Pro golfer Bob Goalby passed away on January 19th, 2022 at 92 years old. Goalby is remembered as a father of three, an influential golfer, and a kind individual.
The 1968 Masters
Bob Goalby is most well known for winning the controversial 1968 Masters. This was the year that Argentinian golfer Roberto de Vicenzo ended up losing the win because of a scorecard error. De Vicenzo’s partner, Tommy Aaron, accidentally wrote his score down wrong and signed the card. Because PGA rules at that time stated that scores were official once signed, the written score, as opposed to the actual score, is what counted, meaning that Bob Goalby ended up winning by one shot.
Goalby said about his controversial Masters win: “I sat next to Roberto and did what I could to console him. There’s video of me patting him on the leg. I felt no elation, nothing like you’d expect from winning the biggest tournament of your life. It was awkward. It was tragic for Roberto, but it was equally unfortunate for me. I never did get full credit for what I’d done. I played damned well, especially the last day.”
However, despite the odd circumstances, Goalby’s 1968 Masters victory meant a lot for him. “Winning the Masters, it’s helped me live a good life and lifted me into that upper echelon of golf,” he once said. “… For a guy who came from a small town with not many golf courses at that time, that was something special they can’t take away,” said Goalby.
Remembering Bob Goalby
As a young man, Goalby would sneak into the St. Claire Country Club, where he worked as a caddy, in order to play golf since he couldn’t afford to pay for it. He became a pro golfer in 1952, won the 1968 Masters, and became a beloved sports broadcaster in his retirement. The pro golf community remembers Goalby as a kind, generous person with a heart of gold and a stellar golfer.
We don’t know about you, but we’ll be getting out on the course and hitting a few balls in memory of Bob.
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