Bob Gilder

Bob Gilder
Personal information
Full name Robert Bryan Gilder
Born December 31, 1950 (1950-12-31) (age 61)
Corvallis, Oregon
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Nationality  United States
Residence Corvallis, Oregon
Career
College Arizona State University
Turned professional 1973
Current tour(s) Champions Tour
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Professional wins 24
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 6
Japan Golf Tour 3
Champions Tour 10
Best results in Major Championships
Masters Tournament 14th: 1982
U.S. Open T6: 1992
The Open Championship T39: 1983
PGA Championship T4: 1981
Achievements and awards
Champions Tour
Rookie of the Year
2001

Robert Bryan Gilder (born December 31, 1950) is an American professional golfer. He won six tournaments in his PGA Tour career and currently plays on the Champions Tour where he has ten wins.

Contents

Biography

Gilder was born in Corvallis, Oregon and attended Corvallis High School. He later attended Arizona State University and walked on to the golf team there, later becoming the 1973 Western Athletic Conference individual golf champion.[1] He turned pro later that year and found success on the Tour quite rapidly, winning six tournaments between 1976 and 1983, including three in 1982. Gilder was a mainstay on the PGA Tour for many years, although he never won another tournament. He played on the 1983 Ryder Cup team.

What Gilder may be best remembered for was his final hole double eagle at the 1982 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic. It took place during that tournament's third round, at the 18th hole. Gilder used a 3 wood, and his second shot travelled 230 yards before landing in the cup. A plaque on the 18th fairway commemorates the feat.[2]

Gilder won one of the longest sudden death playoffs in PGA Tour history at the 1983 Phoenix Open. It took him eight holes to defeat Rex Caldwell, Johnny Miller, and Mark O'Meara.[3]

In 2000, Gilder became eligible to play on the 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, 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 in 2002.

Gilder is a life-long resident of Corvallis, Oregon. He enjoys auto racing and has competed in Trans-Am races.[1] 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[4] and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.[5]

Amateur wins (1)

Professional wins (24)

PGA Tour wins (6)

No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of
Victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Jan 18, 1976 Phoenix Open -16 (68–67–66–67=268) 2 stroke Roger Maltbie
2 Jun 22, 1980 Canadian Open -6 (67–67–70–70=274) 2 strokes Jerry Pate, Leonard Thompson
3 May 2, 1982 Byron Nelson Golf Classic -14 (67–65–67–67=266) 5 strokes Curtis Strange
4 Jun 27, 1982 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic -19 (64–63–65–69=261) 5 strokes Peter Jacobsen, Tom Kite
5 Sep 12, 1982 Bank of Boston Classic -16 (67–67–70–67=271) 2 strokes Fuzzy Zoeller
6 Jan 30, 1983 Phoenix Open -13 (68–68–66–69=271) Playoff Rex Caldwell, Johnny Miller,
Mark O'Meara

Japan Golf Tour wins (3)

Other wins (5)

Champions Tour wins (10)

No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of
Victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Feb 18, 2001 Verizon Classic -11 (70–68–67=205) 3 strokes Bruce Fleisher, Raymond Floyd, Gil Morgan
2 Oct 28, 2001 Senior Tour Championship -11 (67–68–69–73=277) 1 stroke Doug Tewell
3 Jul 21, 2002 SBC Senior Open -12 (70–63–71=204) Playoff Hale Irwin
4 Jul 28, 2002 FleetBoston Classic -13 (66–67–70=203) Playoff John Mahaffey
5 Sep 1, 2002 Allianz Championship -13 (67–66–67=203) 1 stroke John Bland
6 Sep 8, 2002 Kroger Senior Classic -16 (66–65–69=200) Playoff Tom Jenkins
7 Apr 20, 2003 Emerald Coast Classic -17 (66–64–63=193) 4 strokes Vicente Fernández, Larry Nelson,
Leonard Thompson
8 Sep 18, 2005 Constellation Energy Classic -18 (64–67–67=198) 4 strokes Morris Hatalsky
9 Sep 17, 2006 Constellation Energy Classic -14 (69–68–65=202) 2 strokes Brad Bryant, Jay Haas
10 Jun 5, 2011 Principal Charity Classic -14 (68–66–65=199) 1 stroke Mark Brooks

Results in major championships

Tournament 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
The Masters DNP DNP DNP T39 DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open CUT DNP T49 T58 CUT T44 T16
The Open Championship DNP DNP T40 DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP T69 T58 T19 T16
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
The Masters CUT T15 14 T44 CUT T44 DNP DNP DNP 37
U.S. Open T32 CUT T37 T39 CUT DNP CUT T58 T8 CUT
The Open Championship T51 DNP DNP T39 CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship T55 T4 8 T63 T37 T18 T53 DNP T6 T34
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The Masters DNP DNP T42 T34 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open T56 DNP T6 T33 DNP DNP T50 CUT DNP CUT
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship T57 T5 CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP

DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Champions Tour Media Guide
  2. ^ Zullo, Allan, "Astonishing but True Golf Facts", Andrew McMeels Publishing, Forest Fairview, North Carolina, 2001.
  3. ^ Gilder Outlasts Trio In 8-hole Phoenix Playoff
  4. ^ "Champions Tour Wives to donate to Doernbecher Children's Hospital", PGATour.com, August 23, 2005
  5. ^ 2006 Platt Classic charity tournament announcement

External links