Bobby Cole (golfer)

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

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

Bobby Cole
Personal information
Full name	Robert Eric Cole
Born	(1948-05-11) 11 May 1948 (age 77) Springs, South Africa
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Sporting nationality	South Africa
Residence	Windermere, Florida, U.S.
Spouse	Linda Parker
Children	7, including Eric
Career
Turned professional	1967
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Southern Africa Tour Champions Tour
Professional wins	14
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	1
Sunshine Tour	7
Other	6
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T15: 1975
PGA Championship	T3: 1974
U.S. Open	T13: 1971
The Open Championship	T3: 1975
Achievements and awards
Southern Africa Tour Order of Merit winner 1973–74

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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	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	Tienie Britz
2	9 Dec 1972	Natal Open	−11 (71-68-72-66=277)	1 stroke	Dale Hayes
3	17 Dec 1972	Rhodesian Dunlop Masters	−20 (66-68-63-71=268)	4 strokes	Cobie Legrange
4	20 Jan 1974	Vavasseur Natal Open (2)	−4 (74-72-69-69=284)	1 stroke	Tienie Britz
5	2 Feb 1974	South African Open	−16 (70-65-73-64=272)	4 strokes	Allan Henning
6	6 Dec 1980	Datsun South African Open (2)	−9 (73-63-70-73=279)	4 strokes	Nick Price
7	26 Jan 1986	Lexington PGA Championship	−15 (66-65-66-68=265)	5 strokes	David Frost, Teddy Webber

Southern Africa Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1972	ICL Transvaal Open	Tienie Britz	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1974	Dunlop South African Masters	Gary Player	Lost to par on second extra hole
3	1977	Rhodesian Dunlop Masters	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	Dave Stockton

Other South African wins (3)

• 1969 Natal Open,^[8] Dunlop South African Masters^[8]
• 1970 Natal Open^[9]

Other wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin 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

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

^[10][11]

  Top 10

  Did not play

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

• World Cup (representing South Africa): 1969, 1974 (winners, individual winner), 1976

See also

• 1967 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates