Bob Byman

Bob Byman
Personal information
Full nameRobert T. Byman
Born (1955-04-25) April 25, 1955 (age 69)
Poughkeepsie, New York
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st)
Sporting nationality United States
Career
CollegeWake Forest University
Turned professional1976
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
European Seniors Tour
Professional wins6
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
European Tour4
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT34: 1979
PGA Championship77th: 1980
U.S. OpenCUT: 1983
The Open ChampionshipT7: 1979

Robert T. Byman (born April 25, 1955) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour.

Amateur career

[edit]

Byman was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, but moved to Colorado when 13 years old. He only lived in Colorado for five years, but won the state amateur stroke-play championship three years in a row 1971–73, the first player since Hale Irwin 1963–65 to do so. As a 17-year-old, he won the U.S Junior Amateur, beating Scott Simpson in the final.[1]

He attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and was a member of the golf team. He played with Jay Haas and Curtis Strange on the 1974 and 1975 teams, which won the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships. Golf World has called the 1974–75 teams "the greatest college team of all time".[2] At the end of 1976 Golf Digest ranked Byman the No. 2 amateur in the country behind only Scott Simpson.[3]

Professional career

[edit]

Byman turned pro in 1976. He spent the early part of his professional career playing on the European Tour, where he had a great deal of success, winning four times. Tiger Woods is the only American golfer with more regular European Tour wins. He played full-time on the PGA Tour 1979–84. His best year was 1979 when he won the Bay Hill Citrus Classic in a playoff against John Schroeder, earned $94,243, and made the cut in all 20 of his starts.[4] His best finish in a major championship was T-7 in the 1979 British Open.[5]

Byman also won the New Zealand Open, an official event on the Australian Tour. Almost uniquely for an American golfer he won more events internationally than domestically.

Byman played on the European Seniors Tour in 2005.

Amateur wins (6)

[edit]

this list may be incomplete

Professional wins (6)

[edit]

PGA Tour wins (1)

[edit]
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Mar 4, 1979 Bay Hill Citrus Classic −6 (67-70-70-71=278) Playoff United States John Schroeder

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1979 Bay Hill Citrus Classic United States John Schroeder Won with par on second extra hole

European Tour wins (4)

[edit]
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Jul 24, 1977 Scandinavian Enterprise Open −13 (70-69-68-68=275) 1 stroke South Africa Hugh Baiocchi
2 Aug 14, 1977 Dutch Open −10 (69-70-68-71=278) 1 stroke South Africa Hugh Baiocchi
3 Jul 23, 1978 Dutch Open (2) −2 (74-72-68=214)* 1 stroke Zimbabwe Nick Price
4 Jul 4, 1982 Scandinavian Enterprise Open (2) −9 (69-69-66-71=275) 3 strokes Scotland Sam Torrance

*Note: The 1978 Dutch Open was shortened to 54 holes due to a player controversy.

New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (1)

[edit]
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Dec 11, 1977 New Zealand Open +6 (66-72-78-74=290) 1 stroke Australia Terry Gale

Results in major championships

[edit]
Tournament 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
Masters Tournament T34
U.S. Open CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT
The Open Championship T17 T7 CUT CUT
PGA Championship T21 77
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bob Byman – Inducted 2008". Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Museum. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  2. ^ Yocom, Guy (February 2005). "My Shot: Curtis Strange". Golf Digest. Archived from the original on March 5, 2005.
  3. ^ "Dunaway Finds His Game..." The Charlotte Observer. January 30, 1977. p. 56. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  4. ^ "PGA Tour – Bob Byman – Season results". PGA Tour. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  5. ^ "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved January 24, 2008.
[edit]