Martin Joseph Bohen (born 1942) is an American professional golfer. Bohen turned professional in 1965 and tried out unsuccessfully for the PGA Tour several times during the 1960s. In the interim, he worked as a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas and honed his game with instructor Toney Penna. He eventually made it onto the PGA Tour and played on tour for three seasons. For the remainder of his career as a touring professional, he played in the Asia-Pacific region, culminating with a win at the 1979 Tasmanian Open. In 1980, Bohen took a job as assistant professional at Spook Rock Golf Club in New York state. Bohen has primarily worked as a club pro since then.
Early life Bohen was born in the spring of 1942. He was born in Los Angeles, California. He was introduced to golf at the age of 6 or 7 by his father Robert. His family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada when Bohen was 11 years old. Bohen lived in Las Vegas for the remainder of his adolescence.
Amateur career Bohen attended the University of Southern California and played on the golf team. One of his teammates was Dave Stockton. In his senior year he began to have some success at a national level. In the summer he qualified for the U.S. Amateur. Later during the academic year he reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. During this year, he realistically envisioned himself becoming a professional golfer for the first time. Shortly thereafter, in June 1965, he was low amateur at the Nevada Open. That year he also won the Nevada Amateur.
Professional career In November 1965, Bohen turned professional. Soon thereafter, he tried out for the PGA Tour at 1965 PGA Tour Qualifying School. At the eight-round event, Bohen missed qualifying by eight shots. The following summer, Bohen played in a number of state opens in the west. In June 1966, he won the Nevada Open with a four-under-par 212 total. He became the first golfer to win the Nevada Amateur and Nevada Open in back to back years. In August, he played the Montana Open. He was in sixth place, eight behind entering the final round. He finished in a tie for third only behind champion Al Feldman and runner-up Labron Harris. He won $725 for his efforts. During this era, he was featured in Sports Illustrateds segment, Faces in the Crowd.
Later in the year he tried out for the PGA Tour again at 1966 PGA Tour Qualifying School. The tournament was again four days, eight rounds long. Bohen began the final day in 20th place, well with the prospective cut-off. In the middle of the 7th round, however, he played poorly, ultimately shooting a 42 for the back nine. Bohen "pulled himself together" in the last round, even making birdie on the final hole, but still missed graduating by one shot. "I was destroyed," he said later in the life. In an effort to make ends meet, Bohen began work as a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas. He continued to attempt to qualify for the PGA Tour through the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament but did not succeed. In 1969 he began working with legendary golf coach Toney Penna in hopes of turning around his performance. With the help of Penna, he qualified for and made the cut at the 1969 U.S. Open. The following year he again qualified for the U.S. Open. He did not have as much success, missing the cut by a wide margin. In November 1970, he played the Gardena Open in Gardena, California. The event included a number of current PGA Tour professionals, including Jerry Heard, Lee Elder, and Cesar Sanudo. Bohen ended the tournament with three consecutive rounds in the 60s for a tie for eighth. Later in the year, he quit his job as a blackjack dealer. Shortly thereafter, he moved to the east coast to work at Elmwood Country Club in White Plains, New York. He worked as an assistant professional.
