Robert Gamez

Robert Anthony Gamez (born July 21, 1968) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.

Robert Gamez
Personal information
Full nameRobert Anthony Gamez
Born (1968-07-21) July 21, 1968
Las Vegas, Nevada
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Nationality United States
ResidenceOrlando, Florida
Career
CollegeUniversity of Arizona
Turned professional1989
Current tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins5
Highest ranking48 (March 25, 1990)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour3
Japan Golf Tour1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentCUT: 1990, 1991
PGA ChampionshipT14: 2003
U.S. OpenT61: 1990
The Open ChampionshipT12: 1990
Achievements and awards
Haskins Award1989
PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year
1990

Gamez was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is of Mexican descent.[2] He attended the University of Arizona where he was a member of the golf team. He played on the 1989 Walker Cup Team and dropped out of university to turn professional later that same year.[3][4]

Gamez has had what can be described as a hot and cold career as a professional golfer. He started out winning two tournaments in his rookie season on the Tour, including his first event, the Northern Telecom Tucson Open.[5] Only three other golfers, Marty Fleckman in 1967, Ben Crenshaw in 1973 and Garrett Willis in 2001, have won their first PGA event. He is possibly most well known for holing his second shot from the fairway on the tough 18th hole in the final round at the 1990 Nestle Invitational, giving him a one stroke win over Greg Norman.[6] A commemorative plaque has since been placed in the fairway on the 18th hole at Bay Hill to mark the spot from which Gamez holed his 7-iron from 176 yards.[7]

In 1998, Gamez was injured in a car accident at the Kemper Open and his career started to decline. Between 1998 and 2001, he failed to finish in the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list. His career hit a low point in 2001, when he failed to qualify for the Tour.[8] Then he began to enjoy a resurgence in his career. He finished in the top-125 every year between 2002-2005 including a T-5 at the Bank of America Colonial in 2004 and a win at the 2005 Valero Texas Open. It was his first win in 15 years, 6 months (394 events), a PGA Tour record.[9][10] His best finish in a major is T12 at the 1990 Open Championship.[11]

Gamez hosts an annual tournament in Orlando, Florida for the benefit of the Team Gamez Foundation. He lives in Orlando, Florida. He has not played a full season on any tour since 2008. He is a Republican.[12]

Amateur wins

this list may be incomplete

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Jan 14, 1990 Northern Telecom Tucson Open –18 (65-66-69-70=270) 4 strokes Mark Calcavecchia, Jay Haas
2 Mar 25, 1990 Nestle Invitational –14 (71-69-68-66=274) 1 stroke Greg Norman
3 Sep 30, 2005 Valero Texas Open –18 (62-68-68-64=262) 3 strokes Olin Browne

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1993 Honda Classic Fred Couples Lost to par on second extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Nov 27, 1994 Casio World Open –17 (68-66-68-69=271) 4 strokes Scott Hoch

Other wins (1)

  • 1994 Pebble Beach Invitational

Results in major championships

Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament CUT CUT
U.S. Open T61 CUT 88 CUT CUT
The Open Championship T12 T44
PGA Championship T49 T79 CUT CUT CUT
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT CUT CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT T14 T68 CUT
  Did not play

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

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00000020
U.S. Open00000082
The Open Championship00000122
PGA Championship00000194
Totals000002218
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 3 (1990 U.S. Open – 1990 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 0

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament 19901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006
The Players Championship T46 CUT CUT CUT 84 T49 T29 T24 T63 T69 CUT T56 T53
  Did not play

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

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament2006
Match Play
Championship
Invitational T18
  Did not play

"T" = Tied

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

References

  1. "Week 12 1990 Ending 25 Mar 1990" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  2. Jenkins, Sally, The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext) - Washington, D.C., "The '90 Masters Is Fair Game For Gamez" (April 4, 1990, Section G-01); "Of Mexican- American descent, he was born and raised amid games of chance in Las Vegas.."
  3. "Caught In The Glare". Sports Illustrated. February 11, 1991. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  4. Diaz, Jaime (January 19, 1990). "Prodigy at 8, Winner at 21". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  5. "Gamez Wins In Debut". Associated Press. The New York Times. January 15, 1990. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  6. Anderson, Dave (March 26, 1990). "Spectacular Eagle Wins for Gamez". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  7. DiMeglio, Steve (March 12, 2008). "Final stretch at Bay Hill can put players in a fix". USA Today. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  8. Brown, Clifton (December 1, 2001). "Gamez Learns The Party Is Over". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  9. "Gamez ends 15-year drought with win at Texas Open". Associated Press. USA Today. September 25, 2005. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  10. "Gamez halts winless run in Texas". BBC Sport. September 26, 2005. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  11. "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  12. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2006/9/26/250246/-
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