Bob Goalby, who won the 1968 Masters without having to go to a playoff when Roberto De Vicenzo infamously signed for the wrong score, has died. He was 92.
Goalby's death on Wednesday in his hometown of Belleville, Illinois, was confirmed by the PGA Tour and by Bill Haas, his great nephew.
The Masters was among his 11 victories on the PGA Tour, and Goalby won twice on what is now the PGA Tour Champions. He is best remembered for how he was declared the Masters champion. Equally notable was the role he played in launching two tours.
Goalby was among the players who boldly led the Tournament Players Division to break away from the PGA of America and become what now is the PGA Tour. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus delivered support that made it happen. Goalby was among those who initiated the move. Later, he joined Gardner Dickinson and Dan Sikes in 1980 to organize a tour for players 50 and older.
'He was never saying, "Here's what I did." To the men of his era, Bob was a leader, but he had a lot of humility,' said Jay Haas, a nine-time PGA Tour winner, Presidents Cup captain and Goalby's nephew.
Bob Goalby, who won the 1968 Masters after an infamous scorecard flub, has died at 92
Also overlooked was his brilliant performance at Augusta National in 1968.
Afer birdies on the 13th and 14th holes in the final round, Goalby hit 3-iron to 8 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th and closed with a 66. He finished at 11-under 277 and assumed he would be going to a Monday playoff with De Vicenzo, who had birdied the par-4 17th and finished with a 65.
However, Tommy Aaron was keeping the Argentine's card that day and put him down for a 4 on the 17th hole instead of a 3. De Vicenzo signed the card, and under the Rules of Golf, had to accept the higher score. That gave De Vicenzo a 66 and he finished one shot behind, leading to one of the most famous lines in golf: 'What a stupid I am.'
'The presentation ceremony wasn't what it could have been,' Goalby told Golf Digest in a 2018 interview. 'I sat next to Roberto and did what I could to console him. There's video of me patting him on the leg. I felt no elation, nothing like you'd expect from winning the biggest tournament of your life. It was awkward. It was tragic for Roberto, but it was equally unfortunate for me.
'I never did get full credit for what I'd done. I played damned well, especially the last day.'
