Sir Robert James CharlesONZKNZMCBE (born 14 March 1936) is a New Zealand professional golfer who won the 1963 Open Championship, the first left-handed player to win a major championship. He won the 1954 New Zealand Open as an 18-year-old amateur and made the cut in the same event in 2007, at the age of 71. His achievements over that period, in which he won 80 tournaments, rank him as one of the most successful New Zealand golfers of all time. He is, along with Michael Campbell, one of only two New Zealanders to win a men's major golf championship.
Charles turned professional in late 1960 and for the next two years had some success in tournaments around the world. From 1963 until the mid-1970s he played mostly on the PGA Tour. He won 5 times on the tour and finished in the top-60 on the money list each year from 1963 to 1971, except 1966, and again in 1974. Later he played more on the European Tour before joining the Senior PGA Tour when he reached 50. He was very successful on the Senior PGA Tour with 23 titles between 1987 and 1996, and winning over $9 million between 1986 and 2008. In Britain, Charles won the 1963 Open Championship and the Senior British Open twice, in 1989 and 1993. These were later added as official wins on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour. In addition to his PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour wins, Charles won 9 times in Europe, including the 1969 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship, and 25 times in domestic New Zealand tournaments. He also won a number of other seniors events around the world, including in South Africa, Japan and Australia.
Charles came to prominence when he won the New Zealand Open at Wellington Golf Club in November 1954, as an 18-year-old amateur, finishing two strokes ahead of Bruce Crampton and four ahead of Peter Thomson.[2] The event acted as qualification for the New Zealand Amateur which followed immediately after the Open. Charles reached the final but lost 3&2 to Tim Woon, the defending champion, in the 36 hole match.[3] Charles also reached the final of the New Zealand Amateur in October 1956 at Christchurch Golf Club, but lost again, 3&2 to the Tasmanian Peter Toogood.[4] In September 1956 Charles had been a member of the 4-man New Zealand team in the Sloan Morpeth Trophy match against Australia at Wanganui. Australia won the contest but Charles won his singles match.[5]
Charles left New Zealand in January 1958 for a tour of the United States and Britain, travelling with Ian Cromb, and returning in August. They spent the early part of year in America, playing in a number of professional events, ending with the Masters for which Charles had received an invitation. He missed the cut by 8 strokes after rounds of 77 and 80.[6] In Britain, he also played in some professional tournaments. Charles reached the quarter-finals of the Amateur Championship on the Old Course at St Andrews, before losing to Alan Thirlwell, and later finished tied for 9th place in the Brabazon Trophy at Royal Birkdale.[7][8] He also played in the 1958 Open Championship at Royal Lytham where he qualified after rounds of 74 and 73.[9] He started well in the Championship with a 71 but missed the cut after a second round 79.[10]
Charles was selected for the 4-man New Zealand team for the inaugural Eisenhower Trophy competition on the Old Course at St Andrews in October 1958. New Zealand led by three strokes after 3 of the 4 rounds. However a poor last day left then in fourth place. John Durry took 83, including a 10 at the 14th hole. Charles took 81 and with three of the four scores counting, New Zealand finished three strokes behind the leaders. Despite his poor last round Charles had the best four-round aggregate among the New Zealand team.[11][12]
Charles played in the 1959 Commonwealth Tournament in Johannesburg. New Zealand finished third of the five teams.[13] Charles was the best of the team with three wins in foursomes matches and three wins in the singles, losing only in the match against South Africa.[14] Charles also played in the 1960 Eisenhower Trophy in the United States. The contest was dominated by the Americans who won by 42 strokes. New Zealand finished fifth, with Charles again the best of the team.[15]
Professional career
In October 1960, Charles turned professional.[16] Soon after turning professional, Charles won a 36-hole event at Queens Park, Invercargill, eight strokes ahead of Kel Nagle.[17] Although he disappointed in the New Zealand Open, he reached the final of the New Zealand PGA Championship losing 5&4 to Nagle.[18] In early 1961, Charles played on the South African circuit. Had a number of good finishes and was runner-up in the Dunlop South African Masters behind Denis Hutchinson.[19] Charles then travelled to Europe. He won the 36-hole Bowmaker Tournament, two strokes ahead of Hutchinson and Nagle, and had a number of top finishes including a tied for 4th place in the Martini International.[20][21] He led the qualifiers for the 1961 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale after rounds of 66 and 70.[22] He started with a 72 but missed the cut after a second round 84, played in difficult conditions.[23] Returning to New Zealand, in October he won the Caltex Tournament, by 4 strokes from Nagle, and then the New Zealand PGA Championship.[24][25]
Charles didn't win on the 1964 PGA Tour but had five top-5 finishes, including a third place finish at the U.S. Open.[40] He finished 17th in the official money list with $28,451.[39] He played relatively few other event but did defend his Open Championship title, finishing tied for 17th, and he played in the Canada Cup in Hawaii.[6][45] Charles made a good start to the 1965 season. He lost in a playoff for the Lucky International Open, won the Tucson Open and was a runner-up in the Jacksonville Open.[40] Later in the season he had less success and finished 34th in the money list with $28,360.[39] Later in the year he played in some events in Europe, including the Canada Cup in Madrid, and in New Zealand, where he was a runner-up in the New Zealand Open.[46][47] Charles had a very poor season on the 1966 PGA Tour. His only top-10 finish came towards the end of the season and he only won $8,472, to finish 87th in the official money list.[39][40] He showed a return to form late in the year, playing well at the 1966 Canada Cup in Japan, and winning four events out of seven on the New Zealand Golf Circuit, including the New Zealand Open which he won by 13 strokes.[48][49][50]
