In 1963, Coody made his pro debut. 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." 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 three-shot lead. 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. Coody played full-time on the PGA Tour until 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. == Personal life ==