Bob Rawlins
Known as the “Dark Cloud” for his sarcasm and acerbic wit, which hid a kind demeanor, Rawlins competed in 21 USGA championships and won club titles at Las Colinas Country Club, Preston Hollow and Dallas Athletic Club. He also won the inaugural American Amateur Classic in 1972 and won again in 1982.
In the 1984 Senior Amateur conducted at Birmingham (Mich.) Country Club, Rawlins needed 19 holes to defeat 1982 champion Alton Duhon in the semifinals. In the championship match, Rawlins birdied No. 18 to force extra holes against Richard Runkle, the previous year’s runner-up. At the time of his victory, Rawlins was the youngest Senior Amateur champion (55), a mark that has since been surpassed by several players.
A year earlier in the U.S. Senior Open held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., Rawlins was one of nine amateurs to make the cut, and despite weekend rounds of 76-78, he managed to earn low-amateur honors with a 72-hole score of 16-over 300, 12 strokes behind champion Billy Casper.
At Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas, where Rawlins was a member, the trophy case features a replica of the U.S. Senior Amateur Trophy, along with competitor badges from his 21 USGA appearances.
Rawlins turned professional in 1987 and played nine years on the PGA Senior (now Champions) Tour.
Rawlins estimated he shot his age or better more than 3,000 times based on roughly 200 rounds per year, many coming at Royal Oaks, and he registered 13 holes-in-one, all coming in competition.
Royal Oaks’ long-time head golf professional and current director of instruction Randy Smith, who has taught USGA champions Justin Leonard and Colt Knost, as well as PGA Tour players Ryan Palmer, Harrison Frazar and Scottie Scheffler, said Rawlins had one of the purest swings he had ever seen. He told writer Kevin Newberry: “His swing is like pouring syrup from a jar. He’ll go out and groan, but he breaks his age every time he plays.”
“If I ever want to show someone the proper grip, I call ‘Cloud’ over and show them his grip. His hands are just amazing. To have the touch around the green with the wedges he has at age 80 … it’s just scary.”
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
Born: February. 6, 1929
Died: Oct. 11, 2014