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Robert B. Dickson (born January 25, 1944) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.

Amateur career

Dickson was born in McAlester, Oklahoma. He was introduced to golf at the age of five by his father, Ben, a club pro/manager at the McAlester Country Club, and later club pro at the Muskogee Country Club (1958–1978).[1] He attended high school in Muskogee, and was the state 2A golf champion for three years.

Dickson attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he was a two-time All-American as a member of the golf team from 1964–1966. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in General Business in 1967. That year he became the first amateur golfer since 1935 to win both the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur.

Professional career

On January 25, 1968, Dickson turned 24 years old. At his birthday party, it was announced he would turn professional. It was also announced he would enter the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament that April for the Spring 1968 PGA Tour Qualifying School. The New York Daily News stated that "the pros rank the U.S.-British Amateur champ as a sure-pop star and the best to enter their ranks since Jack Nicklaus."[2]

Dickson played on the PGA Tour for ten years and won two official events. During his rookie season in 1968, he won the Haig Open Invitational and the Bob Jones Award for distinguished sportsmanship in golf.[3] His best year as a professional was 1973 when he won the Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational, earned $89,182, and finished in the top-30 on the money list. His best finish in a major championship was a T-17 at The Masters in 1973. Dickson was hired by the PGA as the Director of Marketing for the Tournament Players Club in 1979 and was also a Rules Official on the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour) from 1986–89. He was appointed as the Tournament Director for the Nike Tour (now known as the Web.com Tour) in 1989 and was instrumental in its initial development.

After reaching the age of 50 in January 1994, Dickson began to play on the Senior PGA Tour. His sole victory in this venue came at the 1998 Cadillac NFL Golf Classic in a playoff with Jim Colbert and Larry Nelson. He last played in a Champions Tour event in 2004.[4]

On August 21, 2006, Dickson was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.[5] He lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Amateur wins

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Oct 27, 1968 Haig Open Invitational −13 (68-65-69-69=271) 2 strokes United States Chi-Chi Rodríguez
2 Feb 18, 1973 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational −10 (69-68-69-72=278) 3 strokes United States Billy Casper, Australia Bruce Crampton,
United States Grier Jones, United States Phil Rodgers

Other wins (2)

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runners-up
1 Jun 28, 1998 Cadillac NFL Golf Classic −9 (68-69-70=207) Playoff United States Jim Colbert, United States Larry Nelson

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 1998 Cadillac NFL Golf Classic United States Jim Colbert, United States Larry Nelson Won with birdie on first extra hole

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

See also

References

  1. ^ "History of the Muskogee Country Club". Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  2. ^ "Dickson Turns Pro at Birthday Party". Daily News. January 29, 1968. p. 52. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Past Bob Jones Award winners from USGA official site Archived March 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Bob Dickson – Career". PGA Tour. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  5. ^ Industry News from pga.com Archived November 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

External links