Bobby Cole (golfer)
Robert Eric Cole (born 11 May 1948) is a South African professional golfer.
| Bobby Cole | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Robert Eric Cole |
| Nickname | Bobby |
| Born | 11 May 1948 Springs, South Africa |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Nationality |  |
| Residence | Windermere, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse | Linda Parker |
| Children | 7 |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1967 |
| Former tour(s) | South African Tour PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 13 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Sunshine Tour | 9 |
| Other | 3 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T15: 1975 |
| PGA Championship | T3: 1974 |
| U.S. Open | T13: 1971 |
| The Open Championship | T3: 1975 |
Early life
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]
Golfing career
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 event 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 age, 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.
Personal life
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 1971 U.S. Women's Amateur champion and LPGA Tour player Laura Baugh, and the couple had seven children together, including professional golfer Eric Cole, who has played on the Korn Ferry Tour since 2016.[2][3][4]
Amateur wins (2)
- 1966 British Amateur, Golf Illustrated Gold Vase (tie with Peter Townsend)
Professional wins (13)
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Sep 1977 | Buick Open | −17 (67-69-68-67=271) | 1 stroke |  |
South African wins (9)
- 1969 Natal Open,[5] Dunlop South African Masters[5]
- 1970 Natal Open[6]
- 1972 Transvaal Open, Natal Open (Dec),[7] Rhodesian Masters[8]
- 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)[9]
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T44 | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T31 | ||
| The Open Championship | T30 | CUT | T13 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | T21 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T15 | 47 | 28 | ||||||
| U.S. Open | T12 | T13 | T47 | CUT | ||||||
| The Open Championship | T28 | T7 | T3 | T32 | T15 | |||||
| PGA Championship | T3 | T40 | T54 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | |||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | T43 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
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)
References
- "Cole falls of bicycle, ends up on golf course".
- "Storylines: Exuma welcomes Tour to kick off 2017 season". PGA Tour. 6 January 2017.
- "All Smiles Again". Sports Illustrated. 20 May 1991. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
- "Storylines: Cole follows in parents' footsteps as pro golfer". PGA Tour. 8 February 2017.
- "Cole wins Masters Tourney". The Canberra Times. 28 January 1969. p. 15.
- "Hitchcock sixth in Natal Open". The Glasgow Herald. 2 February 1970. p. 5.
- "Oosterhuis fades to fourth place". The Glasgow Herald. 11 December 1972. p. 5.
- "Eagle 3 gives Cole victory". The Glasgow Herald. 18 December 1972. p. 4.
- "In the Everett Open". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. 5 August 1985. p. C2. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
- "Golf Major Championships - Bobby Cole". www.golfmajorchampionships.com. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- Loomis, Tom (10 April 1978). "Champ Player Fired 64, Then 'Choked'". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. pp. 14, 16. Retrieved 9 December 2019 – via Google News Archive Search.
External links
- Bobby Cole at the Sunshine Tour official site
- Bobby Cole at the PGA Tour official site
- Bobby Cole at the Official World Golf Ranking official site