| Fullname | Robert Bryan Gilder |
|---|---|
| Birth date | December 31, 1950 (age 75) |
| Birth place | Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Residence | Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. |
| Spouse | Peggy Gilder |
| College | Arizona State University |
| Yearpro | 1973 |
| Tour | Champions Tour |
| Extour | PGA Tour |
| Prowins | 24 |
| Pgawins | 6 |
| Japwins | 3 |
| Auswins | 1 |
| Champwins | 10 |
| Otherwins | 4 |
| Masters | 14th: 1982 |
| Usopen | T6: 1992 |
| Open | T39: 1983 |
| Pga | T4: 1981 |
| Award 1 | Senior PGA Tour Rookie of the Year |
| Year 1 | 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
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.[1]
Professional career
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.[2] 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-metre) par-5 18th hole of the Westchester Country Club, just north of New York City.[3] 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.[4] 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).[5]
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.[6] It was his second win in Phoenix and sixth and final victory on the PGA Tour.
Senior career
At the end of 2000, Gilder became eligible to play on the Senior PGA 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
Gilder is a lifelong resident of Corvallis, Oregon. He enjoys auto racing and has competed in Trans-Am races.[1]
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[7] and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.[8]
Awards and honors
- In 2001, Gilder earned Rookie of the Year honors on the Senior PGA Tour.
- In 2002, Gilder was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.
Amateur wins
- 1973 Western Athletic Conference Championship (individual)
Professional wins (24)
PGA Tour wins (6)
| 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 | Roger Maltbie |
| 2 | Jun 22, 1980 | Canadian Open | −6 (67-67-70-70=274) | 2 strokes | Jerry Pate, Leonard Thompson |
| 3 | May 2, 1982 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | −14 (67-65-67-67=266) | 5 strokes | Curtis Strange |
| 4 | Jun 27, 1982 | Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic | −19 (64-63-65-69=261) | 5 strokes | Peter Jacobsen, Tom Kite |
| 5 | Sep 12, 1982 | Bank of Boston Classic | −13 (67-67-70-67=271) | 2 strokes | Fuzzy Zoeller |
| 6 | Jan 30, 1983 | Phoenix Open (2) | −13 (68-68-66-69=271) | Playoff | Rex Caldwell, Johnny Miller, Mark O'Meara |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1983 | Phoenix Open | Rex Caldwell, Johnny Miller, Mark O'Meara | Won with birdie on eighth extra hole Miller and O'Meara eliminated by birdie on second hole |
Source:[9]
PGA of Japan Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 26, 1980 | Bridgestone Tournament | −5 (71-70-72-70=283) | 1 stroke | Isao Aoki |
| 2 | Nov 7, 1982 | Goldwin Cup Japan vs USA | −10 (65-69=134) | Shared title with Calvin Peete | |
| 3 | Nov 4, 1990 | Acom P.T. | 115 pts (38-39-38=115)[a] | 1 point | Bob Tway |
New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 24, 1974 | New Zealand Open | −5 (74-69-68-72=283) | Playoff | Bob Charles, Jack Newton |
New Zealand Golf Circuit playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1974 | New Zealand Open | Bob Charles, Jack Newton | Won with birdie on third extra hole Newton eliminated by par on second hole |
Other wins (4)
- 1987 Northwest Open
- 1988 Isuzu Kapalua International, Acom Team Championship (with Doug Tewell) (Japan)
- 1989 Spalding Invitational
Champions Tour wins (10)
| 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 | Bruce Fleisher, Raymond Floyd, Gil Morgan |
| 2 | Oct 28, 2001 | Senior Tour Championship | −11 (67-68-69-73=277) | 1 stroke | Doug Tewell |
| 3 | Jul 21, 2002 | SBC Senior Open | −12 (70-63-71=204) | Playoff | Hale Irwin |
| 4 | Jul 28, 2002 | FleetBoston Classic | −13 (66-67-70=203) | Playoff | John Mahaffey |
| 5 | Sep 1, 2002 | Allianz Championship | −13 (67-66-67=203) | 1 stroke | John Bland |
| 6 | Sep 8, 2002 | Kroger Senior Classic | −16 (66-65-69=200) | Playoff | Tom Jenkins |
| 7 | Apr 20, 2003 | Emerald Coast Classic | −17 (66-64-63=193) | 4 strokes | Vicente Fernández, Larry Nelson, Leonard Thompson |
| 8 | Sep 18, 2005 | Constellation Energy Classic | −18 (64-67-67=198) | 4 strokes | Morris Hatalsky |
| 9 | Sep 17, 2006 | Constellation Energy Classic (2) | −14 (69-68-65=202) | 2 strokes | Brad Bryant, Jay Haas |
| 10 | Jun 5, 2011 | Principal Charity Classic (2) | −14 (68-66-65=199) | 1 stroke | Mark Brooks |
Champions Tour playoff record (3–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2002 | SBC Senior Open | Hale Irwin | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2002 | FleetBoston Classic | John Mahaffey | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 3 | 2002 | Kroger Senior Classic | Tom Jenkins | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
Source:[9]
Results in major championships
| 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 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Summary
| 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
| 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
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1983 (winners)
- World Cup: 1982
- UBS Warburg Cup: 2002 (winners)
See also
- Fall 1975 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 1997 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- List of golfers with most PGA Tour Champions wins
Notes
- ^ Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
References
- ^ "Champions Tour Media Guide – Bob Gilder". PGA Tour. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ "Gilder Wins in a Playoff". Glasgow Herald. November 25, 1974. p. 5. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ "Double eagle lands Gilder tour record". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 27, 1982. p. 1E. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ Zullo, Allan (2001). Astonishing but True Golf Facts. Forest Fairview, North Carolina: Andrew McMeels Publishing. ISBN 9780740714269.
- ^ "Gilder's as good as gold". Eugene Register-Guard. UPI. June 28, 1982. p. 1C. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ "Gilder outlasts trio in 8-hole Phoenix playoff". Milwaukee Sentinel. wire services. January 31, 1983. p. 3-part 2. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ "Champions Tour Wives to donate to Doernbecher Children's Hospital". PGA Tour. August 23, 2005. Archived from the original on March 11, 2006.
- ^ 2006 Platt Classic charity tournament announcement Archived March 16, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Bob Gilder". PGA Tour. Retrieved 2025-11-09.