Jay Delsing fought for every start, swing, and drive, and eventually sent a text to Tiger Woods to “make sure he got used to looking up at me” after one of his most memorable moments
Jay Delsing texted Tiger Woods to “make sure he got used to looking up at me”(Image: Getty Images)
For Jay Delsing, golf has always been more than just a game, it’s been a path to chase dreams, discover, and give back. The St. Louis native grew up in a tight home, with “one bathroom with all those people in it,” the fourth of five kids learned early the value of independence and persistence.
“Sports were basically all we really knew,” he said. While his father played Major League Baseball, it was golf and the PGA Tour that hooked Delsing because of the ability to be independent.
“I started caddying over at Norwood when I was 13, and from there, I just started spending my entire summers at the golf course,” said Delsing. He enjoyed baseball, but golf meant he didn’t need another person to throw a ball with or someone to pitch from behind a screen “I didn’t mind being by myself. I didn’t need you to entertain me.”
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That quiet determination eventually launched him from a modest north St. Louis neighborhood to UCLA, where Delsing saw change. “Going from there… then I go to California and I wind up living in this multi-million-dollar mansion on the ninth tee at Bel-Air Country Club,” he said, laughing at the difference. “My living space was probably as big as our entire first floor at home.”
Delsing went on to spend 28 years on the PGA Tour, reaching as high as 52nd in the world. He remembers the best moments vividly.
“I shot 61 on a Sunday in Memphis where my parents… were there, so they got to see it,” he said.
At the raucous 16th hole in Phoenix, he made an ace and proudly notes his name sits above Tiger Woods’ on the monument. “I sent him a text to make sure he got used to looking up at me,” Delsing joked.
Jay always aimed for the moon, such as winning a major championship, and world No. 1, but never lost sight of perspective. “I dreamed of winning the Masters,” he said. “I didn’t get there, but I still got to be involved. I still got to do what I love.”
Today, Delsing hosts a nationally syndicated show, Golf With Jay Delsing, a platform that grew from gratitude and community. “I’m in 50 markets… I feel really fortunate,” he said.
Jay Delsing went from small town STL to LA
What he’s proudest of, though, isn’t trophies, it’s golf’s charitable heart and his kids.
“This year the PGA Tour will raise more money for charity than MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA combined… $350 to $400 million,” he emphasized. “Nobody talks about that, but I do.”
His biggest lesson after decades of being in the game was notable, too.
“You learn way more about yourself in the lows than the highs,” he said. “Dream high, because your dreams can happen… I was playing a game for a living. It doesn’t get better than that.”
