Peter Oosterhuis
Peter Oosterhuis | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Full name | Peter Arthur Oosterhuis |
Born |
Lambeth, London, England | 3 May 1948
Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Weight | 230 lb (100 kg; 16 st) |
Nationality |
|
Residence | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
Spouse | Valerie, Ruth Ann |
Children | Rob, Rich |
Career | |
Turned professional | 1968 |
Former tour(s) |
European Tour PGA Tour |
Professional wins | 27 |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 1 |
European Tour | 7 |
Sunshine Tour | 6 |
Other | 13 |
Best results in major championships | |
Masters Tournament | T3: 1973 |
U.S. Open | T7: 1975 |
The Open Championship | 2nd/T2: 1974, 1982 |
PGA Championship | T22: 1982 |
Achievements and awards | |
European Tour Order of Merit winner | 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 |
Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year | 1969 |
Peter Arthur Oosterhuis (born 3 May 1948) is an English professional golfer and golf analyst. Oosterhuis played on the European circuit from 1969 to 1974, winning 10 tournaments and taking the Harry Vardon Trophy for heading the Order of Merit for four consecutive seasons from 1971 to 1974. From 1975 he played on the PGA Tour, winning the Canadian Open in 1981. He was twice runner-up in the Open Championship, in 1974 and 1982. Later he became a golf analyst on TV, initially in Europe and then in the United States. In 2015, Oosterhuis announced that he had Alzheimer's disease.
Early years, amateur golf
Oosterhuis was born in London and educated at Dulwich College. He won the 1966 Berkshire Trophy by a stroke from Michael Bonallack, after a final round 67 which included nine 3s in 11 holes, with seven 3s in succession.[1] He represented Great Britain in the 1967 Walker Cup and in the 1968 Eisenhower Trophy. He turned professional in November 1968.[2]
European Tour
Oosterhuis played on the European circuit in the early years of his professional career, from 1969 to 1974, winning the Harry Vardon Trophy (the Order of Merit title) four consecutive times from 1971 to 1974.
In 1969, his rookie season, he started the season by winning the Sunningdale Foursomes, playing with the amateur Peter Benka, and finished runner-up in the Gor-Ray Under-24 Championship. He was awarded the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. In 1970 Oosterhuis won two age-restricted events, Lord Derby’s Under-23 Professional Tournament and the Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship. Later in the season he finished tied for sixth in the Open Championship and third in the Dunlop Masters.[3] Oosterhuis had won the General Motors Open in South Africa in February, an event which served as the South African qualifier for the Alcan Golfer of the Year Championship. He finished tied for third place with Neil Coles and Lee Trevino, winning £2,487.[4]
Oosterhuis won his first major British event, the Agfa-Gevaert Tournament, in May 1971 and followed this up by winning the Sunbeam Electric Tournament and the Piccadilly Medal later in the season.These, together a number of other high finishes, including being runner-up in the Carroll's International and the Dunlop Masters, gave Oosterhuis the Order of Merit title with 1292.5 points, beating Neil Coles who finished just 7 points behind.[5] 1972 was the first year of the European tour. Oosterhuis won the Penfold-Bournemouth Tournament and the Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship, a non-tour event. He was runner-up in the Dutch Open, the Viyella PGA Championship and the John Player Classic. He won the Order of Merit title with 1751 points, ahead of Guy Hunt on 1710, although his performances in the big money events put him well ahead as the leading money winner with £18,525.[6]
Oosterhuis won three European tour events in 1973, the Piccadilly Medal, French Open and Viyella PGA Championship. He was also runner-up in the Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open and Dutch Open. He won the Order of Merit again, with 3440 points, 460 points ahead of Maurice Bembridge.[7] He won £17,455 in official tour events, second behind Tony Jacklin. Oosterhuis won three more European tour events in 1974, the French Open and the last two tournaments of the season, the Italian Open and El Paraiso Open. In addition he was runner-up in five other events, including the Open Championship, and was third in three more, finishing outside the top three only twice during the European Tour season. He won the order of merit for the fourth time, nearly 600 points ahead of second-place Dale Hayes.[8]
Although he played on the PGA Tour from 1975, Oosterhuis made regular visits to play in the Open Championship and occasionally other European Tour events. He was runner-up in the 1977 Penfold PGA Championship, the 1981 Bob Hope British Classic and the 1982 Open Championship.
South African Tour
After turning professional Oosterhuis played in his first professional tournament in South Africa in January 1969.[2] He played regularly in South Africa from the 1968/69 season until the 1973/74 season.
