Bob Goalby
Robert George Goalby (born March 14, 1929)[1] is an American former professional golfer on the PGA Tour who won the Masters Tournament in 1968, his lone major championship among 11 Tour wins[2] achieved between 1958 and 1971.
Bob Goalby | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Full name | Robert George Goalby |
Born | Belleville, Illinois | March 14, 1929
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st) |
Nationality | |
Career | |
College | University of Illinois |
Turned professional | 1952 |
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
Professional wins | 14 |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 11 |
PGA Tour Champions | 2 |
Other | 1 |
Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
Masters Tournament | Won: 1968 |
PGA Championship | 2nd: 1962 |
U.S. Open | T2: 1961 |
The Open Championship | DNP |
Early life
Goalby was born, raised, and has lived much of his life in Belleville, Illinois. The son of a coal miner, the family had little money and Goalby would sneak over the fence of nearby St Clair Country Club to indulge his love for golf[2] and also worked as a caddy at the course.[3] He was an All-State quarterback during his senior year of Belleville West High School and attended the University of Illinois, on a football scholarship[4][5] only to lose his eligibility due to playing several baseball games for Southern Illinois University, and quit college altogether.[6] He served in the United States military during the Korean War.[2]
Career
Goalby turned professional in 1952 and his first Tour win came in 1958, and he won and contended steadily until 1971, when he was 42 years old. At the 1968 Masters, Goalby tied Roberto De Vicenzo at the end of 72 holes of regulation play, and would have had to face an 18-hole playoff the next day, had there not been a mistake on DeVicenzo's scorecard.[7] In the final round, DeVicenzo's playing partner Tommy Aaron marked a par-4 on the 17th hole, when DeVicenzo had in fact made a birdie-3.[7] DeVicenzo failed to catch the mistake and signed the scorecard.[7] The rules of golf state that the higher written score signed by a golfer on his card must stand and as such, the error gave Goalby the championship.[7] Goalby, playing in the group behind DeVicenzo, was not personally at fault for anything in the incident.[8] The story received overwhelming attention at the time, and has remained high in public consciousness since.[7] It was recounted in great detail in the 2005 book "The Lost Masters: Grace and Disgrace in '68" by Curt Sampson. The personal relationship between Goalby and DeVicenzo was unaffected by the difficult situation, and the two players formed a partnership years later, for a team event on the Champions Tour.
Goalby played on the Ryder Cup team in 1963 and retired from the PGA Tour after winning 11 tournaments. He joined the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) in 1979, winning twice, and contributed key ideas to the formation and structure of that new Tour,[5] before retiring to a home in his native Belleville, where he has designed several nearby golf courses. He also served as a golf commentator for NBC television for 14 years.[7][9]
Legacy
Goalby has lent his name each year since 1982 to a charity golf tournament, the Bob Goalby Golf Open, for the benefit of Maur Hill - Mount Academy, a Catholic, international, college preparatory school in Atchison, Kansas.[10] The football stadium at Belleville High School-West was dedicated to him on October 13, 2017.[4] As of 2018, Goalby resides in Palm Desert, California[7] and is an inductee of the St. Louis Sports Hall Of Fame,[1] the Belleville Walk of Fame[5] and Illinois Golf Hall of Fame.[9]
Personal life
Goalby has three sons: Kye, Kel and Kevin,[11] the former of whom is a golf course architect.[5] Goalby's nephew Jay Haas is a 9-time PGA Tour winner,[2] and another nephew, Jerry Haas, coaches the Wake Forest University golf team.[12] His great-nephew, Bill Haas, plays on the PGA Tour, and won the Tour Championship tournament and FedEx Cup in 2011.[13]
Professional wins (14)
PGA Tour wins (11)
Legend |
Major championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (10) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Apr 13, 1958 | Greater Greensboro Open | −9 (71-69-69-66=275) | 2 strokes | |
2 | Dec 11, 1960 | Coral Gables Open Invitational | −12 (67-67-71-67=272) | 1 stroke | |
3 | Jan 9, 1961 | Los Angeles Open | −9 (67-70-71-67=275) | 3 strokes | |
4 | Mar 19, 1961 | St. Petersburg Open Invitational | −23 (67-62-67-65=261) | 3 strokes | |
5 | Aug 5, 1962 | Insurance City Open Invitational | −13 (69-69-66-67=271) | Playoff | |
