Bob Murphy (golfer)

Robert Joseph Murphy, Jr. (born February 14, 1943) is an American professional golfer who was formerly a member of the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. Murphy has won 21 tournaments as a professional.

Bob Murphy
Murphy at the 1968 Westchester Golf Classic
Personal information
Full nameRobert Joseph Murphy, Jr.
Born (1943-02-14) February 14, 1943
Brooklyn, New York
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
Nationality United States
ResidenceDelray Beach, Florida
SpouseGail
Career
CollegeUniversity of Florida
Turned professional1967
Current tour(s)Champions Tour
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins23
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour5
PGA Tour Champions11
Other8
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT13: 1971
PGA ChampionshipT2: 1970
U.S. OpenT3: 1975
The Open ChampionshipT48: 1976

Early years

Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York.[1] He was a standout pitcher in his youth, and as a teen led his high school baseball team to the state championship in 1960. After suffering a football injury (which also ended his baseball career), Murphy got started in golf.[2]

College career

Murphy attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida,[1] where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity (Florida Upsilon Chapter). While he was an undergraduate, he played for coach Buster Bishop's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1964 to 1966.[3] While he was a college student, he won the 1965 U.S. Amateur and the 1966 individual NCAA championship,[3] and was recognized as an All-American in 1966.[2][4] He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in health and human performance in 1966,[1] and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1971.[5][6]

Professional career

Murphy turned professional in 1967,[1] and won five tournaments on the PGA Tour.[2] He was a member of the victorious U.S. team in the 1975 Ryder Cup competition.[7] His best finish in a major tournament was a second-place tie at the 1970 PGA Championship.[8] Murphy won 11 times on the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour).

Murphy first got into broadcasting while still playing. He joined CBS Sports as a tower announcer in 1984, working for CBS through 1991. He then joined ESPN as a color commentator, where he stayed through 1994. After a break from TV to play on the Senior PGA Tour, he joined NBC Sports in November 1999, and was a tower announcer for the PGA Tour on NBC through 2009, at which point he retired.[2][7]

He was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

Personal life

Murphy lives in Delray Beach, Florida with his wife, Gail.[7]

Amateur wins (2)
  • 1965 U.S. Amateur
  • 1966 NCAA championship (individual)

Professional wins (23)

PGA Tour wins (5)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of victory Runner(s)-up
1 Aug 25, 1968 Philadelphia Golf Classic −12 (69-71-66-70=276) Playoff Labron Harris, Jr.
2 Sep 2, 1968 Thunderbird Classic −11 (68-70-71-69=277) 3 strokes Bruce Crampton, Bob Lunn
3 Sep 7, 1970 Greater Hartford Open Invitational −17 (66-66-66-69=267) 4 strokes Paul Harney
4 Mar 2, 1975 Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic −15 (68-71-66-68=273) 1 stroke Eddie Pearce
5 Jun 29, 1986 Canadian Open −8 (71-70-68-71=280) 3 strokes Greg Norman

PGA Tour playoff record (1–5)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1968 Philadelphia Golf Classic Labron Harris, Jr. Won with birdie on third extra hole
2 1970 Tucson Open Lee Trevino Lost to birdie on first extra hole
3 1972 Hawaiian Open Grier Jones Lost to par on first extra hole
4 1973 Westchester Classic Bobby Nichols Lost to birdie on second extra hole
5 1974 World Open Golf Championship Frank Beard, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller Miller won with birdie on second extra hole
Murphy eliminated with par on first hole
6 1981 Tallahassee Open Dave Eichelberger, Mark O'Meara Eichelberger won with birdie on first extra hole

Australian wins (1)

Other wins (3)

Senior PGA Tour wins (11)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Aug 29, 1993 Bruno's Memorial Classic −13 (69-67-67=203) 1 stroke Bob Charles, Lee Trevino
2 Sep 12, 1993 GTE North Classic −10 (68-66=134) 2 strokes Jim Ferree, Dave Hill, Chi-Chi Rodríguez
3 Oct 16, 1994 Raley's Senior Gold Rush −8 (69-71-68=208) Playoff Dave Eichelberger
4 Oct 30, 1994 Hyatt Regency Maui Kaanapali Classic −18 (62-67-66=195) 2 strokes Jack Kiefer
5 Feb 12, 1995 The IntelliNet Challenge −7 (67-70=137) 1 stroke Raymond Floyd
6 May 7, 1995 PaineWebber Invitational −13 (68-66-69=203) 2 strokes Raymond Floyd, Larry Ziegler
7 Jun 25, 1995 Nationwide Championship −13 (71-64-68=203) 2 strokes Hale Irwin, Bruce Summerhays
8 Aug 6, 1995 VFW Senior Championship −15 (69-63-63=195) 1 stroke Jim Colbert
9 Feb 4, 1996 Royal Caribbean Classic −10 (69-67-67=203) 4 strokes Hale Irwin
10 May 19, 1996 Cadillac NFL Golf Classic −14 (62-71-69=202) 2 strokes Jay Sigel
11 Mar 6, 1997 Toshiba Senior Classic −6 (65-70-72=207) Playoff Jay Sigel

Champions Tour playoff record (2–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1994 Raley's Senior Gold Rush Dave Eichelberger Won with bogey on fifth extra hole
2 1997 Toshiba Senior Classic Jay Sigel Won with birdie on ninth extra hole

Other senior wins (3)
  • 1995 Diners Club Matches (with Jim Colbert)
  • 1996 Diners Club Matches (with Jim Colbert)
  • 2013 Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jim Colbert)

Results in major championships
Tournament 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament T59 LA 52 LA CUT
U.S. Open T15 LA T23 T32 5
The Open Championship
PGA Championship T63
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament T23 T13 T43 42 T28 T31
U.S. Open CUT CUT T63 T20 T3 CUT CUT T25
The Open Championship T48
PGA Championship T2 T46 T40 T35 T32 T25 CUT T25 T54 CUT
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open CUT T50 CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship T20 18 T34 CUT T62 69
  Top 10
  Did not play

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament000002108
U.S. Open001226159
The Open Championship00000011
PGA Championship0101151714
Totals01133134332
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1971 PGA – 1976 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (three times)

Results in The Players Championship
Tournament 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
The Players Championship T6 T4 T43 CUT 71 T64 CUT CUT T32 CUT T14 T44
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

References
  1. "Bob Murphy Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  2. "Bob Murphy Media Guide". PGA Tour. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  3. Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 29, 34, 39, 41 (2010). Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  4. 2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 36 (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  5. F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  6. "O'Connell Lauded for Actions". Sarasota Journal. Associated Press. 3 May 1971. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  7. NBCSports.com, Golf, Bob Murphy, Tower Reporter Archived 2010-12-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  8. "Bob Murphy". Golf Major Championships. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
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