Bob Toski

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Bob Toski

| image = Bob Toski 1954.jpg

| imagesize = 160px

| caption = Toski, circa 1954

| fullname = Robert John Toski

| nickname = Mighty Mouse{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.linksmagazine.com/golfs-animal-kingdom-player-nicknames/ |first=David |last=Desmith |title=Golf's Animal Kingdom of Player Nicknames |magazine=Links Magazine |access-date=2020-11-17 |url-access=subscription}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1926|9|18}}

| birth_place = Haydenville, Massachusetts, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=7}}

| weight = {{convert|135|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}

| nationality = {{USA}}

| residence =

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| college =

| yearpro = 1945

| retired =

| tour =

| extour = PGA Tour
Champions Tour

| prowins = 12

| pgawins = 5

| otherwins = 7

| masters = T18: 1951

| usopen = T17: 1956

| open = DNP

| pga = T9: 1950, 1954

| wghofid =

| wghofyear =

| award1 = PGA Tour
leading money winner

| year1 = 1954

| award2 =

| year2 =

| awardssection =

}}

Robert John Toski, born Algustoski (born September 18, 1926), is an American professional golfer and golf instructor. He was inducted into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame in 2013.{{cite web |url=http://museum.pgalinks.com/index.cfm?page=memberprofiles |title=PGA Museum of Golf -- Member Profiles |publisher=pgalinks.com |access-date=7 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131119232647/http://museum.pgalinks.com/index.cfm?page=memberprofiles |archive-date=19 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}

Early life

Toski was born in Haydenville, Massachusetts. He is of Polish descent, the eighth of nine children born to Walenty Algustoski and his wife Mary. He learned to play golf at Northampton Country Club, where he caddied and where two of his elder brothers, Jack and Ben, were assistant professionals.

Professional career

In 1949, Toski joined the PGA Tour. He broke through for his first win in the Insurance City Open in 1953. He was the leading money winner in 1954, when his four victories included the World Championship of Golf, where first prize was $50,000, by far the richest prize-money golf event in the world. That victory also earned him a $50,000 contract from promoter George S. May to put on 50 exhibitions the following year; he would put on 57 and play in only 14 events in 1955. He scaled back his playing career starting in 1957 after wife Lynn gave birth to three boys in a span of less than four years.

Toski found stardom on the Tour despite weighing only 118 pounds. He was the smallest Tour player throughout his playing career and his combination of his small size and his driving prowess earned him the nickname "Mouse" from Sam Snead, a reference to the cartoon superhero Mighty Mouse popular at that time.

= Later career =

Toski left the tour aged 30 so he could spend more time with his young family and took a series of jobs as a club professional, while still competing occasionally on the Tour.

Later he found renewed fame as a leading golf coach, assisting tour pros such as World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Tom Kite and Judy Rankin as well as Australian star Bruce Crampton. He also wrote several golf instructional books, and made some of the earliest golf instruction videos. In the early 1980s he was a regular on NBC Sports golf telecasts. He worked as color commentator with Hughes Sports Network golf telecasts in the 1970s.

Toski began playing on the Senior PGA Tour upon its formation in 1980. He left the Tour in January 1986 after he became involved in a controversy over how he marked his ball in a tournament in Japan.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H7VhAAAAIBAJ&pg=1779,6138908&dq=bob+toski+seniors+tour&hl=en |title=Toski Withdraws From Senior Tour |newspaper=The Palm Beach Post |first=Patrick |last=McManamon |date=January 8, 1986 |page=D1}} Fellow Senior PGA Tour player Gay Brewer stated that Toski improved his lie by marking it away from a spike mark near where his ball had come to rest on the green. Toski said that he had no recollection of any rules infraction. He returned in April 1986.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FPcjAAAAIBAJ&pg=3915,2451335&dq=toski+golf&hl=en |title=28 Teams To Compete In Legends of Golf |newspaper=The Palm Beach Post |page=D9 |date=April 24, 1986}} He played several more years on the Tour.

Personal life

Toski was married to Lynn. He has three children.

Awards and honors

Toski was the first living instructor inducted into the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame.
Toski is a member of the National Polish-American Hall of Fame.

Professional wins (12)

=PGA Tour wins (5)=

1953 (1) Insurance City Open
1954 (4) Baton Rouge Open, Azalea Open, Eastern Open, World Championship of Golf

=Other wins (5)=

this list is probably incomplete

1953 Havana Invitational
1958 Massachusetts Open, Jamaica Open, Puerto Rico Open
1959 Maine Open

=Other senior wins (2)=

1990 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Mike Fetchick)
1992 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Mike Fetchick)

Playoff record

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent!!Result

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|1

|1982

|Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am

|{{flagicon|USA}} Billy Casper

|Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole

Results in major championships

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1950

!1951

!1952

!1953

!1954

!1955

!1956

!1957

!1958

!1959

align=left|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T18

|T40

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T22

|T41

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|U.S. Open

|T20

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T18

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T17

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:yellow;"|R16

|R64

|R32

|style="background:yellow;"|R16

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|R128

|T20

|CUT

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1960

!1961

!1962

!1963

!1964

!1965

!1966

!1967

align=left|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|U.S. Open

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T51

Note: Toski never played in The Open Championship.

CUT = missed the half-way cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play

Major works

{{cite book |title=Beginner's Guide to Golf |first=Bob |last=Toski |publisher=Grosset & Dunlap |location=New York |year=1955 |asin=B001CA8L8U}}
{{cite book |title=Golf Shotmaking | first1=Billy |last1=Casper |first2=Bob |last2=Toski |publisher=Golf Digest / Doubleday |location=New York |year=1966|asin=B0000CN8TV}}
{{cite book |first=Bob |last=Toski |title=The Touch System for Better Golf |publisher=Golf Digest |year=1971 |asin=B00921CJVQ}}
{{cite book |first1=Bob |last1=Toski |first2=Dick |last2=Aultman |title=Bob Toski's Complete Guide to Better Golf |publisher=Scribner |year=1980 |isbn=978-0689705922}}
{{cite book |first=Bob |last=Toski |title=Golf For a Lifetime |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |year=1981 |isbn=978-0671437411}}
{{cite book |first1=Bob |last1=Toski |first2=Jim |last2=Flick |title=How to Become a Complete Golfer |publisher=Pocket Books |location=New York |year=1984 |isbn=978-0671723040}}
{{cite book |first1=Bob |last1=Toski |first2=Davis |last2=Love Jr. |title=How to Feel a Real Golf Swing |publisher=Random House |year=1988 |isbn=978-0394561219 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/howtofeelrealgol00tosk }}
Find Your Own Fundamentals (with Jim Flick), Golf Digest, 1992

References

External links

{{PGATour player|02208}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20060305153200/http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline/instruction/features/article/0,17742,468874,00.html GolfOnline bio and guide to Toski's coaching theory]
[http://www.toskigolf.com/ Toski Golf] - golf equipment company
[http://www.learn-golf.com/ Toski-Battersby Golf Learning Center] - Toski's golf school in Florida

Category:American male golfers

Category:PGA Tour golfers

Category:PGA Tour Champions golfers

Category:American golf instructors

Category:American golf writers

Category:American golf commentators

Category:Golfers from Massachusetts

Category:American people of Polish descent

Category:People from Williamsburg, Massachusetts

Category:1926 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century American sportsmen