Quick Facts
AriesBiography
Robert Herman Nichols (born April 14, 1936) is an American professional golfer, best known for winning the PGA Championship in 1964.
Early years
Born in April 1936 and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Nichols attended St. Xavier High School. While in high school, Nichols and several other youths were involved in an automobile accident resulting from a 100 mph (160 km/h) joy ride. He suffered serious injuries including a broken pelvis, concussion, back and internal injuries, and was hospitalized 96 days. His legs were also paralyzed for about two weeks, but he was able to regain full use of his legs after intensive physical therapy. Nichols later played on the Aggies golf team at the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas (later renamed Texas A&M University) in the Southwest Conference.
Pro career
Nichols began playing on the PGA Tour in 1960 and recorded 12 victories, one of which, the PGA National Team Championship, was not fully recognized until 2012. He was a member of the Ryder Cup team in 1967, and his best year on tour was 1974 when he won twice, earned $124,747 and finished 14th on the money list. Nichols, Jerry Heard, and Lee Trevino were struck by lightning at the Western Open on Friday, June 27, 1975. All three men came back to play professional golf. Nichols has had 12 holes-in-one in his professional career.
The 1964 PGA Championship was played at the Columbus Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. Nichols won with a 271 total, three shots ahead of runners-up Arnold Palmer and defending champion Jack Nicklaus, playing in his hometown. This was a record low score for the PGA Championship and it stood for 30 years, until broken by Nick Price's 269 in 1994. Nichols was the first wire-to-wire winner since the PGA Championship switched format from match play to stroke play in 1958. He came close to winning a second major at the Masters in 1967, finishing second to his lifelong friend, Gay Brewer.
After turning 50 in 1986, Nichols played on the Senior PGA Tour, now the Champions Tour. He had numerous top-10 finishes but only one victory – the Southwestern Bell Classic in 1989, when he defeated Orville Moody on the third hole of a playoff.
Bobby Nichols Golf Course is a 9-hole municipal course that is part of Waverly Park in Louisville, southwest of downtown. (38°07′34″N 85°50′17″W / 38.126°N 85.838°W / 38.126; -85.838) The back tees are set at 6,970 yards (6,370 m) with a rating of 72.0 and a slope of 130.
Professional wins (15)
PGA Tour wins (12)
| Legend |
| Major championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (11) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 19, 1962 | St. Petersburg Open Invitational | −16 (71-67-70-64=272) | 2 strokes | Frank Boynton |
| 2 | Apr 23, 1962 | Houston Classic | −2 (68-69-71-70=278) | Playoff | Jack Nicklaus, Dan Sikes |
| 3 | Sep 15, 1963 | Seattle Open Invitational | −16 (66-68-68-70=272) | 2 strokes | Raymond Floyd, Stan Leonard |
| 4 | Jul 19, 1964 | PGA Championship | −9 (64-71-69-67=271) | 3 strokes | Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer |
| 5 | Aug 30, 1964 | Carling World Open | −2 (72-68-66-72=278) | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer |
| 6 | Apr 18, 1965 | Houston Classic (2) | −11 (67-69-67-70=273) | 1 stroke | Bruce Devlin, Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
| 7 | Jul 17, 1966 | Minnesota Golf Classic | −14 (67-67-66-70=270) | 1 stroke | John Schlee |
| 8 | Sep 22, 1968 | PGA National Team Championship (with George Archer) | −22 (65-66-69-65=265) | 2 strokes | Monty Kaser and Rives McBee |
| 9 | Aug 30, 1970 | Dow Jones Open Invitational | −12 (68-70-69-69=276) | 1 stroke | Labron Harris Jr. |
| 10 | Aug 5, 1973 | Westchester Classic | −16 (70-67-70-65=272) | Playoff | Bob Murphy |
| 11 | Jan 27, 1974 | Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational | −13 (69-69-68-69=275) | 1 stroke | Rod Curl, Gene Littler |
| 12 | Jul 28, 1974 | Canadian Open | −10 (67-67-68-68=270) | 4 strokes | John Schlee, Larry Ziegler |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1961 | Ontario Open | George Bayer, Eric Monti | Monti won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1962 | Houston Classic | Jack Nicklaus, Dan Sikes | Won with eagle on first extra hole after 18 hole playoff; Nichols: +1 (71), Sikes: +1 (71), Nicklaus: +6 (76) |
| 3 | 1973 | Westchester Classic | Bob Murphy | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 4 | 1975 | Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational | Raymond Floyd, J. C. Snead | Snead won with birdie on fourth extra hole Nichols eliminated by par on first hole |
| 5 | 1976 | Walt Disney World National Team Championship (with Gay Brewer) | Woody Blackburn and Billy Kratzert | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
Senior PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 28, 1989 | Southwestern Bell Classic | −7 (69-69-71=209) | Playoff | Orville Moody |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1988 | Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am | Bob Charles, Don Massengale, Orville Moody | Moody won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1989 | Southwestern Bell Classic | Orville Moody | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
Other senior wins (2)
- 1986 Showdown Classic (with Curt Byrum)
- 2007 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Butch Baird)
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | PGA Championship | 1 shot lead | −9 (64-71-69-67=271) | 3 strokes | Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||
| U.S. Open | T52 | |
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T24 | T25 | T35 | T22 | 2 | T30 | T29 | |||
| U.S. Open | T3 | T14 | T14 | CUT | 7 | T23 | 4 | T31 | ||
| PGA Championship | 6 | T23 | 1 | T54 | CUT | T14 | T57 | T44 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T31 | T24 | T7 | T4 | CUT | |||||
| U.S. Open | T46 | T9 | T11 | T20 | T49 | CUT | CUT | 52 | T25 | |
| PGA Championship | T26 | T46 | T62 | T51 | T39 | T33 | CUT | T51 | T19 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T53 | CUT | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T34 | T36 | CUT | T40 |
Note: Nichols never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 11 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 22 | 16 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 24 | 18 |
| Totals | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 58 | 45 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 23 (1967 Masters – 1975 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1962 U.S. Open – 1962 PGA)
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1967 (winners)