Robert George Goalby

(1929 %u2013 xxxx)

Born: March 14, 1929, Belleville, Illinois

Bob Goalby was an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He turned pro in 1952. He won 11 Tour events between 1958 and 1971 including one major, the 1968 Masters Tournament.

At the 1968 Masters Tournament, Goalby tied Roberto DeVicenzo at the end of 72 holes of regulation play, and would have had to face an 18-hole playoff the next day, had there not been a mistake on DeVicenzo's scorecard. In the final round, DeVicenzo's playing partner Tommy Aaron marked a par-4 on the 17th hole, when DeVicenzo had in fact made a birdie-3. DeVicenzo failed to catch the mistake and signed the scorecard. The rules of golf state that the higher written score signed by a golfer on his card must stand. As such, the error gave Goalby the championship. Goalby, playing in the group behind DeVicenzo, was not personally at fault for anything in the incident. The story received overwhelming attention at the time, and has remained high in public consciousness since. It was recounted in great detail in the 2005 book "The Lost Masters: Grace and Disgrace in '68" by Curt Sampson. The personal relationship between Goalby and DeVicenzo was unaffected by the difficult situation and the two players formed a partnership years later for a team event on the Champions Tour.

Goalby played on the 1963 Ryder Cup team. He retired from the PGA Tour after winning 11 tournaments. He joined the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) in 1979, winning twice, and contributed key ideas to the formation and structure of that new Tour, before retiring to a home in his native Belleville, where he has designed several nearby golf courses.

Goalby's nephew, Jay Haas, currently plays on the Champions Tour, and another nephew, Jerry Haas, coaches the Wake Forest University golf team. His great-nephew, Bill Haas, plays on the PGA Tour, and won the Tour Championship tournament and FedEx Cup in 2011.