Bob Murphy (golfer)

Bob Murphy
Bob Murphy
	Murphy at the 1968 Westchester Classic
Personal information
Full name	Robert Joseph Murphy Jr.
Born	February 14, 1943 (age 82); Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Delray Beach, Florida, U.S.
Spouse	Gail
Career
College	University of Florida
Turned professional	1967
Current tour(s)	Champions Tour
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	23
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	5
PGA Tour Champions	11
Other	8
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	T13: 1971
PGA Championship	T2: 1970
U.S. Open	T3: 1975
The Open Championship	T48: 1976
Achievements and awards
Senior PGA Tour; Rookie of the Year
Senior PGA Tour; Rookie of the Year	1993

Last updated September 22, 2025

Robert Joseph Murphy Jr. (born February 14, 1943) is an American professional golfer who was formerly a member of the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. Murphy has won 21 tournaments as a professional.

Early life

In 1943, Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York.^[1] He was a standout pitcher in his youth, and as a teen led his high school baseball team to the state championship in 1960. After suffering a football injury (which also ended his baseball career), Murphy got started in golf.^[2]

Amateur career

Murphy attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida^[1] He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity (Florida Upsilon Chapter). While he was an undergraduate, he played for coach Buster Bishop's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1964 to 1966.^[3] While he was a college student, Murphy won the 1965 U.S. Amateur and the 1966 individual NCAA championship.^[3] He was also recognized as an All-American in 1966.^[2]^[4] In 1966, Murphy graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in health and human performance.^[1]

Professional career

In 1967, Murphy turned professional.^[1] He won five tournaments on the PGA Tour.^[2] He was a member of the victorious U.S. team in the 1975 Ryder Cup competition.^[5] His best finish in a major tournament was a second-place tie at the 1970 PGA Championship.^[6] Murphy won 11 times on the Senior PGA Tour.

Broadcasting career

Murphy first got into broadcasting while still playing. He joined CBS Sports as a tower announcer in 1984, working for CBS through 1991. He then joined ESPN as a color commentator, where he stayed through 1994. After a break from TV to play on the Senior PGA Tour, he joined NBC Sports in November 1999, and was a tower announcer for the PGA Tour on NBC through 2009, at which point he retired.^[2]^[5]

Personal life

Murphy lives in Delray Beach, Florida with his wife, Gail.^[5]

Awards and honors

In 1966, Murphy earned All-American while at the University of Florida.^[2]^[4]
In 1971, he was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."^[7]^[8]
In 1993, Murphy earned Senior PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors.
In 2011, he was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

Amateur wins

1965 U.S. Amateur
1966 NCAA championship (individual)

Professional wins (23)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 25, 1968	Philadelphia Golf Classic	−12 (69-71-66-70=276)	Playoff	Labron Harris Jr.
2	Sep 2, 1968	Thunderbird Classic	−11 (68-70-71-69=277)	3 strokes	Bruce Crampton, Bob Lunn
3	Sep 7, 1970	Greater Hartford Open Invitational	−17 (66-66-66-69=267)	4 strokes	Paul Harney
4	Mar 2, 1975	Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic	−15 (68-71-66-68=273)	1 stroke	Eddie Pearce
5	Jun 29, 1986	Canadian Open	−8 (71-70-68-71=280)	3 strokes	Greg Norman

PGA Tour playoff record (1–5)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1968	Philadelphia Golf Classic	Labron Harris Jr.	Won with birdie on third extra hole
2	1970	Tucson Open	Lee Trevino	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
3	1972	Hawaiian Open	Grier Jones	Lost to par on first extra hole
4	1973	Westchester Classic	Bobby Nichols	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
5	1974	World Open Golf Championship	Frank Beard, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller	Miller won with birdie on second extra hole Murphy eliminated by par on first hole
6	1981	Tallahassee Open	Dave Eichelberger, Mark O'Meara	Eichelberger won with birdie on first extra hole

Source:^[9]

Australian wins (1)

1972 Wills Masters

Other wins (3)

