"PGA Champion" Bobby Nichols Hand Signed 3X5 Card Todd Mueller COA

Description

Up for auction the
"PGA Champion" Bobby Nichols Hand Signed 3X5 Card.
This item is certified authentic by Todd Mueller Autographs and comes with their Certificate of Authenticity.
ES-1963
Robert Herman Nichols
(born April 14, 1936) is an American
professional golfer
, best known for winning the
PGA Championship
in
1964
. Born in April 1936 and raised in
Louisville, Kentucky
, Nichols attended
St. Xavier High School
. While in high school, Nichols and several other youths were involved in an automobile accident resulting from a 100 mph (160 km/h) joy ride. He suffered serious injuries including a broken pelvis, concussion, back and internal injuries, and was hospitalized 96 days. His legs were also paralyzed for about two weeks, but he was able to regain full use of his legs after intensive physical therapy. Nichols later played on the
Aggies
golf team at the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas (later renamed Texas A&M University) in the
Southwest Conference
. Nichols began playing on the
PGA Tour
in 1960 and recorded 12 victories, one of which, the
PGA National Team Championship
, was not fully recognized until 2012.
[1]
He was a member of the
Ryder Cup
team in
1967
, and his best year on tour was
1974
when he won twice, earned 4,747 and finished 14th on the money list. Nichols,
Jerry Heard
, and
Lee Trevino
were struck by lightning at the
Western Open
on Friday, June 27,
1975
.
All three men came back to play professional golf. Nichols has had 12 holes-in-one in his professional career.
The
1964 PGA Championship
was played at the
Columbus Country Club
in
Columbus, Ohio
. Nichols won with a 271 total, three shots ahead of runners-up
Arnold Palmer
and defending champion
Jack Nicklaus
, playing in his hometown. This was a record low score for the PGA Championship and it stood for 30 years, until broken by
Nick Price
's 269 in
1994
. Nichols was the first wire-to-wire winner since the PGA Championship switched format from
match play
to
stroke play
in
1958
. He came close to winning a second
major
at the
Masters
in
1967
, finishing second to his lifelong friend,
Gay Brewer
. After turning 50 in 1986, Nichols played on the Senior PGA Tour, now the
Champions Tour
. He had numerous top-10 finishes but only one victory – the
Southwestern Bell Classic
in
1989
, when he defeated
Orville Moody
on the third hole of a playoff. Bobby Nichols Golf Course is a 9-hole municipal course that is part of Waverly Park in Louisville, southwest of downtown. (
38.126°N 85.838°W
) The back tees are set at 6,970 yards (6,370 m) with a rating of 72.0 and a
slope
of 130.