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

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

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. As a child, he was influenced by the careers of

Bobby Locke Arthur D'Arcy "Bobby" Locke (20 November 1917 – 9 March 1987) was a South African professional golfer. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won The Open Championship four times and 15 PGA Tour events in total ...

and

Gary Player Gary James Player (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and nine ...

. He won both the South Africa junior golf championship and the Vaal Amateur.

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 Matteo Manassero (born 19 April 1993) is an Italian professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. In 2010, he became the youngest golfer to win a European Tour event. His most notable victory to date was in the 2013 BMW PGA Championshi ...

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 The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the ...

, in 1967, at just short of 19 of age, until Manassero, in 2010, again beat his record.

Professional career

In the fall of 1967, Cole tried out for the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

at 1967 PGA Tour Qualifying School. He earned medalist honors. In 1974, he claimed both the team and the individual wins in the

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 name is ...

. 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

, Cole won the

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

Buick Open The Buick Open was a PGA Tour golf tournament from 1958 to 2009. In 2007, the tournament was held at the end of June, a change from its traditional spot between The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Regardless, many prominent players use ...

. 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 Carnoustie (; ) is a town and former police burgh in the subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Angus, Scotland. It is at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast. In the UK census 2011, 2011 census, Carnoustie had a population of ...

. Cole played on the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, open to golfers age 50 and over, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, f ...

from 1998 to 2001.

Personal life

Cole is married to author Linda Parker. He resides in

Windermere, Florida Windermere is a town in Orange County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,030. It is part of the Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office opened in Windermere in 1888. The post office ...

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 Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

. 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 The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions ...

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 The Golf Illustrated Gold Vase was a prestigious amateur golf tournament in England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it cover ...

(tie with Peter Townsend)

Professional wins (14)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Southern Africa Tour wins (7)

Southern Africa Tour playoff record (1–2)

Tournament Player Series wins (1)

Other South African wins (3)

*1969 Natal Open, Dunlop South African Masters *1970 Natal Open

Other wins (2)

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

*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 The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958 Eisenhower Trophy, 1958, it is nam ...

(representing South Africa):

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

Professional *

(representing South Africa):

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

(winners, individual winner),

1976 Events January * January 2 – 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 18 – Full diplomatic ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Bobby South African male golfers Sunshine Tour golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers South African expatriate golfers in the United States Sportspeople from Springs, Gauteng Golfers from Gauteng 1948 births Living people 20th-century South African sportsmen