Senior PGA Tour wins (11)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 29, 1993	Bruno's Memorial Classic	−13 (69-67-67=203)	1 stroke	Bob Charles, Lee Trevino
2	Sep 12, 1993	GTE North Classic	−10 (68-66=134)*	2 strokes	Jim Ferree, Dave Hill, Chi-Chi Rodríguez
3	Oct 16, 1994	Raley's Senior Gold Rush	−8 (69-71-68=208)	Playoff	Dave Eichelberger
4	Oct 30, 1994	Hyatt Regency Maui Kaanapali Classic	−18 (62-67-66=195)	2 strokes	Jack Kiefer
5	Feb 12, 1995	IntelliNet Challenge	−7 (67-70=137)*	1 stroke	Raymond Floyd
6	May 7, 1995	PaineWebber Invitational	−13 (68-66-69=203)	2 strokes	Raymond Floyd, Larry Ziegler
7	Jun 25, 1995	Nationwide Championship	−13 (71-64-68=203)	2 strokes	Hale Irwin, Bruce Summerhays
8	Aug 6, 1995	VFW Senior Championship	−15 (69-63-63=195)	1 stroke	Jim Colbert
9	Feb 4, 1996	Royal Caribbean Classic	−10 (69-67-67=203)	4 strokes	Hale Irwin
10	May 19, 1996	Cadillac NFL Golf Classic	−14 (62-71-69=202)	2 strokes	Jay Sigel
11	Mar 6, 1997	Toshiba Senior Classic	−6 (65-70-72=207)	Playoff	Jay Sigel

*Note: Tournament shortened to 36 holes due to weather.

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1994	Raley's Senior Gold Rush	Dave Eichelberger	Won with bogey on fifth extra hole
2	1995	Senior British Open	Brian Barnes	Lost to eagle on third extra hole
3	1997	Toshiba Senior Classic	Jay Sigel	Won with birdie on ninth extra hole

Other senior wins (3)

1995 Diners Club Matches (with Jim Colbert)
1996 Diners Club Matches (with Jim Colbert)
2013 Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jim Colbert)

Results in major championships

Tournament	1966	1967	1968	1969
Masters Tournament	T59 LA	52 LA		CUT
U.S. Open	T15 LA	T23	T32	5
The Open Championship
PGA Championship				T63

Tournament	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament	T23	T13	T43			42	T28	T31
U.S. Open	CUT	CUT	T63	T20		T3	CUT		CUT	T25
The Open Championship							T48
PGA Championship	T2	T46	T40	T35	T32	T25	CUT	T25	T54	CUT

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
Masters Tournament								CUT
U.S. Open	CUT			T50			CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship	T20	18	T34		CUT	T62	69

Top 10

Did not play

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

Tournament	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	2	10	8
U.S. Open	0	1	2	2	6	15	9
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
PGA Championship	1	0	1	1	5	17	14
Totals	1	1	3	3	13	43	32

Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1971 PGA – 1976 Masters)
Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (three times)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
The Players Championship	T6	T4	T43		CUT	71	T64	CUT	CUT	T32	CUT		T14	T44

Top 10

Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Walker Cup: 1967 (winners)
Eisenhower Trophy: 1966

Professional

Ryder Cup: 1975 (winners)

References

1 2 3 4 "Bob Murphy Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
1 2 3 4 5 "Bob Murphy Media Guide". PGA Tour. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
1 2 Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 29, 34, 39, 41 (2010). Retrieved July 11, 2011.
1 2 2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 36 (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2011.
1 2 3 NBCSports.com, Golf, Bob Murphy, Tower Reporter Archived 2010-12-04 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved July 24, 2011.
↑ "Bob Murphy". Golf Major Championships. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
↑ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
↑ "O'Connell Lauded for Actions". Sarasota Journal. Associated Press. 3 May 1971. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
↑ "Bob Murphy". PGA Tour. Retrieved 18 September 2025.

External links

Media related to Bob Murphy (golfer) at Wikimedia Commons
Bob Murphy at the PGA Tour official site
Bob Murphy at the Official World Golf Ranking official site

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[championsprofile-1] 1 2 3 4 "Bob Murphy Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved 23 October 2013.

[championsmedia-2] 1 2 3 4 5 "Bob Murphy Media Guide". PGA Tour. Retrieved 23 October 2013.

[ufmediasupplement-3] 1 2 Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 29, 34, 39, 41 (2010). Retrieved July 11, 2011.

[:0-4] 1 2 2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 36 (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2011.

[nbcprofile-5] 1 2 3 NBCSports.com, Golf, Bob Murphy, Tower Reporter Archived 2010-12-04 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved July 24, 2011.

[6] "Bob Murphy". Golf Major Championships. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

[7] F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 15, 2014.

[8] "O'Connell Lauded for Actions". Sarasota Journal. Associated Press. 3 May 1971. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

[9] "Bob Murphy". PGA Tour. Retrieved 18 September 2025.

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