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Bob Gilder

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Bob Gilder
Personal information
Full nameRobert Bryan Gilder
Born (1950-12-31) December 31, 1950 (age 73)
Corvallis, Oregon
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceCorvallis, Oregon
SpousePeggy Gilder
Career
CollegeArizona State University
Turned professional1973
Current tour(s)Champions Tour
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins24
Highest ranking94 (August 11, 1991)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour6
Japan Golf Tour3
PGA Tour of Australasia1
PGA Tour Champions10
Other4
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament14th: 1982
PGA ChampionshipT4: 1981
U.S. OpenT6: 1992
The Open ChampionshipT39: 1983
Achievements and awards
Senior PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year
2001

Robert Bryan Gilder (born December 31, 1950) is an American professional golfer. He won six tournaments on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour, where he has ten wins since joining in 2001.

Early life and amateur career

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Born in Corvallis, Oregon, Gilder graduated from Corvallis High School. He then attended Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. He walked on to the Sun Devils' golf team and was the 1973 Western Athletic Conference individual golf champion.[2]

Professional career

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Gilder's double-eagle plaque
at Westchester Country Club

In 1973, Gilder turned pro and found success soon thereafter. He won a tournament on the New Zealand Golf Circuit in 1974, the New Zealand Open. He shot 283 (−5) and then defeated Jack Newton and Bob Charles in a playoff.[3] He won his first PGA Tour tournament a year and a half later at the 1976 Phoenix Open. He won six times during his career, including three in 1982. Gilder was a tour mainstay for many years and played on the Ryder Cup team in 1983.

Gilder may be best remembered for his double eagle in 1982 at the Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic. It took place during the third round, at the 509-yard (465 m) par-5 18th hole of the Westchester Country Club, just north of New York City.[4] Gilder used a 3 wood from 251 yards (230 m) away; his second shot carried 230 yards (210 m), landed softly on the green, and rolled into the cup. A plaque on the 18th fairway commemorates the feat.[5] It gave him a 192 (−18) for 54 holes, which tied a tour record. It also doubled his lead to a comfortable six strokes; he won the tournament by five strokes on Sunday with a 69 to finish at 261 (−19).[6]

Gilder won one of the longest sudden death playoffs in PGA Tour history at the Phoenix Open in January 1983. It took him eight holes to defeat Rex Caldwell, Johnny Miller, and Mark O'Meara.[7] It was his second win in Phoenix and sixth and final victory on the PGA Tour.

Senior career

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At the end of 2000, Gilder became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour (later 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.

Personal life

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Gilder is a lifelong resident of Corvallis, Oregon. He enjoys auto racing and has competed in Trans-Am races.[2]

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[8] and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.[9]

Awards and honors

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Gilder was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

Amateur wins

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  • 1973 Western Athletic Conference Championship (individual)

Professional wins (24)

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PGA Tour wins (6)

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

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 1983 Phoenix Open United States Rex Caldwell, United States Johnny Miller,
United States Mark O'Meara
Won with birdie on eighth extra hole
Miller and O'Meara eliminated by birdie on second hole

PGA of Japan Tour wins (3)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Oct 26, 1980 Bridgestone Tournament −5 (71-70-72-70=283) 1 stroke Japan Isao Aoki
2 Nov 7, 1982 Goldwin Cup Japan vs USA −10 (65-69=134) Shared title with United States Calvin Peete
3 Nov 4, 1990 Acom P.T. 115 pts (38-39-38=115)* 1 point United States Bob Tway

*Note: The 1990 Acom P.T. was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runners-up
1 Nov 24, 1974 New Zealand Open −5 (74-69-68-72=283) Playoff New Zealand Bob Charles, Australia Jack Newton

New Zealand Golf Circuit playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 1974 New Zealand Open New Zealand Bob Charles, Australia Jack Newton Won with birdie on third extra hole
Newton eliminated by par on second hole

Other wins (4)

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Champions Tour wins (10)

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

Champions Tour playoff record (3–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2002 SBC Senior Open United States Hale Irwin Won with par on first extra hole
2 2002 FleetBoston Classic United States John Mahaffey Won with birdie on third extra hole
3 2002 Kroger Senior Classic United States Tom Jenkins Won with birdie on second extra hole

Results in major championships

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Tournament 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament T39
U.S. Open CUT T49 T58 CUT T44 T16
The Open Championship T40
PGA Championship T69 T58 T19 T16
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament CUT T15 14 T44 CUT T44 37
U.S. Open T32 CUT T37 T39 CUT CUT T58 T8 CUT
The Open Championship T51 T39 CUT
PGA Championship T55 T4 8 T63 T37 T18 T53 T6 T34
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament T42 T34
U.S. Open T56 T6 T33 T50 CUT CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship T57 T5 CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 8
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 2 3 21 13
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3
PGA Championship 0 0 0 2 4 7 16 15
Totals 0 0 0 2 6 12 51 39
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1981 PGA – 1983 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1988 U.S. Open – 1988 PGA)

Results in The Players Championship

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Tournament 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
The Players Championship T51 T61 CUT T43 CUT T63 T65 T35 CUT T33 CUT T32 CUT T34 T56 CUT CUT CUT T35 T43

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

U.S. national team appearances

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Professional

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Week 32 1991 Ending 11 Aug 1991" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Champions Tour Media Guide – Bob Gilder". PGA Tour. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  3. ^ "Gilder Wins in a Playoff". Glasgow Herald. November 25, 1974. p. 5. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "Double eagle lands Gilder tour record". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 27, 1982. p. 1E. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  5. ^ Zullo, Allan (2001). Astonishing but True Golf Facts. Forest Fairview, North Carolina: Andrew McMeels Publishing. ISBN 9780740714269.
  6. ^ "Gilder's as good as gold". Eugene Register-Guard. UPI. June 28, 1982. p. 1C. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  7. ^ "Gilder outlasts trio in 8-hole Phoenix playoff". Milwaukee Sentinel. wire services. January 31, 1983. p. 3-part 2. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  8. ^ "Champions Tour Wives to donate to Doernbecher Children's Hospital". PGA Tour. August 23, 2005. Archived from the original on March 11, 2006.
  9. ^ 2006 Platt Classic charity tournament announcement Archived March 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
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