Bob Goalby: 1968 Masters Win, Career Stats & Legacy

Bob Goalby is somehow encumbranced in the annals of the golf history not because he was not a gifted golfer, but because he had five minutes in on a Sunday in April 1968; a five minutes that would have so little to do with his swing of clubs. The son of a coal-miner who would sneak up a fence to learn the game, a multi-sport high school sensation, a Korean War veteran, a Ryder Cup champion, a golf course architect, a television announcer and one of the creators of the new senior golf tour. 

In 1968 he finished his victories with Masters, and would later in his decades of life help in the creation of the Champions Tour which would give him all his later decades with giving back to the game that gave him a whole new world of life than the one he was born into. This book takes one through the entire life of this story, about the son of a coal-miner in Illinois to the Green Jacket winner and a popular golf ambassador.

Quick Facts

Who Was Bob Goalby?

Bob Goalby was born to parents in Belleville, Illinois, on March 14, 1929 under the name Robert George Goalby. He grew to be a professional golfer with grit, crude talent, and a competitive streak.

He passed away on January 19, 2022, at age 92. Throughout his career, Bob gained the reputation of not giving up whether on the course or off the course.

Early Life in Belleville, Illinois

Bob was a needy lad. He was the son of a coal-miner, and there was not as much money when boyhood. Young Bob became in love with golf, however.

He would creep over the fence in the nearby St. Clair Country Club in order to strike balls. There he too helped himself by being a caddie and observing and imitating the strokes of golfers whose bags he carried. So he was taught the game, uncoached at all.

High School Years and a Detour Through College

Bob was not a grown-up golfer. He was also a multi-sport star in the Belleville Township High School, where he played well in football, baseball and in basketball. In 1947, he was a great quarterback and a talented baseball catcher and pitcher.

His sports skills won Him a football scholarship at the University of Illinois. Rather, he joined the Southern Illinois University to play baseball. He never really fitted college however and dropped out before he graduated.

Military Service and the Road to the Pros

The business of golf had a way of being hindered by life before it can become his business. During the Korean War, Bob was enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was a soldier to his country then came home and went about doing the sport he loved most.

The professional became a professional in the late 1950s. He himself says that he has never taken golf seriously until after he had left the Army, and was seeking how to continue. His life was different because of the decision that he made.

Bob Goalby’s Breakthrough on the PGA Tour

Immediate success has not been attained. Only in 1958, when Bob won the Greater Greensboro Open, did he even win a PGA Tour event, at the age of 29 years. His career has since then been a leap off.

He established himself as a formidable candidate in the next couple of years. The 1963 season was the only one that he won on that parameter, so he was number one on the PGA tour money list with five top positions. Through him, he was also named to hold the 1963 U.S Ryder cup which is regarded as being among the most outstanding awards in professional golf.

Near-Misses That Shaped His Career

These close-calls made him even keener as the second half of the decade began.

The Unforgettable 1968 Masters Victory

The situation that had happened in 1968 at the masters was the only one that will define Bob Goalby. He entered, with a last round score of 66, in a tie with Argentina’s Roberto De Vicenzo at the top.

In an ordinary situation, said tie would have led to a one-day playoff the following day. Rather, the history of golf got a queer turn.

The experimental partner of De vicenzo, Tommy Aaron had registered the par -4 as a birdie three upon the score which shedded off De Vicenzo on the 17 th hole. One of the mistakes was the signature of the card by De Vicenzo. In this case rules of golf are very strict; after a person has signed an incorrect higher score, then the higher score will hold.

The mistake gave Bob the win in a no playoff manner. There was no fault to him, as he was playing in the troop at the back of De Vicenzo when he caused him to fall. However, this end was the most talked about in the history of the Masters, and it continues to be referenced when the Masters speak of golf rules and golf score cards.

A Record That Stood for Decades

This was not the only thing that Bob had to add to the history of golf. In the final round of the 1961 St. Petersburg Open, which he had just won he made eight consecutive birdies. And it took 48 years before another golfer could be able to match that record.

Bob Goalby Career Stats at a Glance

Note: Various official publications indicate somewhat different career win totals of Bob, between 11 and 14, based on some tourism counting co-sponsorships.

Life on the Senior Tour

Bob Goalby had no time to waste when his usual career, the PGA Tour, was over early in the 1970s. In 1979, he became a part of the Senior Tour, which is today referred to as PGA Tour Champions.