6 | Sep 9, 1962 | Denver Open Invitational | −3 (72-69-67-69=277) | 1 stroke | |
7 | Jan 15, 1967 | San Diego Open Invitational | −15 (68-64-68-69=269) | 1 stroke | |
8 | Apr 14, 1968 | Masters Tournament | −11 (70-70-71-66=277) | 1 stroke | |
9 | Sep 28, 1969 | Robinson Open Golf Classic | −15 (62-71-73-67=273) | Playoff | |
10 | Nov 29, 1970 | Heritage Golf Classic | −4 (74-70-70-66=280) | 4 strokes | |
11 | Dec 12, 1971 | Bahamas National Open | −9 (69-70-66-70=275) | 1 stroke |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1962 | Insurance City Open Invitational | Won with birdie on seventh extra hole | |
2 | 1965 | Hawaiian Open | Lost to birdie on first extra hole | |
3 | 1969 | Robinson Open Golf Classic | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Senior PGA Tour wins (2)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jun 28, 1981 | Marlboro Classic | −2 (70-68-70=208) | 2 strokes | |
2 | Jun 27, 1982 | Peter Jackson Champions | −15 (68-68-64-73=273) | 1 stroke |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1985 | Bank One Senior Golf Classic | Littler won with par on third extra hole Goalby eliminated with par on first hole |
Other senior wins (1)
- 1983 Shootout at Jeremy Ranch (with Mike Reid)
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1968 | Masters Tournament | 1 shot deficit | −11 (70-70-71-66=277) | 1 stroke |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | |||
U.S. Open | CUT | T38 | |
PGA Championship | T5 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | 36 | T25 | CUT | T37 | T39 | T59 | CUT | 1 | T40 |
U.S. Open | T19 | T2 | T14 | CUT | CUT | T22 | T6 | T39 | ||
PGA Championship | T32 | T15 | 2 | T17 | CUT | T68 | T49 | T7 | T8 | CUT |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | T36 | T17 | T6 | T22 | CUT | CUT | CUT | 52 | CUT |
U.S. Open | T36 | T19 | T58 | CUT | T63 | |||||
PGA Championship | CUT | T46 | T62 | T18 |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | 46 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
U.S. Open | |||||||
PGA Championship |
Note: Goalby never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 27 | 13 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 11 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 12 |
Totals | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 56 | 36 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 9 (1971 PGA – 1974 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1967 U.S. Open – 1968 Masters)
References
- "Bob Goalby - Golf". St. Louis Sports Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
Born: March 14, 1929, Belleville, Illinois... Robert George 'Bob' Goalby, who was born in Belleville, Ill...
- McCabe, Jim (3 April 2018). "1968: Goalby's Superb Play Often Overlooked". Masters.com. Augusta National Golf Club. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- Ruppert, Jim (12 October 2016). "100 Years of IHSA Boys Golf: State Finals Have Hosted Many Greats". Illinois High School Association. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- "Belleville West Naming Football Field After Bob Goalby". Belleville, Illinois. CBS St. Louis. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- "Interview with Bob Goalby". The Missouri Golf Post. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- Dwyre, Bill (9 April 2008). "Goalby played the big break just right at the '68 Masters". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- Bohannan, Larry (1 April 2018). "Scorecard controversy at 1968 Masters still haunts its champion Bob Goalby". The Desert Sun. Gannett. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- Criddle, Dean (7 April 2010). "The Master speaks: Bob Goalby talks about the tournament, his great-nephew and Tiger Woods". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- "Bob Goalby: inducted 1991". Illinois Golf Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- "Alumni and Friends: Bob Goalby". Maur Hill-Mount Academy. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
The 29th annual Maur Hill-Mount Academy/Bob Goalby Golf Open...
- Voellinger, Art (11 June 2008). "Respect for Dad's role never ends". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- "Jerry Haas bio". Wake Forest Sports. Wake Forest University. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
Jerry Haas, a former Wake Forest All-American, is in his 21st season as head coach of his alma mater... The nephew of former Masters champion Bob Goalby and the younger brother of current Champions Tour star Jay Haas...
- "FedEx Cup: Bill Haas beats Hunter Mahan to $10m prize". BBC. 25 September 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
External links
- Bob Goalby at the PGA Tour official site