Donald Robert McCallister (May 3, 1934 – January 26, 2021) was an American professional golfer. He won two events on the PGA Tour and three other tournaments in the 1960s. He later worked as the head pro at golf clubs in California and Oregon, and competed on the Senior PGA Tour.
McCallister was born in Toledo, Ohio, on May 3, 1934.[1] The McCallister family moved to Corona, California,[2] and joined the San Gabriel Country Club. He started playing golf when he was 14 years old, after his father Don urged him to try the sport.[3]
McCallister entered several PGA Tour events as an amateur, and ultimately turned professional in 1959. He only started playing full-time on the tour one year later, after serving in the U.S. Army and being stationed at Fort Ord in Monterey Bay. He established a record of shooting a score of 62 at the base golf course, which has stood for over sixty years.[3]
Professional career
During his time on the tour, McCallister was sponsored by Lawrence Welk.[1] He won the first title of his professional career at the 1960 Paul Bunyan Open, held at the Penobscot Valley Golf Club in Orono, Maine. He finished ahead of Tony Lema and won $2,000 in prize money.[3]
McCallister won two PGA Tour events during his career, both of which played in California in October. His first title came at the 1961 Orange County Open Invitational.[6] He came from behind by five strokes on the final day to defeat Al Geiberger, his friend and former college teammate. On the final hole, he hit a 35-foot (11 m) birdie to finish ahead by two shots.[3]
McCallister did not win any events during the 1962 PGA Tour. He was runner-up at that year's Phoenix Open, finishing 12 shots behind winner Arnold Palmer.[7][3] He subsequently tied for third in attempting to defend his Orange County Open title, coming two shots short of a playoff between Bob Rosburg and Lema (the eventual winner) after three-putting on the last hole.[3][8] That same year, he partnered with Major League Baseball player Albie Pearson to win the Bing Crosby Pro-Am. He finished the season 44th on the money list.[3]
McCallister was afflicted by an early onset of arthritis around 1964, which seriously restricted his physical ability.[3] He managed to play five more seasons before retiring in 1969.[7] During this time, he won three tournaments outside of the PGA Tour. He triumphed at the Mexican Open and Southern California PGA Championship in 1966.[3][10] In the former, he defeated Dudley Wysong by one shot, hitting a 21-foot (6.4 m) birdie on the last hole.[3] In the latter, he beat Bud Holscher to the $15,000 first prize, which was the richest sectional event by the Professional Golfers' Association of America at the time.[10] McCallister won the 1967 Maracaibo Open Invitational by defeating Wes Ellis in a playoff,[3] after the latter tied the score on the final hole of normal play.[11]
Later years and death
McCallister played on the Senior PGA Tour after reaching the age of 50. He played a total of 16 events on that tour from 1984 to 1987, and made his last appearance at the GTE Northwest Classic in 1995. He also teamed up with Lon Hinkle for the Shootout at Jeremy Ranch.[3] McCallister established the Redding (California) Area Junior Golf Association,[3] and held the position of head pro at Charbonneau Golf Club in Wilsonville, Oregon,[12] as well as at the Butte Creek Country Club in Chico and Gold Hills Country Club in Redding.[3]
McCallister was married to Carol until his death. He had eight children: Kim, Bill, Michael, Tracy, Bobby, Brent, Heather, and Missy.[3] He died on January 26, 2021, in Molalla, Oregon. He was 86, and suffered from Parkinson's disease in the twelve years leading up to his death.[3]
^"Bob McCallister Maracaibo King". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. February 13, 1967. p. 8. Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Google News Archive.
