Peter Arthur Oosterhuis (born 3 May 1948) is an English
professional golfer and golf broadcaster. Oosterhuis played on the European circuit from 1969 to 1974, winning 10 tournaments and taking the
Harry Vardon Trophy
The Harry Vardon Trophy is awarded by the European Tour. Since 2009 it has been awarded to the winner of the Race to Dubai. Before then it was awarded to the winner of the "Order of Merit". From 1975 to 2008 the Order of Merit was based on prize mo ...
for heading the Order of Merit for four consecutive seasons from 1971 to 1974. From 1975 he played on the
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...
, winning the
Canadian Open in 1981. He was twice runner-up in the
Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
, 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
Dulwich College is a 2–19 Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school for Single-sex education, boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a Public school (United Kingdom), public school, it began as the Col ...
. He won the 1966
Berkshire Trophy
The Berkshire Trophy is the amateur stroke play golf championship played at The Berkshire Golf Club in England. It has been played annually since 1946. The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over two days. Both the Blue and Red courses are us ...
by a stroke from
Michael Bonallack
Sir Michael Francis Bonallack, OBE (born 31 December 1934) is an English amateur golfer who was one of the leading administrators in world golf in the late 20th century.
Bonallack was born in Chigwell, Essex. He learned the game of golf under ...
, after a final round 67 which included nine 3s in 11 holes, with seven 3s in succession. Later in 1966 he won the
British Youths Open Amateur Championship
The British Youths Open Championship was a youths golf tournament that was played from 1954 to 1994. It was 72-hole stroke-play event for golfers under 22. From 1954 to 1962, it was organised by a committee led by Sam Bunton, a Glasgow architect, ...
by four strokes. He represented Great Britain in the
1967 Walker Cup
The 1967 Walker Cup, the 21st Walker Cup Match, was played on 19 and 20 May 1967, at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, Kent, England. The event was won by the United States 13 to 7 with 4 matches halved.
The United States took an 8 to 1 lea ...
. Playing with
Ronnie Shade
Ronald David Bell Mitchell Shade, MBE (18 October 1938 – 10 September 1986) was a Scottish professional golfer.
Life and career
Shade was born in Edinburgh and grew up playing golf at Duddingston Golf Club in that city. He enjoyed unrivalled ...
in the foursomes they halved one match and won the other. However, Oosterhuis lost both his singles matches. He also played in the
1968 Eisenhower Trophy where Great Britain and Ireland won the silver medal. Great Britain and Ireland led the United States by 7 strokes after three rounds, but the Americans scored 73, 73 and 75 in the final round to Great Britain and Ireland's 76, 76, and 77 to win by a stroke. Oosterhuis turned professional in November 1968.
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 Harry Vardon Trophy is awarded by the European Tour. Since 2009 it has been awarded to the winner of the Race to Dubai. Before then it was awarded to the winner of the "Order of Merit". From 1975 to 2008 the Order of Merit was based on prize mo ...
(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
The Sunningdale Foursomes is an open foursomes golf tournament contested at the Sunningdale Golf Club, Berkshire in March. It was first contested in 1934 and has been held annually since, except between 1940 and 1947. The event is open to all gol ...
, 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
The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...
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
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
, and third in the
Dunlop Masters. Oosterhuis had won the General Motors Open in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
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 in that event with
Neil Coles
Neil Chapman Coles, MBE (born 26 September 1934) is an English professional golfer. Coles had a successful career in European golf, winning 29 important tournaments between 1956 and 1982. After reaching 50, he won a further 14 important Seniors ...
and
Lee Trevino, winning £2,487.
Oosterhuis won his first important British event, the
Agfa-Gevaert Tournament, in May 1971 and followed this up by winning the
Sunbeam Electric Tournament and the
Piccadilly Medal
The Piccadilly Medal was a men's professional golf tournament on the British PGA tournament circuit that was played in 1962 and from 1964 to 1976. Since the circuit later evolved into the European Tour, the tournament is recognised as an officia ...
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
Neil Chapman Coles, MBE (born 26 September 1934) is an English professional golfer. Coles had a successful career in European golf, winning 29 important tournaments between 1956 and 1982. After reaching 50, he won a further 14 important Seniors ...
who finished just 7 points behind. 1972 was the
first year
A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions.
Ar ...
