Bobby Gates
FullnameRobert Gates Jr.
Birth dateDecember 31, 1985 (age 40)
Birth placeGainesville, Florida, U.S.
Height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight225 lb (102 kg; 16.1 st)
ResidenceThe Woodlands, Texas, U.S.
SpouseLauren Gates
CollegeTexas A&M University
Yearpro2008
ExtourPGA Tour
PGA Tour of Australasia
Web.com Tour
Canadian Tour
Gateway Tour
Prowins2
Auswins1
Nwidewins1
MastersDNP
UsopenT40: 2010
OpenDNP
PgaCUT: 2025

Robert Gates Jr. (born December 31, 1985) is an American professional golfer.

Early life and amateur career

In 1985, Gates was born in Gainesville, Florida. He was raised in the city as well. Gates attended F. W. Buchholz High School and in his senior year he led its golf team in scoring average. Gates was named Scholar Athlete of the Year for Alachua County, Florida.[1]

Gates attended Texas A&M University.[2] In 2008, he graduated with a degree in agriculture.

Career

In 2008, Gates turned professional. He played on the Gateway Tour in 2008.[1] He also played on the Canadian Tour in 2009, finishing 22nd on the Order of Merit.[1][3]

In 2010, Gates joined the Nationwide Tour after finishing T-42 at the 2009 PGA Tour qualifying school. He won in his debut event on Tour, the 2010 Michael Hill New Zealand Open.[4] He finished the year 16th on the money list and earned his 2011 PGA Tour card. He missed retaining his tour card by one spot and $1,431; D. J. Trahan got the 125th and final PGA Tour card for 2012. Gates later regained his Tour Card through Q School. Gates finished outside the top 125 (141st) on the money list in 2012 and earned his 2013 PGA Tour card through Q School. He made only four cuts in 20 events. He played in the Web.com Tour Finals and finished 35th to earn his PGA Tour card for 2014. In 2013–14, he played in only 14 events due to injury, making one cut. He has not played in a PGA Tour event since the 2014 Travelers Championship and has a five-event medical extension available upon his return.

Gates retired from professional golf in 2018 and now teaches at Summit Golf School in The Woodlands, Texas. He qualified for the 2025 PGA Championship and plays out of the Southern Texas section of the PGA.

Awards and honors

In high school, Gates was honored with a Scholar-Athlete of the Year award from Alachua County, Florida.

Professional wins (2)

Nationwide Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Jan 31, 2010Michael Hill New Zealand Open1−14 (65-67-68-74=274)1 strokeAndrew Dodt

1Co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia

Gateway Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runners-up
1Apr 9, 2009DFW Spring 4−10 (66-70-70=206)2 strokesJeremy Alcorn, David Schultz

Results in major championships

Tournament201020112012201320142015201620172018
Masters Tournament
U.S. OpenT40CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament2019202020212022202320242025
Masters Tournament
PGA ChampionshipCUT
U.S. Open
The Open ChampionshipNT

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament2011
Match Play
Championship
Invitational
ChampionsWD

WD = withdrew

See also

References

  1. ^ 2010 PGA Tour Media Guide Archived June 4, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Gates Wins New Zealand Open in Nationwide Tour Debut Archived February 24, 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "2009 Canadian Tour Order of Merit". Archived from the original on 2010-08-08. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
  4. ^ Gates closes out New Zealand title