Bobby Cole (golfer)
| Bobby Cole | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
11 May 1948 Springs, South Africa |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Nationality |
 South Africa |
| Residence | Florida, U.S. |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1967 |
| Former tour(s) |
South African Tour PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 11 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Sunshine Tour | 8 |
| Other | 2 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T15: 1975 |
| U.S. Open | T13: 1971 |
| The Open Championship | T3: 1975 |
| PGA Championship | T3: 1974 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| South African Tour Order of Merit winner | 1972/73 |
Bobby Cole (born 11 May 1948) is a South African professional golfer.
Cole was born in Springs, South Africa. As a child, he was influenced by the careers of Bobby Locke and Gary Player.
After suffering a bicycle accident related knee injury, Cole took up golf at the age of eleven. He won both the South Africa junior golf championship and the Vaal Amateur.[1]
Cole made more than 150 cuts in PGA Tour tournament play. In 1966, Cole won the British Amateur at Carnoustie, Scotland, at age 18, the youngest winner to that stage. In 1974 he claimed both the team and the individual wins in the World Cup. Cole is a two-time winner of the South African Open, 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he won the South African PGA Championship.
On the U.S. PGA Tour, Cole won the 1977 Buick Open. He has had eight top-10 finishes in the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the British Open, and he finished tied for third in the 1975 Open Championship, one stroke back of Tom Watson and Jack Newton, who played off for the win. During the 1975 Open, Cole shot back-to-back rounds of 66, setting and then matching the course record at Carnoustie.
Cole held the record at age 18 for youngest winner of the British Amateur, until Matteo Manassero won the Amateur in 2009, at age 16. Cole also held the record as the youngest player to play in and make the cut at the Masters Tournament, in 1967, at just short of 19 of agee, until Manassero, in 2010, again beat his record, becoming the youngest player ever to make the cut at 16 years, 11 months and 22 days.
Cole played on the Champions Tour from 1998 to 2001.
Cole is married to author Linda Parker. He resides in Windermere, Florida where he teaches private lessons, corporate retreats, and plays ProAms and other golf events. Cole was twice married to LPGA Tour player Laura Baugh, and the couple had seven children together.[2]
Amateur wins (2)
- 1966 British Amateur, Golf Illustrated Gold Vase (tie with Peter Townsend)
Professional wins (12)
PGA Tour wins (1)
South African wins (8)
- 1969 Dunlop South African Masters
- 1971 Natal Open, Transvaal Open
- 1972 Rhodesian Masters
- 1973 Natal Open
- 1974 South African Open
- 1980 South African Open
- 1986 South African PGA Championship
Other wins (3)
- 1974 World Cup (team with Dale Hayes and individual)
- 1985 Seattle-Everett Open (PGA Tour Tournament Players' Series event)[3]
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | T44 | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | CUT | T31 |
| The Open Championship | T30 | CUT | T13 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | T21 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | T15 | 47 | 28 | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T12 | T13 | T47 | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T28 | DNP | DNP | DNP | T7 | T3 | T32 | T15 | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T3 | T40 | DNP | DNP | T54 | DNP |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T43 |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 7 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 26 | 20 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1974 Open Championship – 1978 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1974 Open Championship – 1974 PGA)
Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing South Africa): 1966
Professional
- World Cup (representing South Africa): 1969, 1974 (winners, individual winner), 1976
References
- ↑ Cole falls of bicycle, ends up on golf course
- ↑ "Beneath The Glitter". Sports Illustrated. 3 May 1999. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
- ↑ "In the Everett Open". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. 5 August 1985. p. C2. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
External links
- Bobby Cole at the Sunshine Tour official site
- Bobby Cole at the PGA Tour official site