In the early 1970s, Bohen decided to play in the Asia-Pacific region. "I wanted to keep playing," Bohen stated a few years later. "But I wasn't playing too well so I decided to try something different." During the 1971-72 year, Bohen had much success, recording a number of second place finishes. In November 1971, Bohen played the Cumberland Golf Classic in Sydney, Australia. After two rounds Bohen was at 133 (−9), three behind leader Walter Godfrey. However, Bohen provided a "tremendous challenge" to Godfrey with an eagle and two birdies out of the gate. By the 5th hole they were tied and by the 7th Bohen had a two-stroke lead. Bohen lost his solo lead, however, after a birdie-bogey exchange with Godfrey on the 8th hole. On the back nine Godfrey would slightly outplay his playing partner, holding a one-shot lead entering the last. The par-5 18th hole was played in "torrential rain." Bohen was unable to birdie and, against Godfrey's par, lost by one. Three weeks later, he had success at the Otago Charity Classic played in Dunedin, New Zealand. Bohen shot a second round 67 to tie Peter Thomson and Bob Charles for the lead at 137. Bohen shot a third round 71 (−1) and against Charles' 67 (−5) was now four behind. Bohen's putted poorly in the final round and did not put up a serious challenge against Charles. However, he "got the one putt that really mattered," an 11-foot birdie on the final hole to secure solo second by a shot over Godfrey and Peter Thomson. In March 1972, Bohen played the Malaysian Open. Bohen opened with rounds of 68 and 69 to put himself at 137 (−7), in joint third, two back of the lead held by Japan's Takashi Murakami and South Korea's Hahn Chang Sang. He shot a third round 68 (−3) and to move into a tie for the lead with Murakami and Sukree Onsham of Thailand at 206 (−10). Bohen played poorly in the final round, however, shooting a 71 (−1) to finish one shot back of champion Murakami. He finished in a tie for second with Onsham and Walter Godfrey. "I played badly today and was lucky to have hit a 71," he said after the round. "I suppose none of the leaders played really well today on account of the tension and the pressure." It was the final of three runner-up performances for the season.
As of 1972, he was an assistant professional at Leewood Country Club at Eastchester, New York. In June 1972 he played the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. He finished T-55. He intended to return to his job at Leewood. The head pro, George Lewis, encouraged him to continue playing tournament golf, however. Bohen took the offer and decided to work as a touring professional until the ran out of money. His status as a PGA of America club professional gave him opportunities to qualify for PGA Tour tournaments. In July, he qualified for the American Golf Classic with a 71 on Monday. In the first round of the event proper Bohen was even-par through the first 16 holes and then made birdies on the "difficult" 17th and 18th holes to shoot 68 (−2). His late run put him in a tie for fourth with, among others, Arnold Palmer, three back of Ron Cerrudo's lead. Bohen, however, faded over the final three rounds and finished in a tie for 43rd. In August he played the USI Golf Classic in Sutton, Massachusetts. He again opened well, this time with a 68 (−4) to put him one back of the lead, in joint third. He would shoot over-par the next three rounds, however, and finish at even-par, in a tie for 26th.
In 1973, Bohen played on the PGA Tour again. In June he opened with a 68 (−4) at the Kemper Open to put himself in a tie for sixth, three back of leader Tom Weiskopf. He faded over the final three rounds, however, and finished in a tie for 45th at 285 (−3). In August, he again played the USI Golf Classic. Like the previous year, he opened well, shooting a 70 (−2) to put himself in the top ten, in a tie for ninth. He repeated with a 70 in the second round to remain in the top ten. In the third round, he shot a 71 (−1) to finish in a tie for ninth place for the third straight day, four back of the lead. In the final round he was briefly in contention. However, he faltered down the stretch and finished with a four-over-par 76. His one-under-par aggregate gave him a tie for 24th. Overall, Bohen qualified for and played in 22 events, making the cut in 18 of them. At one point he made the cut in nine consecutive events. In addition to his Pleasant Valley performance, he recorded two other top 25s. This would be his best season on the PGA Tour.
In 1974, Bohen again played on the PGA Tour. In July, he played the Quad Cities Open. He opened with rounds 72 and 69 to make the cut. He finished at 279 and in a tie for 17th, eight behind champion Dave Stockton. He earned $1,400 for the performance. Overall, he made the cut in 9 of 15 events. His performance at Quad Cities, however, turned out of be his only top 25 of the year. It would be Bohen's third and final season on the PGA Tour. He only earned $3,134 for the season and did not earn enough money to maintain his card.
In 1974-75 he returned to the Asia-Pacific region during the winter. This was his fifth season overseas. Bohen played in roughly two dozen events. In March 1975, he played well at the Singapore Open. He held the joint lead with Jyoki Yokoi entering the final round. Japanese player Yutaka Suzuki, however, "burned up the course" early in the round and by the 12th hole Bohen was behind. Bohen ultimately finished at 286 (−2), two behind Suzuki, in a tie for fourth. Overall, Bohen estimated that he recorded "three or four" top five finishes for the season. He returned to the United States shortly thereafter but only played in two PGA Tour events.