Bobby Cole

Who is Bobby Cole?

Bobby Cole is a South African professional golfer.

Cole was born in Springs, South Africa. As a child, he was influenced by the careers of Bobby Locke and Gary Player.

After suffering a bicycle accident related knee injury, Cole took up golf at the age of eleven. He won both the South Africa junior golf championship and the Vaal Amateur.

Cole made more than 150 cuts in PGA Tour tournament play. In 1966, Cole won the British Amateur at Carnoustie, Scotland, at age 18, the youngest winner to that stage. 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, 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he won the South African PGA Championship.

On the U.S. PGA Tour, Cole won the 1977 Buick Open. He has had eight top-10 finishes in the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the British Open, and he finished tied for third in the 1975 Open Championship, one stroke back of Tom Watson and Jack Newton, who played off for the win. During the 1975 Open, Cole shot back-to-back rounds of 66, setting and then matching the course record at Carnoustie.