Bob Toski
Bob Toski | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||
Full name | Robert John Toski | ||
Nickname | Mighty Mouse Champions Tour | ||
Professional wins | 12 | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
PGA Tour | 5 | ||
Other | 7 | ||
Best results in major championships | |||
Masters Tournament | T18: 1951 | ||
PGA Championship | T9: 1950, 1954 | ||
U.S. Open | T17: 1956 | ||
The Open Championship | DNP | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
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Robert John Toski, born Algustoski (born September 18, 1926), is an American professional golfer and golf instructor. He was inducted into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame in 2013.[2]
Early years
He was born in Haydenville, Massachusetts of Polish descent, the eighth of nine children born to Walenty Algustoski and his wife Mary. He learned to play golf at Northampton Country Club, where he caddied and where two of his elder brothers, Jack and Ben, were assistant professionals.[2]
PGA Tour
He joined the
Toski found stardom on the Tour despite weighing only 118 pounds. He was the smallest Tour player throughout his playing career and his combination of his small size and his driving prowess earned him the nickname "Mouse" from Sam Snead, a reference to the cartoon superhero Mighty Mouse popular at that time.
Club professional, coach, author, broadcaster
Toski left the tour aged 30 so he could spend more time with his young family (perhaps influenced by having lost his own mother at age six), and took a series of jobs as a club professional, while still competing occasionally on the Tour.
Later he found renewed fame as a leading golf coach, assisting tour pros such as World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Tom Kite and Judy Rankin as well as Australian star Bruce Crampton. He also wrote several golf instructional books, and made some of the earliest golf instruction videos. In the early 1980s he was a regular on NBC Sports golf telecasts. He worked as color commentator with Hughes Sports Network golf telecasts in the 1970s.
Senior PGA Tour
Toski began playing on the
Legacy
He was the first living instructor inducted into the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame, and he is also a member of the
Professional wins (12)
PGA Tour wins (5)
- 1953 (1) Insurance City Open
- 1954 (4) Eastern Open, World Championship of Golf
Other wins (5)
this list is probably incomplete
- 1953 Havana Invitational
- 1958 Massachusetts Open, Jamaica Open, Puerto Rico Open
- 1959 Maine Open
Other senior wins (2)
- 1990 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Mike Fetchick)
- 1992 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Mike Fetchick)
Playoff record
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1982 | Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am
|
Billy Casper | Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole |
Results in major championships
Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T18 | T40 | T22 | T41 | CUT | |||||
U.S. Open | T20 | CUT | T18 | T17 | CUT | CUT | ||||
PGA Championship | R16 | R64 | R64 | R32 | R16 | R128 | T20 | CUT |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | ||||||||
U.S. Open | ||||||||
PGA Championship | CUT | T51 |
Note: Toski never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
Major works
- Toski, Bob (1955). Beginner's Guide to Golf. New York: ASIN B001CA8L8U.
- Casper, Billy; Toski, Bob (1966). Golf Shotmaking. New York: ASIN B0000CN8TV.
- Toski, Bob (1971). The Touch System for Better Golf. ASIN B00921CJVQ.
- Toski, Bob; Aultman, Dick (1980). Bob Toski's Complete Guide to Better Golf. Scribner. ISBN 978-0689705922.
- Toski, Bob (1981). Golf For a Lifetime. New York: ISBN 978-0671437411.
- Toski, Bob; Flick, Jim (1984). How to Become a Complete Golfer. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0671723040.
- Toski, Bob; Love Jr., Davis (1988). How to Feel a Real Golf Swing. ISBN 978-0394561219.
- Find Your Own Fundamentals (with Jim Flick), Golf Digest, 1992
References
- ^ Desmith, David. "Golf's Animal Kingdom of Player Nicknames". Links Magazine. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ a b "PGA Museum of Golf -- Member Profiles". pgalinks.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- ^ McManamon, Patrick (January 8, 1986). "Toski Withdraws From Senior Tour". The Palm Beach Post. p. D1.
- ^ "28 Teams To Compete In Legends of Golf". The Palm Beach Post. April 24, 1986. p. D9.
External links
- Bob Toski at the PGA Tour official site
- GolfOnline bio and guide to Toski's coaching theory
- Toski Golf - golf equipment company
- Toski-Battersby Golf Learning Center - Toski's golf school in Florida