Bob McCallister

Robert McCallister (May 3, 1934 – January 26, 2021) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s. He won two titles in his career, as well as three non-Tour events. He subsequently played on the Senior PGA Tour and was head pro at golf clubs in California and Oregon.

Bob McCallister
Personal information
Full nameRobert McCallister
Born(1934-05-03)May 3, 1934
Toledo, Ohio
DiedJanuary 26, 2021(2021-01-26) (aged 86)
Molalla, Oregon
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Nationality United States
Career
CollegeUniversity of Southern California
Turned professional1959
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Senior PGA Tour
Professional wins5
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour2
Other3
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentCUT: 1966[1]
PGA ChampionshipT8: 1965[1]
U.S. OpenT21: 1963[1]
The Open ChampionshipDNP[1]

McCallister first played for the University of Southern California golf team. He received All-American honors from 1956 to 1958, and became the first player to win the Pac-8 Conference and Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in consecutive years. He turned professional in 1959 and played full-time on the Tour after serving in the U.S. Army. He won his first Tour event at the 1961 Orange County Open Invitational and his final one at the 1964 Sunset-Camellia Open Invitational. He retired in 1969 after being affected by early onset arthritis.

Early life

McCallister was born in Toledo, Ohio, on May 3, 1934.[2] The McCallister family moved to Corona, California,[3] and joined the San Gabriel Country Club. He started playing golf when he was 14 years old, after his father Don urged him to have a go at the sport.[4]

McCallister was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Southern California.[4] There, he earned All-American honors three times as a member of the golf team – first-team in 1956 and 1957, third-team in 1958.[5][6] He was the first (and, at the time of his death, the only) player to win both the Pac-8 Conference and Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in back-to-back seasons.[4]

McCallister entered several PGA Tour events as an amateur, and ultimately turned professional in 1959. He only started playing full-time on the Tour one year later, after serving in the U.S. Army and being stationed at Fort Ord in Monterey Bay. He established a record of shooting a 62 at the base golf course, which would stand for over sixty years.[4]

Career

McCallister was sponsored by Lawrence Welk during his time on the Tour.[2] He won the first title of his professional career at the 1960 Paul Bunyan Open, held at the Penobscot Valley Golf Club in Orono, Maine. He finished ahead of Tony Lema and pocketed $2,000 in prize money.[4]

McCallister won two PGA Tour events during his career, both of which played in California in October. His first title came at the 1961 Orange County Open Invitational.[7] He came from behind from five strokes on the final day to defeat Al Geiberger, his friend and former college teammate. On the final hole, he hit a 35-foot birdie to finish ahead by two shots.[4]

McCallister did not win any events during the 1962 PGA Tour. He was runner-up at that year's Phoenix Open, finishing 12 shots behind winner Arnold Palmer.[1][4] He subsequently tied for third in attempting to defend his Orange County Open title, coming two shots short of a playoff between Bob Rosburg and Lema (the eventual winner) after three-putting on the last hole.[4][8] That same year, he partnered with Major League Baseball player Albie Pearson to win the Bing Crosby Pro-Am. He finished the season 44th on the money list.[4]

McCallister's second win came at the one and only incarnation of the Sunset-Camellia Open Invitational in 1964.[3][9] He finished ahead of both Pete Brown and Stan Leonard by a single stroke to win $3,300.[4] His best finish in a major came at the 1965 PGA Championship, when he finished tied for eighth place.[1]

McCallister was afflicted by an early onset of arthritis around 1964, which seriously restricted his physical ability.[4] He managed to play five more seasons before retiring in 1969.[1] During this time, he won three tournaments outside of the PGA Tour. He triumphed at the Mexican Open and Southern California PGA Championship in 1966.[4][10] In the former, he defeated Dudley Wysong by one shot, hitting a 21-foot birdie on the last hole.[4] In the latter, he beat Bud Holscher to the $15,000 first prize, which was the richest sectional event by the Professional Golfers' Association of America at the time.[10] McCallister won the 1967 Maracaibo Open Invitational by defeating Wes Ellis in a playoff,[4] after the latter tied the score on the final hole of normal play.[11]

Later years and death

McCallister played on the Senior PGA Tour after reaching the age of 50. He played a total of 16 events on that tour from 1984 to 1987, and made his last appearance at the GTE Northwest Classic in 1995. He also teamed up with Lon Hinkle for the Shootout at Jeremy Ranch.[4] McCallister established the Redding (California) Area Junior Golf Association,[4] and held the position of head pro at Charbonneau Golf Club in Wilsonville, Oregon,[12] as well as at the Butte Creek Country Club in Chico and Gold Hills Country Club in Redding.[4]

McCallister was married to Carol until his death. He had eight children: Bill, Michael, Bobby, Brent, Kim, Tracy, Heather, and Missy.[4] He died on January 26, 2021, in Molalla, Oregon. He was 86, and suffered from Parkinson's disease in the twelve years leading up to his death.[4]

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runners-up
1 Oct 22, 1961 Orange County Open Invitational −6 (69-70-73-66=278) 2 strokes Jacky Cupit, Don Fairfield,
Marty Furgol, Al Geiberger,
Phil Rodgers
2 Oct 11, 1964 Sunset-Camellia Open Invitational −3 (69-71-71-70=281) 1 stroke Pete Brown, Stan Leonard

Source:[1]

Other wins (3)

References
  1. "Bob McCallister – Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. Elliott, Len; Kelly, Barbara (1976). Who's Who in Golf. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House. p. 130. ISBN 0-87000-225-2.
  3. "Sunset Whitney Country Club-Club History". Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  4. "Two-time PGA Tour winner McCallister dies at age 86". PGA Tour. February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  5. "All Americans page on SC Trojans Men's Golf website". Archived from the original on November 26, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  6. "1958–1969 All America golf teams from GCAA website". Archived from the original on June 26, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  7. "October 22 in Golf History from Golf Business Wire". Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  8. Dunn, Richard (June 4, 2013). "'Champagne' Lema legend will live on forever at Mesa Verde". Orange County Register. Anaheim, California. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  9. "Rocklin Golf Courses". Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  10. "Bob McCallister wins Southern California PGA". Corona Daily Independent. July 11, 1966. p. 20. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  11. "Bob McCallister Maracaibo King". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. February 13, 1967. p. 8. Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Google News Archive.
  12. "Charbonneau Golf Club". Retrieved May 2, 2009.
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