PGA Tour
Oosterhuis made his debut on the PGA Tour at the 1971 Greater Greensboro Open, the week before competing in his first Masters.[9] In 1973 Oosterhuis led The Masters after three rounds before finishing third. In the 1974 Monsanto Open, Oosterhuis lost in a playoff to Lee Elder.[10]
In November 1974 Oosterhuis finished fourth in the 144-hole PGA Tour Qualifying school, earning his card for the 1975 season.[11] He made his debut as a tour player in the opening event of the season, the Phoenix Open.[12] Oosterhuis played full-time on the PGA Tour from 1975 until 1986, winning the Canadian Open in 1981. Oosterhuis was twice a runner-up, in the 1975 First NBC New Orleans Open and the 1977 Canadian Open.
Ryder Cup
Oosterhuis played on six consecutive Ryder Cup teams for Great Britain and Ireland and later Europe from 1971 to 1981. Representing Great Britain and Ireland from 1971 to 1977 he had an impressive record, especially in singles matches. In 1971 he beat Gene Littler and Arnold Palmer, in 1973 he halved with Lee Trevino and beat Palmer again, in 1975 he beat Johnny Miller and J. C. Snead while in 1977 he beat Jerry McGee. At that time he had a singles record of 6 wins, a half and no losses. Although he lost his singles matches, playing for Europe, in his final two Ryder Cup matches, he finished with a 6–2–1 record in singles and with 6½ points is only ½ point behind the overall Ryder Cup singles record of 7 points held by 5 players including Arnold Palmer. Palmer had only three losses in 11 singles matches, two of them by Oosterhuis, the other being by Peter Alliss in 1963. In all matches Oosterhuis had a winning 14–11–3 record in the Ryder Cup, despite being on the losing side on all six occasions.
Club professional
From 1987 to 1993, he was Director of Golf at Forsgate Country Club in Jamesburg, New Jersey, and at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.
Broadcasting career
In 1994, Oosterhuis was hired to cover the PGA Tour by Britain's Sky Sports and covered the Open Championship for the BBC in 1996 and 1997. From 1995 to 1997, he was the lead analyst for the Golf Channel's coverage of the European Tour.
In 1997, Oosterhuis joined of the CBS Sports announce team part time, working five events including the Masters and the PGA Championship. In 1998, he joined the CBS golf team full-time. Oosterhuis has also worked on early-round coverage when CBS was covering the weekend, fulfilling this role for ESPN (2003–2006), Golf Channel (1998–2002, 2007–2014), and USA Network (1997–2007). In 2010, Oosterhuis began to work for CBS part-time, again calling around five events per year including the Masters and PGA Championship. Oosterhuis retired from broadcasting following the 2014 PGA Championship due to health concerns stemming from early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Oosterhuis called the action at Augusta National's 17th hole for 18 consecutive years from 1997 through 2014.
Personal
Oosterhuis lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the United States with his second wife, Ruth Ann. He is a member of the Quail Hollow Golf Club in that city. His son Rob is also a professional golfer.
In May 2015, Oosterhuis announced that he was battling early-onset Alzheimer's disease.[13]
Amateur wins
- 1966 Berkshire Trophy
Professional wins (26)
European Circuit wins (3)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 22 May 1971 | Agfa-Gevaert Tournament | 68-67-69-72=276 | 2 strokes | |
2 | 29 Jun 1971 | Sunbeam Electric Tournament | 67-65=132 | 4 strokes | |
3 | 14 Aug 1971 | Piccadilly Medal | Walk-over in the final |
European Tour wins (7)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 13 May 1972 | Penfold-Bournemouth Tournament | +1 (72-70-72-71=285) | Playoff | |
2 | 28 Apr 1973 | Piccadilly Medal | −6 (67) in the final | 6 strokes | |
3 | 3 Jun 1973 | French Open | −4 (75-69-68-68=280) | 1 stroke | |
4 | 25 Aug 1973 | Viyella PGA Championship | −4 (69-69-70-72=280) | 3 strokes | |
5 | 5 May 1974 | French Open | +4 (71-72-68-73=284) | 2 strokes | |
6 | 20 Oct 1974 | Italian Open | −2 (37-72-70-70=249) | 2 strokes | |
7 | 26 Oct 1974 | El Paraiso Open | −4 (69-69-74=212) | Playoff |
European Tour playoff record (2–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1972 | Penfold-Bournemouth Tournament | Won with birdie on first extra hole | |
2 | 1974 | German Open | Lost to birdie on first extra hole | |
3 | 1974 | El Paraiso Open | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
PGA Tour wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 Aug 1981 | Canadian Open | −4 (69-69-72-70=280) | 1 stroke |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1974 | Monsanto Open | Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole |
South African Tour wins (6)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 Feb 1970 | General Motors Open | 70-65-75-75=285 | 2 strokes | [14] | |
2 | 20 Feb 1971 | Transvaal Open | 70-70-67-72=279 | 6 strokes | [15] | |
3 | 6 Mar 1971 | Schoeman Park Open | 67-67-65-68=267 | 3 strokes | [16] | |
4 | 19 Dec 1971 | Rhodesian Dunlop Masters | 68-67-69-68=272 | 3 strokes | [17] | |
5 | 5 Mar 1972 | Glen Anil Classic | 68-66-67-72=273 | Playoff | [18] | |
6 | 27 Jan 1973 | Rothmans International Matchplay | 6 & 5 | [19] |
Other wins (10)
This list may be incomplete.