Bob directly contributed his bit towards this tour too. Later in 1970s, he joined a few old school golfers in the design of the structure that constituted the modern senior circuit.

Beyond Playing: Broadcasting and Course Design

Leaving tournament golf would not imply giving up on playing the game. Bob Goalby is a veteran television golf commentator that has made himself available over the years to TV audience with his expertise in major tournaments.

He also shifted his interest to golf course design whereby he designed a number of golf courses in and around Belleville, his hometown in Illinois. The people of Shiloh section of Illinois owed courses pertaining to him the introduction of their initial experience of the game.

Bob Goalby and Meadow Hills Golf Course: What the Record Actually Shows

Other golf discussions mention the Meadow Hills Golf Course, a well-known club in Denver area having long history of having PGA tour. Denver Open Invitational, at Meadow Hills among a variety of Colorado tour stops at the time, was held in 1961.

It was Dave Hill, not Bob, who won that particular event. There is no record of the tournament, which can be verified, in which Goalby owns a goal in the win column, at the Meadow Hills Golf Course. Any immediate connection to Meadow Hills is not proven, not by any means, in the investigation by golf enthusiasts regarding the history of the Colorado tour or to Bob Goalby.

Awards and Recognition

The Bob Goalby Golf Open: A Lasting Charity Legacy

Bob Goalby has given his name to a charity golf tournament sponsored by his name since 1982 to Australia Maur Hill-Mount Academy, which is a college preparatory school located in Atchison, Kansas. It has been a fundraiser that has spanned more than 40 years since his passing and continues.

That he has been extremely generous of his time in such games is testified by regular attendees and friends; he habitually rides about in a cart to visit different groups of people and even give lessons separately on bunker-shot.

The Man Behind the Trophies

Bob did not always go by the label of easygoing in his playing days. In his early career, he was petulant and has never been demonstrative of frustration at the course. He, too, struggled a hooking thing in his swing over the years, until he had spent one hundred sixty or so hours with one of his instructors, Johnny Revolta, to revise it in 1967.

No matter how strong that intensity, those closest to him were apt to discuss the other side: a, real friend, a devout husband, and one who was so committed to popularizing golf in his home town.

Bob Goalby’s Passing and Family

Bob Goalby died on January 19, 2022, at age 92. Remembered were friends and family and the entire golf community who remembered that he was a champion in golf competitions and a pleasant ambassador to the game. He is survived by his family, which includes his children and extended family and many are still attached to the Belleville, Illinois, community, which he is able to call home most of his life.

Final Thoughts

The story of Bob Goalby is much more than a controversial Masters finish. Whether as a son of a coal miner who contrives to creep into a country club course, a Ryder Cup champion, a senior tour leader or not, Bob Goalby made long lasting impressions in the world of golf. The Bob Goalby Golf Open, his designed courses and the many golfers who have grown up with admiring him as role models on his game are all a part of his legacy. But however as much as he belonged to one specific club as Meadow Hills Golf Course; the essence to his story is, Bob had all the publicity that he rightfully deserved in the annals of golf.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bob Goalby

When was Bob Goalby born?

Bob Goalby was born on 14 March 1929, at Belleville, Illinois.

When did Bob Goalby die?

He passed away on January 19, 2022, at the age of 92.

Did Bob win the Masters?

Yes. Bob won the 1968 Masters Tournament, and he had a score card which had falsely counted against his moter-runner-up, Derek de Vicenzo.

How many PGA Tour wins did Bob have?

With regard to the form of counting, 11-14 PGA Tour victories are recorded on its sources.

Was Bob Goalby a Ryder Cup player?

Well, he was playing U.S. in the Ryder Cup team of 1963.

Did Bob play on the Senior Tour?

Yes. He was a part of it since 1979 and made 262 career starts, winning twice.

Did Bob design golf courses?

Yes, he had a number of courses designed around Belleville, Illinois.

Is there a confirmed link between Bob Goalby and Meadow Hills Golf Course?

To tie him directly to Meadow Hills Golf Course as a winner, no proven tournament record exists.

What charity tournament is named after him?

The Maur Hill-Mount Academy in Kansas has a sponsor, Bob Golf Open; the event started in 1982.

What record did Bob set in 1961?

He made a birdie in 8 holes in a row on the St. Petersburg Open that was 48 years.

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