Robert George Goalby (March 14, 1929 – January 19, 2022) was an American professional golfer. He won 11 PGA Tour events including the 1968 Masters.

Early life In 1929, Goalby was born in Belleville, Illinois. There he was raised, and lived for much of his life. He was the son of a coal miner, the family had little money and he would sneak over the fence of nearby St Clair Country Club to indulge his love for golf. He also worked as a caddie at the course. He excelled in athletics during his time at Belleville Township High School earning 11 varsity letters. Notably, he was a catcher and pitcher on the Illinois High School Association(IHSA) championship Baseball Team his junior year and an All-State quarterback during his senior year of High School.

Amateur career Goalby attended the University of Illinois on a football scholarship only to lose his eligibility due to playing several baseball games for Southern Illinois University, and quit college altogether. He served in the United States military during the Korean War.

Professional career In 1957, Goalby turned professional. In 1958, he won his first tour event. Goalby earned the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Award in that season. He won and contended steadily until 1971 when he was 42 years old.

At the 1968 Masters Tournament, he tied Roberto De Vicenzo at the end of 72 holes of regulation play and would have had to face an 18-hole playoff the next day had there not been a mistake on DeVicenzo's scorecard. In the final round, DeVicenzo's playing partner Tommy Aaron marked a par-4 on the 17th hole when DeVicenzo had in fact made a birdie 3. DeVicenzo failed to catch the mistake and signed the scorecard. The rules of golf state that the higher written score signed by a golfer on his card must stand and as such, the error gave Goalby the championship. Goalby, playing in the group behind DeVicenzo, was not personally at fault for anything in the incident. The incident received extraordinary media attention at the time and has remained high in public consciousness since. It was recounted in great detail in the 2005 book The Lost Masters: Grace and Disgrace in '68 by Curt Sampson. The personal relationship between Goalby and DeVicenzo was unaffected by the difficult situation, and the two players formed a partnership years later, for a team event on the Champions Tour.

Goalby played on the Ryder Cup team in 1963 and retired from the PGA Tour after winning 11 tournaments. He joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1979, winning twice, and contributed key ideas to the formation and structure of that new Tour, before retiring to a home in his native Belleville, where he has designed several nearby golf courses. He also served as a golf commentator for NBC television for 14 years.

Awards and honors

In 1982, a charity golf tournament, the Bob Goalby Golf Open, was inaugurated. Goalby lent his name to the tournament to benefit Maur Hill - Mount Academy, a Catholic, international, college preparatory school in Atchison, Kansas. In 1991, Goalby was inducted into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. In 2009, Goalby was inducted of the St. Louis Sports Hall Of Fame. In 2017, the football stadium at Belleville High School-West was dedicated to him. Goalby has earned a plaque on the Belleville Walk of Fame.

Personal life Goalby had three sons: Kye, Kel and Kevin, the former of whom is a golf course architect. Goalby's nephew Jay Haas is a 9-time PGA Tour winner, and another nephew, Jerry Haas, coaches the Wake Forest University golf team. His great-nephew, Bill Haas, plays on the PGA Tour, and won the Tour Championship tournament and FedEx Cup in 2011.

, Goalby resided in Palm Desert, California. Goalby died in Belleville on January 19, 2022, at the age of 92.

Professional wins (14) PGA Tour wins (11) LegendMajor championships (1)Other PGA Tour (10) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Apr 13, 1958Greater Greensboro Open−9 (71-69-69-66=275)2 strokes Dow Finsterwald, Don January, Tony Lema, Sam Snead, Art Wall Jr. 2Dec 11, 1960Coral Gables Open Invitational−12 (67-67-71-67=272)1 stroke Dow Finsterwald3Jan 9, 1961Los Angeles Open −9 (67-70-71-67=275)3 strokes Eric Brown, Art Wall Jr.4Mar 19, 1961St. Petersburg Open Invitational−23 (67-62-67-65=261)3 strokes Ted Kroll5Aug 5, 1962Insurance City Open Invitational −13 (69-69-66-67=271)Playoff Art Wall Jr.6Sep 9, 1962Denver Open Invitational−3 (72-69-67-69=277)1 stroke George Bayer, Bob Duden, Jack Fleck, Bill Johnston, Billy Maxwell, Art Wall Jr.7Jan 15, 1967San Diego Open Invitational−15 (68-64-68-69=269)1 stroke Gay Brewer8Apr 14, 1968Masters Tournament−11 (70-70-71-66=277)1 stroke Roberto De Vicenzo9Sep 28, 1969Robinson Open Golf Classic−15 (62-71-73-67=273)Playoff Jim Wiechers 10Nov 29, 1970Heritage Golf Classic−4 (74-70-70-66=280)4 strokes Lanny Wadkins11Dec 12, 1971Bahamas National Open−9 (69-70-66-70=275)1 stroke George Archer

PGA Tour playoff record (2–1) No.YearTournamentOpponentResult11962Insurance City Open Invitational Art Wall Jr.Won with birdie on seventh extra hole21965Hawaiian Open Gay BrewerLost to birdie on first extra hole31969Robinson Open Golf Classic Jim WiechersWon with birdie on first extra hole Source:

Senior PGA Tour wins (2) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up1Jun 28, 1981Marlboro Classic−2 (70-68-70=208)2 strokes Art Wall Jr.2Jun 27, 1982Peter Jackson Champions−15 (68-68-64-73=273)1 stroke Gene Littler

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1) No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult11985Bank One Senior Golf Classic Miller Barber, Gene LittlerLittler won with par on third extra holeGoalby eliminated by par on first hole Source:

Other senior wins (1) 1983 Shootout at Jeremy Ranch (with Mike Reid)

Major championships

Wins (1) YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up 1968 Masters Tournament 1 shot deficit −11 (70-70-71-66=277) 1 stroke Roberto De Vicenzo

Results timeline Tournament195719581959Masters TournamentU.S. OpenCUTT38PGA ChampionshipT5

Tournament1960196119621963196419651966196719681969Masters TournamentCUT36T25CUTT37T39T59CUT1T40U.S. OpenT19T2T14CUTCUTT22T6T39PGA ChampionshipT32T152T17CUTT68T49T7T8CUT

Tournament1970197119721973197419751976197719781979Masters TournamentCUTT36T17T6T22CUTCUTCUT52CUTU.S. OpenT36T19T58CUTT63PGA ChampionshipCUTT46T62T18

Tournament1980198119821983198419851986Masters TournamentCUTCUT46CUTCUTCUTCUTU.S. OpenPGA Championship Note: Goalby never played in The Open Championship.

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

Source:

Summary Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeMasters Tournament 1 0 0 1 2 5 27 13U.S. Open 0 1 0 1 2 6 15 11The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PGA Championship 0 1 0 2 4 7 15 12Totals 1 2 0 4 8 18 57 36 Source: Most consecutive cuts made – 9 (1971 PGA – 1974 Masters) Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1967 U.S. Open – 1968 Masters)

U.S. national team appearances Professional Ryder Cup: 1963 (winners)

References

External links