# Bobby Cole (golfer)

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

## 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 and Gary Player.
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 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, 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 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. 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 PGA Tour, Cole won the 1977 Buick Open. 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.
Cole played on the Champions Tour from 1998 to 2001.
Cole was inducted into the Southern Africa Golf Hall of Fame in 2012.

## Personal life

Cole is married to author Linda Parker. He resides in Windermere, Florida 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. 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.

## Amateur wins

* 1964 South African Boys Championship
* 1966 British Amateur, Golf Illustrated Gold Vase (tie with Peter Townsend)

## Professional wins (14)
### PGA Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 4 Sep 1977 | Buick Open | −17 (67-69-68-67=271) | 1 stroke | Fred Marti |

### Southern Africa Tour wins (7)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 8 Jan 1972 | ICL Transvaal Open | −14 (65-67-68-70=270) | Playoff | Tienie Britz |
| 2 | 9 Dec 1972 | Natal Open | −11 (71-68-72-66=277) | 1 stroke | Dale Hayes |
| 3 | 17 Dec 1972 | Rhodesian Dunlop Masters | −20 (66-68-63-71=268) | 4 strokes | Cobie Legrange |
| 4 | 20 Jan 1974 | Vavasseur Natal Open (2) | −4 (74-72-69-69=284) | 1 stroke | Tienie Britz |
| 5 | 2 Feb 1974 | South African Open | −16 (70-65-73-64=272) | 4 strokes | Allan Henning |
| 6 | 6 Dec 1980 | Datsun South African Open (2) | −9 (73-63-70-73=279) | 4 strokes | Nick Price |
| 7 | 26 Jan 1986 | Lexington PGA Championship | −15 (66-65-66-68=265) | 5 strokes | David Frost, Teddy Webber |
Southern Africa Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1972 | ICL Transvaal Open | Tienie Britz | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1974 | Dunlop South African Masters | Gary Player | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 3 | 1977 | Rhodesian Dunlop Masters | Allan Henning | |

### Tournament Player Series wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 4 Aug 1985 | Seattle-Everett Open | −12 (70-65-66=201) | 1 stroke | Dave Stockton |

### Other South African wins (3)

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

### Other wins (2)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 24 Nov 1974 | World Cup (with Dale Hayes) | −6 (137-138-139-140=554) | 5 strokes | Japan − Isao Aoki and Masashi Ozaki |
| 2 | 24 Nov 1974 | World Cup Individual Trophy | −9 (66-70-67-68=271) | 5 strokes | Masashi Ozaki |

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| Masters Tournament | | T44 | | |
| U.S. Open | | | CUT | T31 |
| The Open Championship | T30 | CUT | T13 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | | | | T21 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 |
| Masters Tournament | | | CUT | | T15 | 47 | | 28 |
| U.S. Open | T12 | T13 | T47 | CUT | | | | |
| The Open Championship | T28 | | | T7 | T3 | T32 | T15 | |
| PGA Championship | | | | T3 | T40 | | | T54 |
| Tournament | 1983 | 1987 |
| Masters Tournament | | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | |
| The Open Championship | | |
| PGA Championship | | T43 |
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 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 7 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 26 | 20 |
* 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 (representing South Africa): 1966
Professional
* World Cup (representing South Africa): 1969, 1974 (winners, individual winner), 1976