Bobby Nichols is a professional golfer, born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, best known for winning the 1964 PGA Championship in his home state with a then-record score. Over a career spanning three decades, he became one of the city’s most accomplished athletes, with a municipal golf course in southwest Louisville named in his honor.
A Near-Fatal Crash and a Return to the Fairway
Robert Herman Nichols was born April 14, 1936, in Louisville and attended St. Xavier High School. As a teenager, he was seriously injured in a car accident during a 100 mph joyride, suffering a broken pelvis, a concussion, and internal injuries that put him in the hospital for 96 days.
His legs were paralyzed for roughly two weeks, and doctors were unsure he would walk normally again, let alone play competitive golf. Intensive physical therapy brought back full use of his legs, and Nichols went on to play college golf at Texas A&M before turning professional in 1960.
The 1964 PGA Championship
Nichols won 12 times on the PGA Tour, but his signature victory came at the 1964 PGA Championship at the Columbus Country Club in Ohio, where he shot a 271, three strokes ahead of runners-up Arnold Palmer and defending champion Jack Nicklaus. The score set a PGA Championship record that stood for 30 years, until Nick Price broke it in 1994. Nichols also finished second at the 1967 Masters and represented the United States on the 1967 Ryder Cup team.
In 1975, Nichols was struck by lightning alongside fellow pros Lee Trevino and Jerry Heard during the Western Open. He recovered and kept playing, but by his own account and the PGA Tour’s, he was never quite as sharp on tour afterward.
Life After the Tour
Nichols joined the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) after turning 50 in 1986, picking up one more win at the 1989 Southwestern Bell Classic. Louisville Metro Parks named Bobby Nichols Golf Course, a nine-hole public course in the city’s Waverly Park, in his honor, giving the hometown champion a permanent place on the same kind of course where he first learned the game.
For more on his career and playing record, see his profile on the PGA Tour website.