Biography of Golfer, Broadcaster Peter Oosterhuis
Full name: Peter A. Oosterhuis
Date and place of birth: May 3, 1948, in London, England
Significant Wins
- 1971 Piccadilly Medal
- 1971 Sunbeam Electric Tournament
- 1972 Penfold Bournemouth Tournament
- 1973 Maracaibo Open
- 1973 Piccadilly Medal
- 1973 French Open
- 1974 French Open
- 1974 Italian Open
- 1974 El Paraiso Open
- 1981 Canadian Open
Oosterhuis is credited with seven official wins on the European Tour, but had numerous other victories before the creation of the European Tour and outside of it. The 1981 Canadian Open is his only victory on the US PGA Tour.
In the Majors
Peter Oosterhuis never won a major championship, but he did record eight Top 10 finishes in majors. Five of those were in the Open Championship, and he was runner-up at the 1974 British Open and 1982 British Open. He also tied for third at the 1973 Masters.
Notable Notes: Peter Oosterhuis was on the Great Britain & Ireland 1967 Walker Cup team, and by 1970 was making his mark on the pro circuit in Europe. In fact, from 1971 through 1975, Oosterhuis was arguably the best British golfer - he led the European Tour Order of Merit all four years, and had the lowest scoring average all four years.
At that point, Oosterhuis had, according to Peter Alliss' The Who's Who of Golf, made 200 starts in European tournaments, won 20 of them and finished in the Top 10 in 116 of them (not all of them official tour events, however). He decided it was time to try the US PGA Tour.
Alas, Oosterhuis found that American circuit much tougher going, and won only once (1981 Canadian Open). His career as a tour player petered out in the early to mid-1980s. By 1987, Oosterhuis was working as a club pro: He was Director of Golf at Riviera Country Club from 1987 through 1993.
Oosterhuis was one of the tallest golfers of his era at 6-foot-5. ... In 1992, 16-year-old Tiger Woods made his first appearance in a PGA Tour event, the Los Angeles Open played at Riviera. As Director of Golf, Oosterhuis hosted Woods and played with him during a practice round prior to tournament week.
Oosterhuis played on every Ryder Cup team from 1971 through 1981, winning a GB&I/European team record-tying six singles matches. ... Oosterhuis' Ryder Cup record includes two wins over Arnold Palmer, plus wins over Johnny Miller and Gene Littler, among others.
In 1994, Oosterhuis' broadcasting career began working for Sky Sports. He then joined Golf Channel covering the European Tour. ... In 1998, Oosterhuis was hired by CBS Sports, and became a popular analyst on CBS golf broadcasts. ... He retired from broadcasting in late 2014 due to early onset Alzheimer's disease.
