Wylie was a local golf legend

Calgarian dies of COVID-19

The Calgary golf community is mourning the passing of Bob Wylie, who briefly teed it up on the PGA Tour and later won an impressive collection of amateur and senior titles.

According to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, Wylie's death was caused by COVID-19. He would have been celebrating his 92nd birthday this weekend.

A longtime member at Calgary Golf & Country Club, Wylie was a fivetime winner of the Alberta Amateur Championship, triumphed twice at the Alberta Open and was selected four times for Canada's World Amateur team. He was a force as a senior, winning both the provincial and national crown seven times.

Wylie proved he could be competitive on the PGA Tour but told Golf Canada in a Q&A a few years ago that it was too difficult to pay the bills with birdies back then.

“In 1958, I joined the tour in Los Angeles and played every week until the tour got to Detroit, which was the week before the U.S. Open,” he reminisced. “I made every cut and most weeks I was getting cheques for $25. They only paid about 20 spots and the winner was barely making $1,000.

“My best finish was a fifthplace at the Phoenix Open. The reality was you really couldn't make any money out there at that time and by the time I got to Detroit, I was flat broke.”

Wylie was reinstated as an amateur in 1960.

Inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in the mid-90s, he was asked during that same interview about how he hoped to be remembered.

“I've never really thought too much about it, to be honest,” he replied. “Sure, I had a lot of success as an amateur but I think I am most proud of the golf swing I developed through a lot of hard work. I don't think anyone worked at it more than I did. Over the years, I had a lot of nice things said about my ball-striking by other golfers, and that means a lot.

“Not to sound immodest, but in my prime, I don't think I ever played with anyone that hit it better than I did, especially the irons. I never felt like I was awed by any other player.

“Even as a senior, I could do anything I wanted with a two-iron, which is a bit of a lost art.”