Marty Bohen

Martin Joseph Bohen (born 1942)[1][2] is an American professional golfer.

Marty Bohen
Personal information
Full nameMartin Joseph Bohen
Born1942
Los Angeles, California
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[1]
Weight200 lb (91 kg)[1]
Nationality United States
Career
CollegeUniversity of Southern California
Turned professional1965
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins6
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipCUT: 1984
U.S. OpenT55: 1972
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Golf career

Bohen was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1] He attended the University of Southern California and played on the golf team.[2] He won the 1965 Nevada Amateur.[1]

He turned professional in November 1965[2] and soon tried out for the PGA Tour. At the inaugural PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament he missed qualifying by 8 shots.[3] The following year he tried out for the PGA Tour again but missed qualifying by one shot.[3] During this time, to make ends meet, he worked as a blackjack croupier in a Las Vegas casino.[4]

Like many young American professionals of the era who failed to qualify for the tour, Bohen decided to play overseas. Bohen nearly won the 1971 Cumberland Golf Classic played in Sydney, Australia. He was three strokes behind entering the final round but provided a "tremendous challenge" to third round leader Walter Godfrey. Bohen outplayed Godfrey by 5 shots over the first 7 holes to take the lead. After a birdie-bogey exchange on the next hole, however, they were tied and Godfrey would slightly outplay Bohen over the course of the back nine to win by one.[5] Three weeks later, he would again play excellently down under. Bohen started the final round of the Otago Charity Classic in second place, four behind New Zealand's Bob Charles, playing in his home country. Bohen did not put up much of a fight against his playing partner Charles, who would win easily, but birdied the final hole for a 71 (−1) to assure second place by a shot over Godfrey and Peter Thomson.[6] The following year, Bohen finished runner-up at the Malaysian Open, one behind Japan's Takashi Murakami. He was tied for second with Godfrey and Thailand's Sukree Onsham.[7]

Bohen finally qualified for part-time status on the PGA Tour before the 1972 season. He made the cut in 8 of 10 events, including the U.S. Open, but earned only $4,000 for the year. The following year he played full-time, making the cut in 17 of 21 events which included his first top-25s. The 1974 season would be his last on the PGA Tour. He made the cut in 9 of 15 events but with no high finishes lost his card. He would not be a member of the PGA Tour again.[8]

Shortly after he left the PGA Tour, Bohen worked as a club professional at Leewood Golf Club in Eastchester, New York.[9] He would still occasionally play in professional tournaments for local pros. He won the Metropolitan Open in back-to-back years, 1976 and 1977.[9] His 1976 victory was quite momentous. Down by one entering the final hole of a 3-hole playoff, Bohen hit his approach on the "treacherous" hole to 25 feet. Leader Lloyd Monroe played the hole conservatively and bogeyed while Bohen sank his putt giving him the win.[10]

Bohen would also still occasionally play in overseas events during the offseason. In January 1976, he played excellently at the New South Wales PGA Championship. Bohen started the final round in second place but well behind leader Brian Jones. Jones, however, had a weak day while Bohen eagled the 17th to get into contention. He had a chance to get even closer on the final hole but instead went backwards, 3-putting the last for bogey. He fell into a tie for the clubhouse lead with Mark Tapper. It looked as if all was lost but Jones hit his tee shot into the water in the 18th; he would make double bogey to fall into a tie with Bohen and Tapper.[11] He competed in an 18-hole playoff against Jones and Mark Tapper the following day. Bohen held a one-stoke lead entering the 17th hole and made birdie. However Tapper made an eagle putt of roughly 50 feet to tie him and then, on the final hole, nearly made a hole in one. His birdie would win it. Bohen was not particularly upset with the loss, however. "What can you do with a guy like that?" he stated after the round. "I finished birdie, par and he goes two shots better."[12] Bohen was the overnight leader three months later at the Indian Open but, under pressure from playing partner Peter Thomson, did not play well in the final round and finished 4th.[13]

The 1977 season was also successful. That February he broke Royal Adelaide Golf Club's course record at the South Australian Open. Bohen shot a final round 63 (−10), which included only 19 putts, breaking Adelaide's record by three shots.[14] He regarded this as the greatest round of his career as a touring professional.[1] Later in the year he played excellently at the Ben Guzzardi – Total Golf Classic held at Traralgon Golf Club in suburban Melbourne. Again, this time in the first round, he broke a course record with an opening 64 (−7).[15] On Sunday he shot 32 (−4) on the front nine to take the solo lead and scrambled well on the back nine for an even par 35 and win by one.[4] He also won the 1979 Tasmanian Open, defeating New Zealand's Terry Kendall by several shots.[16]

In 1980 he was appointed head club professional at Spook Rock Golf Course in Suffern, New York.[1] As of 2007, he still worked at Spook Rock.[17] Late in his career, he was the Director of Golfing Programs at Kutsher's Country Club.[18]

As a senior, Bohen has participated in a number of senior events,[19][20] including some on the Senior PGA Tour.[8] He won a local senior event hosted by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.[20]

Amateur wins (1)
  • 1965 Nevada Amateur[1]

Professional wins (6)

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 Feb 4, 1979 Tattersall's Tasmanian Open −9 (66-68-67-70=271) 4 strokes Terry Kendall

PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 1976 New South Wales PGA Championship Brian Jones, Mark Tapper Tapper won 18-hole playoff;
Tapper: −1 (71),
Bohen: E (72),
Jones: +1 (73)

Other wins (5)

Results in major championships
Tournament 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 19771978197919801981198219831984
U.S. Open 64 CUT T55 CUT
PGA Championship CUT

Note: Bohen never played in the Masters Tournament or The Open Championship

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

References
  1. "Marty Bohen named Spook Rock head pro". The Journal News. March 23, 1980. p. 52.
  2. "Faces in the Crowd". Sports Illustrated. June 13, 1966. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  3. Gould, David (January 16, 2002). Q School Confidential: Inside Golf's Cruelest Tournament. Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4299-7442-4.
  4. "American wins with a whisper". The Age. February 1, 1977. p. 26.
  5. "Godfrey triumphs by one stroke". The Canberra Times. November 15, 1971. p. 12. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  6. "Charles wins by 6 strokes". The Canberra Times. December 6, 1971. p. 11. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  7. "Men Asia tournament results". where2golf.com.
  8. "Marty Bohen – Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  9. White Jr., Gordon S. (August 26, 1977). "Bohen Wins Met Open For 2d Year". The New York Times. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  10. "Martin Bohen (1976) – Upper Montclair – MGA Honors". Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  11. "Last-hole failure in NSW PGA". The Canberra Times. January 12, 1976. p. 12. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  12. "Tapper wins golf playoff". The Canberra Times. January 13, 1976. p. 16. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  13. Bedi, Raj (April 8, 2015). "Royal Calcutta Golf Club hosts Indian Open Golf Championships 1976". India Today. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  14. "Ratcliffe takes SA Open golf". The Canberra Times. February 7, 1977. p. 14. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  15. "Foley swamps field with 10 under 62". The Age. January 29, 1980. p. 23.
  16. "Tasmanian golf to US player". The Canberra Times. February 5, 1979. p. 20. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  17. "Top field set for Met Open at Meadow Brook". Metropolitan Golf Association. August 13, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  18. "Kutsher's Country Club". www.thrnewmedia.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  19. "28th Connecticut Senior Open - Marty Bohen Scorecard". Connecticut PGA. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  20. "Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk Returns to Cooperstown to Host Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open Pro-Am Sept. 4". Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  21. "Met Open Championship Presented by Callaway History". Metropolitan Golf Association. March 8, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
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