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
Harold Guy Hunt (June 17, 1933 – January 30, 2009) was an American politician, pastor, and convicted felon who served as the 49th governor of Alabama from 1987 to 1993. He was the first Republican to serve as governor of the state since Re ...
on 1710, although his performances in the big money events put him well ahead as the leading money winner with £18,525.
Oosterhuis won three European tour events in 1973: the
Piccadilly Medal
The Piccadilly Medal was a men's professional golf tournament on the British PGA tournament circuit that was played in 1962 and from 1964 to 1976. Since the circuit later evolved into the European Tour, the tournament is recognised as an officia ...
,
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
Maurice Bembridge (born 21 February 1945) is an English golfer. He won the 1969 News of the World Match Play, the 1971 Dunlop Masters and won six times on the European Tour from its formation in 1972. He also won tournaments around the world, ...
. He won £17,455 in official tour events, second behind
Tony Jacklin
Anthony Jacklin CBE (born 7 July 1944) is a retired English golfer. He was the most successful British player of his generation, winning two major championships, the 1969 Open Championship and the 1970 U.S. Open. He was also Ryder Cup captai ...
. 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
The El Paraiso Open was a golf tournament on the European Tour in 1974. It was held at El Paraiso Golf Club in Marbella, Spain. It was won by England's Peter Oosterhuis, who defeated Manuel Ballesteros scoring a birdie 4 at the first hole of a sudd ...
. In addition he was runner-up in five other events, including the
Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
, 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
Dale Hayes (born 1 July 1952) is a South African professional golfer.
Career outline
Hayes won the 15–17 Boys category at the Junior World Golf Championships in 1969. He turned professional the following year and quickly became a successful p ...
.
Although he played on the
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...
from 1975, Oosterhuis made regular visits to play in the
Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
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
The 1982 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 111th Open Championship, held from 15–18 July at Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland. Tom Watson won his fourth Open Championship, one stroke ahead of runners-up Pet ...
.
South African Tour
After turning professional Oosterhuis played in his first professional tournament in South Africa in January 1969.
[ 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
The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...
at the 1971 Greater Greensboro Open
The Wyndham Championship is a professional golf tournament in North Carolina on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in Greensboro and was originally the Greater Greensboro Open.
History
Founded in 1938 as the Greater Greensboro Open, it was usu ...
, the week before competing in his first Masters. In 1973 Oosterhuis led the Masters Tournament after three rounds before finishing third. In the 1974 Monsanto Open
The Pensacola Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour. The inaugural version of the tournament was played in 1956 and its last edition in 1988.
Tournament highlights
* 1960: Arnold Palmer birdies the 72nd hole to win by one shot over Doug San ...
, Oosterhuis lost in a playoff to Lee Elder
Robert Lee Elder (July 14, 1934 – November 28, 2021) was an American professional golfer. In 1975, he became the first African-American to play in the Masters Tournament, where he missed the cut. Elder was invited to the tournament after he w ...
. This was a historic event as it assured that Elder, an African-American, would be the first black man to play at the Masters. Oosterhuis was not a member of the PGA Tour at this point; he played all of these events on sponsor exemptions.
In 1974 Oosterhuis entered the qualification process to become a full-time member of the PGA Tour. In November, he finished fourth in the 144-hole PGA Tour Qualifying school
In professional golf, the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S.-based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the ...
, earning his card for the 1975 season. There were high hopes for Oosterhuis' success on the PGA Tour. He was ranked No. 7 in the world less than a year before joining the PGA Tour and had just won the European Tour Order of Merit for the fourth consecutive time weeks before entering Q-school. He made his debut as a tour player in the opening event of the season, the Phoenix Open
The Phoenix Open (branded as the WM Phoenix Open for sponsorship reasons) is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held in late January/early February at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The tournament was originally the Arizona ...
. He recorded a second-place finish at First NBC New Orleans Open
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional golf tournament in Louisiana on the PGA Tour, currently held at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, a suburb southwest of New Orleans. Beginning in 1938 and held annually since 1958, it is commonly pla ...
to Billy Casper
William Earl Casper Jr. (June 24, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American professional golfer. He was one of the most prolific tournament winners on the PGA Tour from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s.
In his youth, Casper started as a caddie a ...
