Bobby Cole (golfer)
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Other people". Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Robert Eric Cole (born 11 May 1948) is a South African professional golfer.
Early life
Cole was born in Springs, South Africa. After suffering a bicycle accident related knee injury, Cole took up golf at the age of eleven. He grew up playing golf on the course maintained for employees of the gold mine where his father, James Cole, worked.[1] As a child, he was influenced by the careers of Bobby Locke and Gary Player.
He won both the South Africa junior golf championship and the Vaal Amateur.[2]
Amateur career
In 1966, Cole won the British Amateur at Carnoustie, Scotland, at age 18, the youngest winner to that stage. Cole held the record as youngest-ever winner of the tournament until Matteo Manassero won the event 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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Professional career
In the fall of 1967, Cole tried out for the PGA Tour at 1967 PGA Tour Qualifying School. He earned medalist honors.[3] 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 in 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he won the South African PGA Championship.
On the PGA Tour, Cole won the 1977 Buick Open. He has had nine top-25 finishes in the major championships including a tie for third in the 1975 Open Championship, one stroke out of a playoff. During the event, Cole shot back-to-back rounds of 66, setting and then matching the course record at Carnoustie.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
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.
On 12 December 1980, Cole married American professional golfer Laura Baugh in Cape Town, South Africa.[4] The couple divorced, remarried, and then divorced again. They had seven children together, including professional golfer Eric Cole, who was awarded 2022–23 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.[5][6][7]
Awards and honors
- During the 1973-74 season, Cole earned the Order of Merit for the Southern Africa Tour
- In 2012, Cole was inducted into the Southern Africa Golf Hall of Fame
Amateur wins
- 1964 South African Boys Championship
- 1966 British Amateur, Golf Illustrated Gold Vase (tie with Peter Townsend)
Professional wins (14)
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 | Template:Flagicon Fred Marti |
Southern Africa Tour wins (7)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 Jan 1972 | ICL Transvaal Open | −14 (65-67-68-70=270) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Tienie Britz |
| 2 | 9 Dec 1972 | Natal Open | −11 (71-68-72-66=277) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Dale Hayes |
| 3 | 17 Dec 1972 | Rhodesian Dunlop Masters | −20 (66-68-63-71=268) | 4 strokes | Template:Flagicon Cobie Legrange |
| 4 | 20 Jan 1974 | Vavasseur Natal Open (2) | −4 (74-72-69-69=284) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Tienie Britz |
| 5 | 2 Feb 1974 | South African Open | −16 (70-65-73-64=272) | 4 strokes | Template:Flagicon Allan Henning |
| 6 | 6 Dec 1980 | Datsun South African Open (2) | −9 (73-63-70-73=279) | 4 strokes | Template:Flagicon Nick Price |
| 7 | 26 Jan 1986 | Lexington PGA Championship | −15 (66-65-66-68=265) | 5 strokes | Template:Flagicon David Frost, Template:Flagicon Teddy Webber |
Southern Africa Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1972 | ICL Transvaal Open | Template:Flagicon Tienie Britz | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1974 | Dunlop South African Masters | Template:Flagicon Gary Player | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 3 | 1977 | Rhodesian Dunlop Masters | Template:Flagicon Allan Henning |
Tournament Player Series wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Aug 1985 | Seattle-Everett Open | −12 (70-65-66=201) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Dave Stockton |
Other South African wins (3)
Other wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Nov 1974 | World Cup (with Template:Flagicon Dale Hayes) |
−6 (137-138-139-140=554) | 5 strokes | Template:Flagcountry − Isao Aoki and Masashi Ozaki |
| 2 | 24 Nov 1974 | World Cup Individual Trophy | −9 (66-70-67-68=271) | 5 strokes | Template:Flagicon Masashi Ozaki |
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 |
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" />
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" />
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)
Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing South Africa): 1966
Professional
See also
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".