Robert Gamez

Robert Anthony Gamez (born July 21, 1968) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.

Robert Gamez
Personal information
Full name	Robert Anthony Gamez
Born	(1968-07-21) July 21, 1968 (age 56) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Career
College	University of Arizona
Turned professional	1989
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Web.com Tour
Professional wins	5
Highest ranking	48 (March 25, 1990)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	3
Japan Golf Tour	1
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	CUT: 1990, 1991
PGA Championship	T14: 2003
U.S. Open	T61: 1990
The Open Championship	T12: 1990
Achievements and awards
Jack Nicklaus Award 1989 Haskins Award 1989 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year 1990

Gamez was born in Las Vegas, and is of Mexican descent.^[2] He attended the University of Arizona where he was a member of the golf team. He played on the 1989 Walker Cup Team and dropped out of university to turn professional later that same year.^[3][4]

Gamez has had what can be described as a hot and cold career as a professional golfer. He started out winning two tournaments in his rookie season on the Tour, including his first event, the Northern Telecom Tucson Open.^[5] Only three others: Marty Fleckman in 1967, Ben Crenshaw in 1973, and Garrett Willis in 2001, have won their first PGA Tour event as a member of the PGA Tour. He is possibly best known for holing his second shot from the fairway on the tough 18th hole in the final round at the Nestle Invitational in March 1990, giving him a one stroke win over Greg Norman.^[6][7] A commemorative plaque has since been placed in the fairway on the 18th hole at Bay Hill to mark the spot from which Gamez holed his 7-iron from 176 yards (161 m).^[8]

From 1991 to 1997, Gamez had six runner-up finishes and one third-place finish on the PGA Tour. In 1998, Gamez was injured in a car accident at the Kemper Open and his career started to decline. Between 1998 and 2001, he failed to finish in the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list. His career hit a low point in 2001, when he failed to qualify for the Tour.^[9] Then he began to enjoy a resurgence in his career. He finished in the top-125 every year between 2002 and 2005 including a T-5 at the Bank of America Colonial in 2004 and a win at the 2005 Valero Texas Open. It was his first win in 15 years, 6 months (394 events), a PGA Tour record.^[10][11] After 2005, Gamez's form started to decline and he has only had a few top-10 finishes since his 2005 season.^[12][13] Gamez also had a health scare in 2014 when he underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery.^[14] His best finish in a major is T-12 at the 1990 Open Championship.^[15]

Gamez hosts an annual tournament in Orlando, Florida for the benefit of the Team Gamez Foundation. He lives in Orlando. His last full season on the PGA Tour was in 2008.

In 2022, Gamez was arrested while intoxicated on misdemeanor battery charges at a pool party in Orlando, Florida.^[16]

Amateur wins (3)

• 1985 Southern Nevada Amateur
• 1988 Clark County Amateur
• 1989 Porter Cup

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jan 14, 1990	Northern Telecom Tucson Open	−18 (65-66-69-70=270)	4 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia, Jay Haas
2	Mar 25, 1990	Nestle Invitational	−14 (71-69-68-66=274)	1 stroke	Greg Norman
3	Sep 30, 2005	Valero Texas Open	−18 (62-68-68-64=262)	3 strokes	Olin Browne

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1993	Honda Classic	Fred Couples	Lost to par on second extra hole

PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Nov 27, 1994	Casio World Open	−17 (68-66-68-69=271)	4 strokes	Scott Hoch

Other wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Nov 20, 1994	Pebble Beach Invitational	−11 (65-71-70-71=277)	6 strokes	Kirk Triplett

Other playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	1994	JCPenney Classic (with Helen Alfredsson)	Brad Bryant and Marta Figueras-Dotti	Lost to par on fourth extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	T61	CUT		88	CUT	CUT
The Open Championship	T12	T44
PGA Championship	T49		T79	CUT		CUT		CUT

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open	CUT	CUT				CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship			CUT	T14	T68		CUT

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
U.S. Open	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	2
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	2
PGA Championship	0	0	0	0	0	1	9	4
Totals	0	0	0	0	0	2	21	8

• Most consecutive cuts made – 3 (1990 U.S. Open – 1990 PGA)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 0

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
The Players Championship	T46	CUT	CUT	CUT	84	T49	T29	T24	T63					T69	CUT	T56	T53

  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament	2006
Match Play
Championship
Invitational	T18

  Did not play

"T" = Tied

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

• Walker Cup: 1989

See also

• 1989 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates

References

1. "Week 12 1990 Ending 25 Mar 1990" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
2. Jenkins, Sally (April 4, 1990). "The '90 Masters Is Fair Game For Gamez". The Washington Post. Of Mexican- American descent, he was born and raised amid games of chance in Las Vegas...
3. "Caught In The Glare". Sports Illustrated. February 11, 1991. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
4. Diaz, Jaime (January 19, 1990). "Prodigy at 8, Winner at 21". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
5. "Gamez Wins In Debut". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 15, 1990. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
6. Anderson, Dave (March 26, 1990). "Spectacular Eagle Wins for Gamez". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
7. "Gamez soars with an eagle". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 26, 1990. p. 2B.
8. DiMeglio, Steve (March 12, 2008). "Final stretch at Bay Hill can put players in a fix". USA Today. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
9. Brown, Clifton (December 1, 2001). "Gamez Learns The Party Is Over". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
10. "Gamez ends 15-year drought with win at Texas Open". USA Today. Associated Press. September 25, 2005. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
11. "Gamez halts winless run in Texas". BBC Sport. September 26, 2005. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
12. McDaniel, Pete (November 29, 2007). "Hits and Misses From Q School". Golf Digest. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
13. Gamez, Robert; Arkush, Michael (March 10, 2021). "I shot 92 on the PGA Tour last week. Here's why it won't keep me down". Golf Magazine. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
14. Lev, Michael (March 2, 2019). "Cologuard Classic: Ex-UA stars Gamez, Berganio seek second chance on familiar turf". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
15. "Robert Gamez". Golf Major Championships. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
16. Stutsman, Doug (July 26, 2022). "Details on arrest of Robert Gamez emerge; three-time PGA Tour winner said he 'does not remember anything,' per report". Golfweek. Retrieved October 27, 2023.

External links

• Robert Gamez at the PGA Tour official site
• Robert Gamez at the Japan Golf Tour official site
• Robert Gamez at the Official World Golf Ranking official site