Bob Shearer, who twice won the Australian PGA, died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack, according to the PGA of Australia.
“Bob was a giant of the game here in Australia in the ‘70s and ‘80s and I am just absolutely devastated that I have lost another of my great mates,” said fellow Australian touring pro Rodger Davis.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Shearer also won twice on the DP World Tour and recorded his lone PGA Tour win at the 1982 Tallahassee Open. He bettered Jack Nicklaus and Payne Stewart by four strokes in his win in the 1982 Australian Open.
Shearer was a four-time winner of the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit. He rose to prominence with his victory in the 1969 Australian Amateur. He turned pro the next year. He is a PGA of Australia Life Member.
Shearer was also a golf-course designer and has been a member of the Australian Society of Golf Course Architects since 1993.
“Bob and I travelled a lot together playing in Europe and as tough as he was to beat on the golf course you couldn’t find a better bloke to have a beer with after the round,” said Davis, chair of the PGA of Australia.
Shearer is survived by his wife, Kathie, who made her own mark in the game as Australia’s golf media matriarch.
