# Bob Murphy (golfer)

Robert Joseph Murphy Jr. (born February 14, 1943) is an American professional golfer who was formerly a member of the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. Murphy has won 21 tournaments as a professional.

## Early years

Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was a standout pitcher in his youth, and as a teen led his high school baseball team to the state championship in 1960. After suffering a football injury (which also ended his baseball career), Murphy got started in golf.

## College career

Murphy attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity (Florida Upsilon Chapter). While he was an undergraduate, he played for coach Buster Bishop's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1964 to 1966. While he was a college student, he won the 1965 U.S. Amateur and the 1966 individual NCAA championship, and was recognized as an All-American in 1966. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in health and human performance in 1966, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1971.

## Professional career

Murphy turned professional in 1967, and won five tournaments on the PGA Tour. He was a member of the victorious U.S. team in the 1975 Ryder Cup competition. His best finish in a major tournament was a second-place tie at the 1970 PGA Championship. Murphy won 11 times on the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour).
Murphy first got into broadcasting while still playing. He joined CBS Sports as a tower announcer in 1984, working for CBS through 1991. He then joined ESPN as a color commentator, where he stayed through 1994. After a break from TV to play on the Senior PGA Tour, he joined NBC Sports in November 1999, and was a tower announcer for the PGA Tour on NBC through 2009, at which point he retired.
He was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

## Personal life

Murphy lives in Delray Beach, Florida with his wife, Gail.

## Amateur wins (2)

* 1965 U.S. Amateur
* 1966 NCAA championship (individual)

## Professional wins (23)
### PGA Tour wins (5)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Aug 25, 1968 | Philadelphia Golf Classic | −12 (69-71-66-70=276) | Playoff | Labron Harris Jr. |
| 2 | Sep 2, 1968 | Thunderbird Classic | −11 (68-70-71-69=277) | 3 strokes | Bruce Crampton, Bob Lunn |
| 3 | Sep 7, 1970 | Greater Hartford Open Invitational | −17 (66-66-66-69=267) | 4 strokes | Paul Harney |
| 4 | Mar 2, 1975 | Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic | −15 (68-71-66-68=273) | 1 stroke | Eddie Pearce |
| 5 | Jun 29, 1986 | Canadian Open | −8 (71-70-68-71=280) | 3 strokes | Greg Norman |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–5)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1968 | Philadelphia Golf Classic | Labron Harris Jr. | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1970 | Tucson Open | Lee Trevino | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1972 | Hawaiian Open | Grier Jones | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1973 | Westchester Classic | Bobby Nichols | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 5 | 1974 | World Open Golf Championship | Frank Beard, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller | Miller won with birdie on second extra hole Murphy eliminated by par on first hole |
| 6 | 1981 | Tallahassee Open | Dave Eichelberger, Mark O'Meara | Eichelberger won with birdie on first extra hole |

### Australian wins (1)

* 1972 Wills Masters

### Other wins (3)

* 1967 Florida Open
* 1979 Jerry Ford Invitational
* 1980 South Florida PGA Championship

### Senior PGA Tour wins (11)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Aug 29, 1993 | Bruno's Memorial Classic | −13 (69-67-67=203) | 1 stroke | Bob Charles, Lee Trevino |
| 2 | Sep 12, 1993 | GTE North Classic | −10 (68-66=134)* | 2 strokes | Jim Ferree, Dave Hill, Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
| 3 | Oct 16, 1994 | Raley's Senior Gold Rush | −8 (69-71-68=208) | Playoff | Dave Eichelberger |
| 4 | Oct 30, 1994 | Hyatt Regency Maui Kaanapali Classic | −18 (62-67-66=195) | 2 strokes | Jack Kiefer |
| 5 | Feb 12, 1995 | IntelliNet Challenge | −7 (67-70=137)* | 1 stroke | Raymond Floyd |
| 6 | May 7, 1995 | PaineWebber Invitational | −13 (68-66-69=203) | 2 strokes | Raymond Floyd, Larry Ziegler |
| 7 | Jun 25, 1995 | Nationwide Championship | −13 (71-64-68=203) | 2 strokes | Hale Irwin, Bruce Summerhays |
| 8 | Aug 6, 1995 | VFW Senior Championship | −15 (69-63-63=195) | 1 stroke | Jim Colbert |
| 9 | Feb 4, 1996 | Royal Caribbean Classic | −10 (69-67-67=203) | 4 strokes | Hale Irwin |
| 10 | May 19, 1996 | Cadillac NFL Golf Classic | −14 (62-71-69=202) | 2 strokes | Jay Sigel |
| 11 | Mar 6, 1997 | Toshiba Senior Classic | −6 (65-70-72=207) | Playoff | Jay Sigel |
*Note: Tournament shortened to 36 holes due to weather.
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1994 | Raley's Senior Gold Rush | Dave Eichelberger | Won with bogey on fifth extra hole |
| 2 | 1995 | Senior British Open | Brian Barnes | Lost to eagle on third extra hole |
| 3 | 1997 | Toshiba Senior Classic | Jay Sigel | Won with birdie on ninth extra hole |

### Other senior wins (3)

* 1995 Diners Club Matches (with Jim Colbert)
* 1996 Diners Club Matches (with Jim Colbert)
* 2013 Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jim Colbert)

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| Masters Tournament | T59 LA | 52 LA | | CUT |
| U.S. Open | T15 LA | T23 | T32 | 5 |
| The Open Championship | | | | |
| PGA Championship | | | | T63 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| Masters Tournament | T23 | T13 | T43 | | | 42 | T28 | T31 | | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T63 | T20 | | T3 | CUT | | CUT | T25 |
| The Open Championship | | | | | | | T48 | | | |
| PGA Championship | T2 | T46 | T40 | T35 | T32 | T25 | CUT | T25 | T54 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | | | | CUT |
| U.S. Open | CUT | | | T50 | | | CUT | |
| The Open Championship | | | | | | | | |
| PGA Championship | T20 | 18 | T34 | | CUT | T62 | 69 | |
LA = Low amateur 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 | 2 | 10 | 8 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 14 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 43 | 32 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1971 PGA – 1976 Masters)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (three times)

## Results in The Players Championship

| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
| The Players Championship | T6 | T4 | T43 | | CUT | 71 | T64 | CUT | CUT | T32 | CUT | | T14 | T44 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

## U.S. national team appearances

Amateur
* Walker Cup: 1967 (winners)
* Eisenhower Trophy: 1966
Professional
* Ryder Cup: 1975 (winners)