Once described as the "grey eminence of golf", Jones is one of the game's top businessmen helping to drive the sport forward, but with a conservative approach.

He has quite a job with the non-profit making organisation - one with an annual turnover of �8m as golf continues to evolve into a multi-million pound venture.

His real name is Alexander Martin Jones and was born in December 1946 just outside Glasgow.

He was an only child of a father with Welsh origins and a mother from Scotland who was an avid golf player.

At the tender age of 12 he was playing the game following the construction of a course nearby.

Retirement plans on hold

He preferred football back then, though, having enjoyed many a trip to see Rangers play at Ibrox with his Dad.

As his golfing exploits developed he grew fond of the administration side of the game.

His academic development was still pursued and won a gold watch for an essay when training to be a structural engineer.

In 1970, he was surprised after an application for a full-time Scottish administrator at the PGA was successful. It was the start of a very successful career at the organisation.

Within 10 years he had more than doubled the size of the professional sport in Scotland.

The PGA has grown massively with Jones at the helm - particularly building on the PGA brand.

He is also a non-voting advisor on the Ryder Cup Selection Committee which decides the venue for the American and European clashes.

One of his ambitions is to be the first chief executive of the PGA to make retirement age.