| Charles Coody | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Billy Charles Coody |
| Born | July 13, 1937 Stamford, Texas |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | Abilene Christian University Texas Christian University |
| Turned professional | 1963 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 15 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| European Tour | 2 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 5 |
| Other | 1 (regular) 4 (senior) |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| Masters Tournament | Won: 1971 |
| PGA Championship | 4th: 1977 |
| U.S. Open | T13: 1969 |
| The Open Championship | T5: 1971 |
Billy Charles Coody (born July 13, 1937) is an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1971 Masters Tournament.
Coody was born in Stamford, Texas and raised in Abilene, Texas. He attended Abilene Christian University before transferring to and graduating in 1960 with a bachelor's degree in Business from Texas Christian University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He made his pro debut in 1963.[1]
Coody won two regular PGA Tour events early in his career and was known as one of the best iron players of his era.[2] However he was considered somewhat of an underachiever until his Masters victory. In the words of his contemporary Frank Beard, "Charlie's one of our better shotmakers but he tries hard not to win."[3] Coody held the lead at the 1969 Masters Tournament with three holes left but finished bogey-bogey-bogey to tie for 5th place.
At the 1971 Masters Tournament, Coody opened with a 3 shot lead.[4] He remained in the lead entering the final round but was expected to lose to co-leader Jack Nicklaus who had won the 1971 PGA Championship two months earlier.[3] The event turned into a 3-way battle between Coody, Nicklaus, and a young Johnny Miller who was playing his first Masters as a professional. Miller took control with birdies on #11, #12, and #14 to build a two shot lead. However, things began to unravel when he hit his approach into the bunker on the 15th and failed to make birdie. He again hit his approach into the bunker on the 16th and made bogey. Coody, playing in the group behind Miller, went for the 15th green in two and ended up behind the same bunker Miller had just been in. Coody then chipped to 8 feet beyond the hole and made it coming back for birdie to reach 8-under. He next made another clutch birdie at the par-3 16th by striking his 6-iron to 13 feet and holing the putt to reach 9-under and take the lead alone.[3] He made pars on the last two and won by two strokes. Nicklaus uncharacteristically played mediocre on Sunday. He had four three-putts for the round and shot 37 on the back nine without a birdie.[3] He tied Miller for runner-up.
Coody had his share of success after his Masters victory. He represented the United States for the only time in the 1971 Ryder Cup. He finished 5th at the 1971 Open Championship. He won two events on the fledgling European Tour in 1973. He also had chances to win additional majors at the 1976 PGA Championship and 1977 PGA Championship. In 1976 he held a two stroke lead entering the final round before collapsing with a 77. The following year, at Pebble Beach, he finished two strokes out of a playoff, shooting a 73 in the final round.
However, his Masters triumph did not serve as a catalyst for Coody to become one of the greats in the game. While he posted nine top-3 finishes through the 1970s and early 1980s, he never won on the PGA Tour again. One example of his 'close calls' after his Masters win was the 1972 Hawaiian Open played at Waialae Country Club in early February. Coody fired rounds of 66-72-69-68 to finish at 13-under par 275 . . . but missed the Grier Jones/Bob Murphy playoff by a stroke (won by Jones).[5] Coody played full-time on the PGA Tour until he reached his late 40s.
When he turned 50, Coody played on the Senior PGA Tour with a decent amount of success, winning five times. Like most Masters winners, Coody played the Masters Tournament through his old age. He retired from active competition at the 2006 event having played 38 of the last 39 Masters.
Coody was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. A college golf tournament, the Charles Coody West Texas Intercollegiate, is named for him. He also lends his name to a charity event, the Charles Coody Classic.[2]
Coody's son Kyle was also a professional golfer in the 1980s and 1990s. Grandsons Pierceson and Parker turned pro in 2022.