. He was also in contention for the U.S. Open on the last day. He was four shots back in a 4-way tie for 4th place as he entered the final round. The leaders struggled, however, and Oosterhuis' even-par golf through the first 8 holes was nearly enough to catch them. However, he made four consecutive bogeys in the middle of the round to abruptly eliminate his chances. He would still finish only two back, in a tie for seventh. Oosterhuis also recorded one other top-10 in 1975. His overall record for the year was 28 starts with 24 made cuts along with 3 top-10s and 10 top-25s. Although he did not quite meet the level of success he achieved in the early 1970s, it was nonetheless a promising start on the more challenging American tour.
Oosterhuis did not progress on this performance, however. Through the late 1970s he would easily keep his Tour card, but was not a regular contender to win events on the PGA Tour. His year-end statistics through the late 1970s are remarkably similar to his 1975 results. In 1976, he made the cut in 25 of 29 events with 3 top-10s and 11 top-25s. In 1977, he made 18 of 25 cuts with 3 top-10s and 9 top-25s, including a runner-up finish at the Canadian Open, his third and final runner-up finish on tour. In 1978, he recorded 20 made cuts in 24 events with, for the fourth straight year, 3 top-10s as well as 6 top-25s.[
Oosterhuis' career in America reached its nadir in the summer of 1981. He hadn't recorded a top-10 in over a year.][ He barely kept his card the previous year, finishing #107 on the money list. He had gotten some advice, however, from former pro and instructor ]Bert Yancey
Albert Winsborough Yancey (August 6, 1938 – August 26, 1994) was an American professional golfer who won seven times on the PGA Tour and later played on the Senior PGA Tour.
Biography
Born in Chipley, Florida, Yancey lived much of his adult ...
which "helped immensely." This work eventually paid off as he won the Canadian Open in August 1981. It would be his only PGA Tour win. He defeated Andy North
Andrew Stewart North (born March 9, 1950) is an American professional golfer who had three wins on the PGA Tour, including the U.S. Open twice. Since 1992, he has served as a golf analyst for ESPN.
Early years
North was born in Thorp, Wisconsin ...
, Bruce Lietzke
Bruce Alan Lietzke (July 18, 1951 – July 28, 2018) was an American professional golfer who won 13 tournaments on the PGA Tour between 1977 and 1994, including two victories in the Canadian Open. His best finish in a major championship was ...
, and Jack Nicklaus by a shot. Nicklaus had a 20-foot eagle putt on the last hole to tie but missed.[ He would build on this success, recording 4 top-10s and 13 top-25s in 1982, both his best ever for the PGA Tour.][ He would also finish runner-up at the ]1982 Open Championship
The 1982 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 111th Open Championship, held from 15–18 July at Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland. Tom Watson won his fourth Open Championship, one stroke ahead of runners-up Pet ...
.
The remainder of Oosterhuis' career was not quite as successful. He would record a handful of top-10s before quitting life as a touring professional after the 1986 season.[
]
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
Gene Alec Littler (July 21, 1930 – February 15, 2019) was an American professional golfer and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Known for a solid temperament and nicknamed "Gene the Machine" for his smooth, rhythmical swing, he once said ...
and Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...
, in 1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
he halved with Lee Trevino and beat Palmer again, in 1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
he beat Johnny Miller
John Laurence Miller (born April 29, 1947) is an American former professional golfer. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 U.S. Open, and he ran ...
and J. C. Snead
Jesse Carlyle "J. C." Snead (born October 14, 1940) is an American professional golfer who won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour. Snead is the nephew of hall of famer Sam Snead.
Snead, who prefers that people called him by his ...
while in 1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...
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
Peter Alliss (28 February 1931 – 5 December 2020) was an English professional golfer, television presenter, commentator, author and golf course designer. Following the death of Henry Longhurst in 1978, he was regarded by many as the "Voice of ...
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
The Riviera Country Club is a private club with a championship golf course and tennis courts in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of the Westside of Los Angeles, California.
The Riviera was designed by golf course architects George C. Thomas Jr ...
in Pacific Palisades, California.
Broadcasting career
In 1994, Oosterhuis was hired to cover the PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...
by Britain's Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
and covered the Open Championship for the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in 1996 and 1997. From 1995 to 1997, he was the lead analyst for the
announcer 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
(1997–2007). In 2010, Oosterhuis began to work part-time for CBS, again calling about 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 par 4 17th hole for 18 straight years from 1997 through 2014.
, in the United States with his second wife, Ruth Ann. He is a member of the Quail Hollow Golf Club there. His son Rob is also a professional golfer.
In May 2015, Oosterhuis announced that he is battling early-onset
.
*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)
(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1967 (winners), 1968 (winners)
Professional
*