Bobby Cole (golfer)

Robert Eric Cole (born 11 May 1948) is a South African professional golfer.

For other people with the same name, see Bob Cole (disambiguation).

Bobby Cole
Personal information
Full nameRobert Eric Cole
NicknameBobby
Born (1948-05-11) 11 May 1948
Springs, South Africa
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Nationality South Africa
ResidenceWindermere, Florida, U.S.
SpouseLinda Parker
Children7
Career
Turned professional1967
Former tour(s)South African Tour
PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins13
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Sunshine Tour9
Other3
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT15: 1975
PGA ChampionshipT3: 1974
U.S. OpenT13: 1971
The Open ChampionshipT3: 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)

Professional wins (13)

PGA Tour wins (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1 4 Sep 1977 Buick Open −17 (67-69-68-67=271) 1 stroke Fred Marti

South African wins (9)

Other wins (3)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 24 Nov 1974 World Cup
(with Dale Hayes)		 −6 (137-138-139-140=554) 5 strokes  Japan − Isao Aoki and Masashi Ozaki
2 24 Nov 1974 World Cup Individual Trophy −9 (66-70-67-68=271) 5 strokes Masashi Ozaki
3 4 Aug 1985 Seattle-Everett Open −12 (70-65-66=201) 1 stroke Dave Stockton

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

[9][10]

  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00000154
U.S. Open00000274
The Open Championship00112497
PGA Championship00111255
Totals0022392620
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1974 Open Championship – 1978 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1974 Open Championship – 1974 PGA)

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

References
  1. "Cole falls of bicycle, ends up on golf course".
  2. "Storylines: Exuma welcomes Tour to kick off 2017 season". PGA Tour. 6 January 2017.
  3. "All Smiles Again". Sports Illustrated. 20 May 1991. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  4. "Storylines: Cole follows in parents' footsteps as pro golfer". PGA Tour. 8 February 2017.
  5. "Cole wins Masters Tourney". The Canberra Times. 28 January 1969. p. 15.
  6. "Hitchcock sixth in Natal Open". The Glasgow Herald. 2 February 1970. p. 5.
  7. "Oosterhuis fades to fourth place". The Glasgow Herald. 11 December 1972. p. 5.
  8. "Eagle 3 gives Cole victory". The Glasgow Herald. 18 December 1972. p. 4.
  9. "Golf Major Championships - Bobby Cole". www.golfmajorchampionships.com. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  10. 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.
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