Robert Bryan Gilder (born December 31, 1950) is an American professional golfer. He won six tournaments on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

and currently plays on the Champions Tour, where he has ten wins since joining in 2001.

Early years

Born in Corvallis, Oregon, Gilder graduated from

Corvallis High School Corvallis High School may refer to: *Corvallis High School (California) *Corvallis High School (Montana) *Corvallis High School (Oregon) Corvallis High School (CHS) is a four-year public secondary school in Corvallis, Oregon. Originally estab ...

and attended Arizona State University in Tempe. He walked on to the Sun Devils' golf team, and was the 1973

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to mos ...

individual golf champion.

PGA Tour

Bob Gilder Plaque at Westchester Country Club 1982

Gilder turned pro later that year and found success soon thereafter. He won a tournament on the Australian Tour,

New Zealand Open The New Zealand Open is the premier men's golf tournament in New Zealand. It has been a regular fixture on the PGA Tour of Australasia tournament schedule since the 1970s. The 2019 event was the 100th edition of the tournament. Since 2014 it has ...

, a year after turning professional. He shot 283 (−5) and defeated Australia's

Jack Newton Jack Newton OAM (30 January 1950 – 14 April 2022) was an Australian professional golfer. He won the Buick-Goodwrench Open on the PGA Tour and won three times on the European Tour, including the British PGA Matchplay Championship in 1974. He ...

and New Zealand legend Bob Charles in a playoff. He won his first PGA Tour tournament a year and a half later at the

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

Phoenix Open The Phoenix Open (branded as the WM Phoenix Open for sponsorship reasons) is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held in late January/early February at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. The tournament was originally the Arizona ...

. He won six times during his career, including three in 1982. Gilder was a tour mainstay for many years, and played on the Ryder Cup team in

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

. Gilder may be best remembered for his

double eagle A double eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. (Its gold content of 0.9675 troy oz (30.0926 grams) was worth $20 at the 1849 official price of $20.67/oz.) The coins are 34 mm x 2 mm and are made from ...

in 1982 at the

Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic The FedEx St. Jude Championship, founded as the Westchester Classic in 1967, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been played as the first tournament of the playoff system for the FedEx Cup, with the field limit ...

. It took place during the third round, at the par-5 18th hole of the

Westchester Country Club Westchester Country Club is a private country club located in Town of Harrison, New York. Founded in 1922 as destination for sportsmen, it was known to professional golf players and spectators for more than four decades as the home of the "Westche ...

, just north of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Gilder used a 3 wood from away; his second shot carried , landed softly on the green, and rolled into the cup. A plaque on the 18th fairway commemorates the feat. It gave him a 192 (−18) for 54 holes, which tied a tour record. It also doubled his lead to a comfortable six strokes; he won the tournament by five strokes on Sunday with a 69 to finish at 261 (−19). Gilder won one of the longest sudden death playoffs in PGA Tour history at the

in January 1983. It took him eight holes to defeat

Rex Caldwell Rex Allen Caldwell (born May 5, 1950) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour. Caldwell was born in Everett, Washington. He attended San Fernando Valley State College. He turned profes ...

Johnny Miller John Laurence Miller (born April 29, 1947) is an American former professional golfer. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 U.S. Open, and he ran ...

, and

Mark O'Meara Mark Francis O'Meara (born January 13, 1957) is an American professional golfer. He was a tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. He spent nearly 200 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World ...

. It was his second win in Phoenix and sixth and final victory on the PGA Tour.

Champions Tour

At the end of 2000, Gilder became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour (later Champions Tour) and found immediate success, winning two tournaments and being named Rookie of the Year in 2001. After winning tournaments in five out of his first six years on the Champions Tour, Gilder entered a victory drought of almost five years. In the first seven individual events of the 2011 season, he placed no higher than a tie for 56th place, and had struggled to a stroke average of over 73.5 per round. However, Gilder ended his drought with a come-from-behind win in the

Principal Charity Classic The Principal Charity Classic is an annual PGA Tour Champions golf tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. It has been held at the William Langford-designed Wakonda Club since 2013. Founded in 2001 as the Allianz Championship, that name has been used by a ...

, a tournament he had previously won in 2002. With three birdies on his final four holes, including a birdie on the notoriously difficult 18th hole, Gilder was the victor by one shot over Champions Tour rookie Mark Brooks, who was seeking his first win on the senior circuit. This victory gave Gilder his milestone 10th victory on the Champions Tour. Gilder was inducted into the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

in 2002. Gilder is a lifelong resident of Corvallis, Oregon. He enjoys

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

and has competed in

Trans-Am The Trans-Am Series is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of track types includi ...

races. Gilder and his wife, Peggy, have a grandson with cystic fibrosis and are involved with several charities that help battle the disease including

Doernbecher Children's Hospital Doernbecher Children's Hospital is an academic teaching children's hospital associated with Oregon Health & Science University located in Portland, Oregon. Established in 1926, it is the first full-service children's hospital in the Pacific Northw ...

and the

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure cystic fibrosis (CF) and ensure that those living with CF live long and productive lives. The Foundation pr ...

.2006 Platt Classic charity tournament announcement

Amateur wins

*1973 Western Athletic Conference Championship (individual)

Professional wins (24)

PGA Tour wins (6)

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

Japan Golf Tour wins (3)

''*Note: The 1990 Acom P.T. was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.''

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (1–0)

Other wins (4)

*1987

Northwest Open The Northwest Open is golf tournament played in the Pacific Northwest, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pacific Northwest section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1905 at a variety of cou ...

*1988 Isuzu Kapalua International,

Acom Team Championship The Acom Doubles, also known as the Acom Team Championship, was a professional golf tournament that was held in Japan from 1983 to 1989. A pairs event, it was held on the Tashiro Course at Shigaraki Country Club near Kōka, Shiga, Kōka in Shiga Pr ...

(with

Doug Tewell Douglas Fred Tewell (born August 27, 1949) is an American professional golfer who has won several tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level, including two senior major championships. Tewell was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and ...

) (Japan) *1989

Spalding Invitational The TaylorMade Golf Pebble Beach Invitational is a non-tour professional golf tournament. The event debuted in 1972. The 2019 purse was $300,000 with $60,000 going to the individual winner. There is also a team competition. Professionals from the P ...

Champions Tour wins (10)

Champions Tour playoff record (3–0)

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1981 PGA – 1983 PGA) *Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1988 U.S. Open – 1988 PGA)

Results in The Players Championship

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

U.S. national team appearances

Professional * Ryder Cup:

(winners) *

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

: 1982 * UBS Warburg Cup: 2002 (winners)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilder, Bob American male golfers Arizona State Sun Devils men's golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Golfers from Oregon Trans-Am Series drivers Sportspeople from Corvallis, Oregon Corvallis High School (Oregon) alumni 1950 births Living people