. said.
And his son also wasted little time in getting his career off the ground.
“I started playing when I was 3 years old,” Gerry Jr. said, noting he hung around his dad, who also plays.
He said he learned a lot from both his dad, who is his main golf coach, and fellow coach Dan Shea, the PGA Professional at Cahoon Plantation Golf Club in Chesapeake.
Gerry Jr. cited a couple reasons for why he has been successful so early.
“I guess it’s kind of a mixture of dedication and, I guess, natural talent,” he said.
The elder Jones said, “He’s a very driven person,” extremely focused, disciplined and someone who excels at many things.
“As good a golfer as he is, he’s also a first-rate musician,” Gerry Jones Sr. said.
Gerry Jr. has been playing the violin since he was 4 years old and is currently a member of the Bay Youth Orchestras of Virginia.
Referring to golf and playing the violin, he said, “It’s two things I love to do.”