- 1969 Sunningdale Foursomes (with Peter Benka)
- 1970 Lord Derby’s Under-23 Professional Tournament, Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship
- 1971 Southern Professional Championship
- 1972 Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship
- 1973 Ford Maracaibo Open (Venezuela)[20]
- 1974 Raleigh Cup (Guadalajara, Mexico)[21]
- 1983 Spalding Invitational
- 1985 Spalding Invitational
- 1989 New Jersey PGA Championship
Results in major championships
Tournament | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | ||
U.S. Open | ||
The Open Championship | CUT | CUT |
PGA Championship |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | T38 | T3 | T31 | CUT | T23 | T46 | T14 | T34 | |
U.S. Open | T7 | T55 | T10 | T27 | ||||||
The Open Championship | T6 | T18 | T28 | T18 | 2 | T7 | T42 | 6 | T41 | |
PGA Championship | T40 | T38 | T26 |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T24 | T20 | CUT | ||||
U.S. Open | T30 | T50 | T25 | 56 | 69 | ||
The Open Championship | T23 | CUT | T2 | CUT | |||
PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T22 | T47 | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1981 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 9 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 9 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 11 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 |
Totals | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 44 | 34 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 16 (1975 U.S. Open – 1980 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1975 U.S. Open – 1975 Open Championship)
Team appearances
Amateur
- Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1967
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1968
- St Andrews Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1968 (winners)
Professional
- Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland/Europe): 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981
- World Cup (representing England): 1971
- Double Diamond International (representing England): 1973, 1974 (winners, captain)
- Sotogrande Match: (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1974 (winners)
References
- ↑ "Berkshire Trophy for Oosterhuis". The Glasgow Herald. 30 May 1966. p. 4.
- 1 2 "Oosterhuis will play on South African professional circuit". The Glasgow Herald. 26 November 1968. p. 6.
- ↑ Jacobs, Raymond (14 September 1970). "Huggett "scrambles" to record 65 and Masters title". Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
- ↑ "Devlin ways away unchallenged with £23,060 first prize". The Glasgow Herald. 21 September 1970. p. 5.
- ↑ "Player tops British earnings list". The Glasgow Herald. 6 November 1971. p. 4.
- ↑ "A man of supreme merit". The Times. 11 November 1972. p. 6.
- ↑ "Oosterhuis tops order". The Glasgow Herald. 13 October 1973. p. 2.
- ↑ "Oosterhuis at the start of the trial that leads to dollar wealth". The Times. 23 November 1974. p. 18.
- ↑ "Problem for Oosterhuis". The Times. 11 April 1971. p. 9.
- ↑ Elder finally wins tourney
- ↑ "Oosterhuis is set for U.S. circuit". The Glasgow Herald. 25 November 1974. p. 5.
- ↑ "Miller - now a 61". The Glasgow Herald. 11 January 1975. p. 8.
- ↑ Menta, Nick (29 June 2015). "Oosterhuis announces he has Alzheimer's disease". Golf Channel.
- ↑ "Oosterhuis holds off challengers". The Glasgow Herald. 16 February 1970. p. 4.
- ↑ "Johannesburg, Feb 21". The Times. 22 February 1971. p. 7.
- ↑ "Oosterhuis wins Schoeman Open". The Glasgow Herald. 8 March 1971. p. 5.
- ↑ "Oosterhuis wins by three strokes". The Glasgow Herald. 20 December 1971. p. 5.
- ↑ "Oosterhuis wins play-off". The Glasgow Herald. 6 March 1972. p. 4.
- ↑ "Oosterhuis for America after beating Player". The Times. 29 January 1973. p. 11.
- ↑ "Oosterhuis wins". The Glasgow Herald. 5 February 1973. p. 4.
- ↑ "Raleigh win for Oosterhuis". The Glasgow Herald. 22 January 1974. p. 4.
External links
- Peter Oosterhuis at the European Tour official site
- Peter Oosterhuis at the PGA Tour official site