Peter Oosterhuis, who won four consecutive titles of merit on the European Tour from 1971-74, and won 20 tournaments during his 25-year professional career, has died at the age of 75 following a nearly year-long battle 10 and Alzheimer's.
Oosterhuis became a major force in European golf during the formative years of the European Tour, winning the Order of Merit in the first three seasons of the Tour from 1972 to 1974, and was awarded European No.1 in 1971 . in 1970 and 1971.
In total he won 20 times around the world, finishing second in the 1974 and 1982 Open Championships and winning six of his eight Ryder Cup singles matches during a brilliant run before becoming a highly successful broadcaster.
Born in London on May 3, 1948, Oosterhuis took up golf at Dulwich and Sydenham Golf Club in London. He has enjoyed an impressive amateur career, representing England and Great Britain and Ireland on numerous occasions. He made his senior debut in the Home Internationals in 1966 and represented GB&I in the 1967 Walker Cup.
FROM ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TO EUROPEAN LEGEND
He turned professional in 1968 and won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award the following year. He made his PGA TOUR debut in 1971 and made his first Masters Tournament appearance that year.
A first European circuit title followed soon after, winning the Agfa-Gevaert Championship, as well as the Sunbeam Electric Tournament and the Piccadilly Medal as he beat former European Tour Chairman Neil Coles to win the Order of Merit title by only seven points.
Oosterhuis made the first of six Ryder Cup appearances in 1971, returning three points in six starts, including one 3 & 2 victory over Arnold Palmer.
In 1972, the first year of the European Tour, Oosterhuis recorded one victory, defeating Christy O'Connor Jnr in a qualifier for the Penfold-Bournemouth Tournament, and three runners-up finished as they won the Harry Vardon Trophy for the second consecutive season. .
The following season he won three times, claiming the Piccadilly Medal and the French Open before winning the Viyella PGA Championship – now known as the BMW PGA Championship – at Wentworth Club. He also finished third in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National.
In 1974 he finished second to Gary Player in the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes and, like the previous season, won three times on the European Tour, defending his French Open title and ending the season with back-to-back wins. weeks at the Italian Open and the El Parasio Open in Spain.
That took his European Tour wins to seven and ensured he finished at the top of the European money list and with his record four consecutive Order of Merit victories only trailing Colin Montgomerie's seven in a row from 1993-97.
RYDER CUP SINGLES RECORD
He made his final Ryder Cup appearance in 1981, and although he never appeared on a winning team during America's reign, he finished with a record 15.5 points per game in his 28 games.
That same year he claimed his only PGA TOUR victory, as he won the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, and in 1982 he finished second in the Open Championship, in this event to Tom Watson at Royal Troon.
After calling time on his playing career after the 1986 season, he became the club professional at Forsgate Country Club in New Jersey. Six years later he became the Director of Golf at Riviera Country Club in California, which has hosted the PGA TOUR's Genesis Invitational almost every year since 1973.
ANNOTATION WORK
In 1993, Oosterhuis returned to England and was offered the opportunity by Sky TV to commentate on the PGA Championship in Inverness. This was the beginning of the Englishman's second career as he became a popular broadcaster in the United States, where he and Renton Laidlaw livened up the European Tour through the newly established Golf Channel. He joined CBS Sports full time in 1998 and became one of the most respected commentators in the game.
After moving with his second wife Ruth Ann to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was a member of the Quail Hollow Club, he retired from broadcasting following CBS' coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship and later revealed that he was battling early onset Alzheimer's. He is survived by his wife, sons Rob and Rich, stepsons Byron and Matt and four grandchildren Peyton, Turner, Sutton and Lachlan.
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