Roger Maltbie

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Roger Maltbie
Maltbie at the 2023 U.S. Senior Open
Personal information
Full nameRoger Lin Maltbie
Born (1951-06-30) June 30, 1951 (age 72)
Modesto, California
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight200 lb (91 kg; 14 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceLos Gatos, California
Career
CollegeSan Jose City College
San Jose State University
Turned professional1973
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins12
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour5
Other7
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT4: 1987
PGA ChampionshipT14: 1983
U.S. OpenT32: 1983
The Open ChampionshipT26: 1977

Roger Lin Maltbie (born June 30, 1951) is an American professional golfer and on-course analyst for NBC Sports.[1]

Early life[edit]

Maltbie was born in Modesto, California[2] and grew up in San Jose. He attended James Lick High School where he was a teammate of former PGA Tour player Forrest Fezler.[3]

Amateur career[edit]

Maltbie attended San Jose City College (1970–1971) and then San Jose State University. He was a member of the golf team at both institutions.

Professional career[edit]

Maltbie turned professional in 1973 and joined the PGA Tour in 1974. He played on the Tour full-time from 1975 to 1996. He won five official tour events between 1975 and 1985, including back-to-back wins in his first full year. After his win at the 1975 Pleasant Valley Classic, Maltbie left his $40,000 winner's check behind in a bar.[4]

In his second year on tour, Maltbie won the inaugural Memorial Tournament by defeating Hale Irwin on the fourth hole of a sudden death playoff. On the playoff's third hole, an errant shot by Maltbie seemed headed for the gallery when it hit a stake causing the ball to bounce onto the green instead.[5]

Maltbie had 55 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. In 1985, he won two tournaments, earned $360,554, and finished 8th on the money list. His best finish in a major was T4 at the 1987 Masters Tournament.[6] Maltbie calls losing that tournament the biggest disappointment of his career.[7]

Maltbie began play on the Senior PGA Tour after turning 50 in June 2001. His best finish at this level is a 20th at the 2003 Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am.

Broadcasting career[edit]

Since 1991, Maltbie has worked as an on-course reporter and analyst for NBC Sports. In this role, he has become well known as a jovial good-natured figure. His signature element is a "golf whisper," necessitated by the fact that Maltbie generally stands much closer to the green than other on-course reporters. During the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens, both contested at Bethpage State Park on Long Island, NBC ran features in which Maltbie spent a night camping out with several golfers while waiting in the infamous line to play Bethpage's Black Course, the first municipal course to host the U.S. Open.

Personal life[edit]

Maltbie and wife, Donna have two sons, Spencer and Parker.

He is a San Francisco 49ers fan and owns several Super Bowl rings given to him by former owner Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr.[3]

Amateur wins (2)[edit]

  • 1971 Northern California Championship
  • 1972 California State Amateur Championship

Professional wins (12)[edit]

PGA Tour wins (5)[edit]

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Jul 13, 1975 Ed McMahon-Jaycees Quad Cities Open 74-65-72-64=275 −9 1 stroke United States Dave Eichelberger
2 Jul 20, 1975 Pleasant Valley Classic 72-71-67-66=276 −8 1 stroke United States Mac McLendon
3 May 30, 1976 Memorial Tournament 71-71-70-76=288 E Playoff United States Hale Irwin
4 Jun 9, 1985 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic 70-63-72-70=275 −9 Playoff United States George Burns, United States Raymond Floyd
5 Aug 25, 1985 NEC World Series of Golf 65-69-68-66=268 −12 4 strokes Zimbabwe Denis Watson

PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1976 Memorial Tournament United States Hale Irwin Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
2 1985 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic United States George Burns, United States Raymond Floyd Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
3 1986 Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open United States Mac O'Grady Lost to par on first extra hole

Other wins (4)[edit]

this list may be incomplete

Senior wins (3)[edit]

Results in major championships[edit]

Tournament 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament T9 CUT
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship T26
PGA Championship CUT T43 T31
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T23 T4 CUT
U.S. Open T41 T32 T41 T46 T54
The Open Championship T43
PGA Championship T61 T54 T14 T65 T28 T47 T28 CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary[edit]

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 1 2 3 5 3
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 5
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 9
Totals 0 0 0 1 2 4 26 19
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 16 (1977 Open Championship – 1987 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

Results in The Players Championship[edit]

Tournament 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
The Players Championship T21 T3 T55 CUT T45 5 T68 CUT T27 T48 CUT T51 T41 WD CUT CUT CUT T35 CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sandomir, Richard (June 18, 2009). "Recaps, Replays and Weather Reports". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  2. ^ "Photos: Roger Maltbie's career in golf, from 5-time PGA Tour winner to NBC on-course reporter". Golfweek. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  3. ^ a b "Bio from All American Speakers". Retrieved June 12, 2006.
  4. ^ Moffit, David (April 12, 1987). "Maltbie serious about golf, but draws laughs". The Sunday Times-Sentinel. Gallipolis, Ohio. UPI. p. C-2.
  5. ^ Kady, John (June 1, 1976). "Roger Maltbie wins Memorial". Beaver County Times. Beaver, Pennsylvania. UPI. p. C-2.
  6. ^ "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  7. ^ Bestrom, Craig (May 2003). "Life of the Party". Golf Digest. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved June 12, 2006.

External links[edit]