Jim Hallet

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Jim Hallet

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption =

| fullname = James Oliver Hallet

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|3|30}}

| birth_place = Hyannis, Massachusetts

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}

| weight = {{convert|200|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}

| nationality = {{USA}}

| residence = West Yarmouth, Massachusetts

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| college = Bryant College

| yearpro = 1984

| extour = PGA Tour
Asia Golf Circuit
Canadian Tour

| prowins = 3

| champwins =

| seneurowins =

| otherwins =

| majorwins =

| masters = T40: 1983

| usopen = T44: 1991

| open = CUT: 1987

| pga = T21: 1987

| wghofid =

| wghofyear =

| award1 = Asia Golf Circuit
Order of Merit winner

| year1 = 1987

| award2 =

| year2 =

| awardssection =

}}

James Oliver Hallet (born March 30, 1960){{cite book |title=Official 1991 PGA TOUR Media Guide |year=1990 |publisher=PGA Tour |page=89 }} is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour.

Early life

Hallet was born in Hyannis, Massachusetts. He was raised in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1983/04/10/hallet-23-and-3-under-dreams-sweetly-in-the-crows-nest/9dee9d36-ad26-4af3-b9b9-629710c5aca1/ |title=Hallet, 23 and 3 Under, Dreams Sweetly in The Crow's Nest |date=1983-04-10 |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}} He attended Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.{{Cite news |url=https://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20080512/sports/805120327 |title=Golf notes: Hallet returns to his roots |last=Higgins |first=Bill |newspaper=Cape Cod Times |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}} He grew up playing golf at Bass River Golf Course in Yarmouth.

Amateur career

Hallet played college golf at Bryant College, where he was a four-time Division II All-American. He was also the goaltender for the Bryant hockey team for some time. He stated later as an adult that he was "an overnight success" and did not play a lot of junior golf. He reached the semi-finals of the 1982 U.S. Amateur which was played in his home state of Massachusetts at The Country Club.

Hallet's good play at the U.S. Amateur qualified him for the 1983 Masters Tournament. He first achieved national media attention with an opening round 68 (−4), one shot back of the lead. He continued to play well on the front nine of the second round and held a share of the lead after 28 holes. He would fall back mightily over the next two days, shooting 78-78 to finish at 297 (+9) in a tie for 40th. He would finish low amateur, however, and be interviewed with champion Seve Ballesteros at the end of the tournament on CBS' telecast.{{cite web |publisher=The Masters |title=1983 Masters Tournament Final Round Broadcast |date=2018-03-14 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9yhcLMi3uk |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}}

Professional career

Hallet turned professional in 1984 and participated at PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament that fall but narrowly failed in earning a card. He would narrowly fail the next two seasons as well.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/10/sports/golf-worldwide-odyssey-leads-to-pga-tour.html |title=Golf; Worldwide Odyssey Leads to PGA Tour |last=Cady |first=Steve |date=1988-01-10 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}} His best season during this interim era was in 1987. He finished runner-up in two Asia Golf Circuit events in 1987{{Cite web |url=http://www.owgr.com/en/Ranking/PlayerProfile.aspx?playerID=593&year=1987 |title=Jim Hallet |publisher=Official World Golf Ranking}} and won the circuit's Order of Merit. He also qualified for his first majors as a professional that summer, competing in Open Championship and PGA Championship. His T-21 at the PGA Championship would ultimately be the best major championship performance of his career. Later in the fall Hallet finally secured his PGA Tour card. Competing against roughly "1,000 upper echelon pros" he performed extremely well, finishing runner-up behind John Huston. This circuitous journey to the PGA Tour earned him a full-length profile in The New York Times.

Hallet played full-time on the PGA Tour from 1988 to 1993. He performed solidly on tour his first two years, scoring half a dozen top-10s in total{{Cite web |url=https://www.pgatour.com/players/player.06284.jim-hallet.html |title=Jim Hallet – Profile |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}} and easily finishing with the top 125 of the money list both years.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.109.1988.html |title=Official Money – 1988 |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.109.1989.html |title=Official Money – 1989 |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}} Hallet was known for his strong work ethic and played nearly every week on tour. In 1990, he had his first chance to win a tournament. In the fall, at the Buick Southern Open, he had a 12-foot putt to defeat his playing partner Kenny Knox but missed.{{Cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/09/30/Knox-come-home-for-Buick-Southern-Open-victory/2118654667200/ |title=Knox come home for Buick Southern Open victory |agency=UPI |date=September 30, 1990 |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}} Knox would birdie the second hole of the playoff to defeat him. The next year, at the USF&G Classic in New Orleans, he shot a 65 (−7) in the third round to take a three shot lead entering Sunday.{{Cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/03/23/Hallet-leads-USFG-by-three/9416669704400/ |title=Hallet leads USF&G by three |agency=UPI |first=Royal |last=Brightbill |access-date=2019-05-20 |date=March 23, 1991}} However, he quickly blew his lead over the first six holes until charging back, making four consecutive birdies, and then hitting a 4-iron to 4 feet on the 18th hole for a final birdie to tie.{{Cite news |url=https://www.greensboro.com/woosnam-finally-wins-one-in-u-s/article_eaff64f8-8125-5ab4-8756-7fc2176df00e.html |title=Woosnam Finally Wins One In U.S. |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Greensboro News and Record |date=April 20, 1991 |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}} He entered a playoff with Ian Woosnam, then one of the world's best players who would win the Masters and reach #1 in the world within a month.{{Cite web |url=http://www.owgr.com/en/Ranking/PlayerProfile.aspx?playerID=334&year=1991 |title=Ian Woosnam – 1991 |publisher=Official World Golf Ranking |access-date=May 20, 2019 |archive-date=October 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009081628/http://www.owgr.com/en/Ranking/PlayerProfile.aspx?playerID=334&year=1991 |url-status=dead }} Both players would tie on the first hole before Hallet bogeyed the 2nd, giving Woosnam the win.

The remainder of his PGA Tour career would be much more of a struggle. In 1992 he did not record a top-10 and barely retained his PGA Tour card with a #118 spot on the money list.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.109.1992.html |title=Official Money – 1992 |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}} The 1993 season would be even more of a struggle as he missed the cut in the majority of tournaments he entered and did not finish within the top 150 of the money list.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.109.1993.html |title=Official Money – 1993 |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}} At this stage in his career, wrist injuries hindered his development.

Hallet would never play full-time on tour again. He returned to Cape Cod. In 2008 he joined Bass River Golf Course (where he learned to play golf) and Bayberry Hills Golf Course to work as a teacher. As of May 2019, Hallet still works at Bass River.{{Cite web|url=http://golfyarmouthcapecod.com/-bass-river-golf-instruction|title=Yarmouth Golf {{!}} Bass River & Bayberry Hills|website=golfyarmouthcapecod.com|access-date=2019-05-20 |df=mdy-all}} He has also informally taught the girls' golf team at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.

Amateur wins

1982 New England Amateur,{{Cite news |last=Berlet |first=Bruce |date=July 23, 1982 |title=Hallett Sloshes to Title |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/368762016/?match=1&terms=%22new%20england%20amateur%22 |newspaper=Hartford Courant |page=C1 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-02-19}} Massachusetts Amateur
1983 Massachusetts Amateur