Jack Newton death: US PGA Tour star Cam Davis pays tribute to Australian golf icon
US PGA Tour star Cameron Davis has shared his devastation over the loss of Australian golf icon Jack Newton — the man who helped Davis achieve his dream.
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US PGA Tour star Cameron Davis may be Jack Newton junior golf’s greatest success story. Ask Davis and he acknowledges Newton was the reason he found his way into tournament golf, and ultimately the cashed-up PGA Tour.
On Saturday morning, having narrowly survived the cut at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina, Davis spoke of his devastation at losing a man who helped him achieve his dream.
“Jack was the whole reason I was able to get into tournament golf through his foundation giving opportunities to kids all through NSW to play competitive golf, play with their friends and enjoy that environment,” Davis said.
“I think that was an awesome opportunity he gave all of us. I met him a handful of times and I appreciate everything he did for junior golf.
“Obviously devastating that he passed away.”
While Davis is the most recognisable graduate of Jack Newton Junior Golf, he is far from the only player to have found their way into the professional ranks after spending their nascent years playing in Newton’s tournaments.
James Nitties played several years in America on the PGA and Nationwide Tours, and has been a regular on the Australasian Tour for more than a decade.
Likewise Dimi Papadatos, who has been a familiar face on the local tour and will play in Europe this year. Steph Kyriacou, a winner on the European Tour, is now on the LPGA Tour and is ranked in the world’s top 100.
Rebecca Artis won twice in Europe. So did Nikki Garrett. Garrett was also a rookie of the year. As a mark of their respect, many of Newton’s alumni would return to play in his celebrity tournament each year.
Countless others benefited from Newton’s contribution to Australian golf via his junior organisation, which was established in 1986 and tasked itself with delivering golf to girls and boys under 18 years of age in NSW.
“Jack Newton (was) not only an amazing golfer but what he and his family did for charity and junior golf in Australia was truly amazing,” Nitties wrote on social media when news broke of Newton’s passing on Thursday morning. “Rest In Peace.”
Australian golf was robbed of one of its most influential figures on Thursday morning when Newton passed away.
His junior organisation aside, Newton was a player, commentator and mentor. He exhilarated golf fans with his swashbuckling style of play and when tragedy cut short his own playing career, he educated and enlightened a generation of viewers on the game through his uncompromising and insightful commentary.
His legacy lives on through his family and the players he helped achieve their dreams. Davis parlayed his involvement in Newton’s junior golf into a successful amateur career. He won the Australian Amateur in 2015 and was runner-up in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
He was part of the Australian team that won the Eisenhower Trophy in Mexico, where he was also the individual winner.
As a professional, he won the Australian Open in 2017 and secured his maiden win on the US PGA Tour in July last year, beating Troy Merritt and Joaguin Niemann in a playoff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Even though he was far removed from his amateur days, he revealed he still spoke to Newton on occasions and picked his brain about his American experiences.
“It was getting to the point where I was able to have a chat with him every now and then about tournaments coming up now that I am out here, where he was before his accident,” Davis said.
“It is tough to lose people that you look up to but I appreciate everything he did for golf in NSW and golf in Australia.
“Those pathways, it is hard for kids to get any opportunities to see what tournament golf is like without someone like that.”
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