Charles showed a return to form in 1967, with eight top-10 finishes on the 1967 PGA Tour, including winning the Atlanta Classic.[40] He finished 11th in the money list with $72,468.[39] He played in the 1967 World Cup in Mexico, the New Zealand pair finishing second behind the United States with Charles finishing joint runner-up in the individual standings, level with Jack Nicklaus and behind Arnold Palmer.[51] He again played on the New Zealand circuit towards the end of year, winning three events, and again being the leading money winner.[52] Charles had another successful season on the 1968 PGA Tour, with a win in the Canadian Open, and six other top-10s in official events.[40] He finished 18th in the money list with $70,926.[39] Two of his top-10 finishes came in the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship, and he also finished a joint runner-up in the Open Championship.[6] He made his debut in the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship, losing in the final to Gary Player.[53] He played in the 1968 World Cup in Italy, where the New Zealand pair finished seventh.[51] He had three more tournament wins on the 1968–69 New Zealand circuit, including the Spalding Masters which he won by 10 strokes with a score of 260.[54]
Charles didn't win on the PGA in 1969, 1970 or 1971 but continued to have a number of high finishes including 11 top-10 finishes in 1969, 9 in 1970 and 8 in 1971.[40] He finished 30th in money list in 1969 with $59,734, 25th in 1970 with $70,854 and 41st in 1971 with $58,016.[39] Charles won the 1969 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship beating Gene Littler with an eagle at the 37th hole in the final.[55] He lost in playoff for the 1970 Greater New Orleans Open.[56] He had more tournament wins on the New Zealand Golf Circuit, the New Zealand Open in late 1970 and three in the 1971–72 season.[57][58]
After his relatively successful season on the 1974 PGA Tour, Charles had poor 1975 and 1976 seasons winning $7,226 and $3,769. From 1977 he only played a few events on the tour, leaving the tour in 1984.[40] In 1983 he won the Tallahassee Open, an event on the Tournament Players Series.[65] From 1977 to 1985 he played more frequently on the European Tour. His best year was 1978 when he finished 14th in the Order of Merit. He didn't win on the tour in this period but was runner-up in the 1977 Benson and Hedges International Open, the 1978 Greater Manchester Open and the 1982 Benson and Hedges International Open.[66] Charles also won three events on the New Zealand Golf Circuit, the Air New Zealand Shell Open in late 1978 and the New Zealand PGA Championship in early 1979 and in early 1980.[67][68][69]
In 2007, at the age of 71, Charles became the oldest golfer to make the cut in a European Tour event, at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open. Charles shot a 68 in the second round, beating his age by three strokes.[70] He had a final round 70 to finish in a tie for 23rd place.[71]
Senior golf
Charles's played on the Senior PGA Tour (now called PGA Tour Champions) after turning 50.[72] He was very successful on the tour with 23 titles between 1987 and 1996, and winning over $9 million on the tour between 1986 and 2008.[72] He was the leading money winner in 1988 and 1989 and led the scoring average in 1988, 1989 and 1993.[72] He won the Senior British Open in 1989 and 1993. From 2002 the Senior British Open was an official event on the PGA Tour Champions but it was only in 2018 that earlier wins were recognised by the PGA Tour Champions as official wins on the tour, increasing Charles's total to 25.[73]
Charles was a regular competitor in the Senior British Open from its founding in 1987. As well as winning twice, he was a runner-up 6 times between 1987 and 2001. During this period he rarely played in European Seniors Tour events but as he had less success in America he played more in European tournaments.[74] Apart from his Senior British Open wins he never won a European senior event, although he finished runner-up in the 2007 Wentworth Senior Masters at the age of 71.[74] In addition to his senior wins in America, Charles won a number of other senior events around the world, including South Africa, Japan and Australia.[72]
Golfing awards
Charles was the first left-handed golfer to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, in the veterans category. He was inducted in 2008.[75]
Personal life
In December 1962, Charles married Verity Joan Aldridge in Johannesburg, South Africa. They met three years previously at the Commonwealth Golf tournament when it was held in South Africa. The golfers Denis Hutchinson and Bobby Verwey served as groomsmen.[76] They had two children, Beverly and David.[72] David is a golf director in the United States. He is a successful golf course designer having had major input into the Formosa Country Club east of Auckland, Millbrook at the resort town of Queenstown, and The Dunes course at Matarangi on the Coromandel Peninsula. He was also consultant to the Clearwater course, near Christchurch, designed by golf architect John Darby.
Although Charles plays golf left-handed, he is naturally right-handed.[77]
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1976 Open Championship)
WD = withdrew
QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
^ abcdefBrenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. Vol. 1. McFarland. ISBN978-0-7864-3360-5.
^"Nagle Takes N.Z. Golf Title". The Canberra Times. Vol. 35, no. 9767. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 November 1960. p. 31. Retrieved 30 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Bleomfontein tourney". The Press. 6 February 1961. p. 14. Retrieved 3 November 2023 – via Papers Past.
^"Phillips wins in Malaya". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 26 February 1962. p. 16. Retrieved 28 January 2020 – via Trove.
† indicates the event was won in a playoff; ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire in 72-holes; # indicates the event was won by an amateur 1871 No championship; 1915–1919 cancelled due to World War I; 1940–1945 cancelled due to World War II; 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
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