Peter Oosterhuis was a PGA golfer who won the 1981 Canadian Open and went on to greater fame as a golf analyst for CBS Sports.
- Died: May 2, 2024 (Who else died on May 2?)
- Details of death: Died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 75.
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Peter Oosterhuis’ legacy
Born in London, Oosterhuis got his start as a youth golfer in the U.K. He went on to represent Great Britain at six consecutive Ryder Cups, from 1971 to 1981. He won Ryder Cup singles tournaments six times, a tie for the most singles victories at that tournament. Oosterhuis played on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, with notable success on the former. For four consecutive years, from 1971 to 1974, he was honored with the Harry Vardon Trophy as the Tour’s Order of Merit winner. In his most notable PGA Tour victory, at the Canadian Open, Oosterhuis beat Jack Nicklaus for the victory.
Oosterhuis stopped competing in the mid-1980s, settling into life as a country club pro in both New Jersey at the Forsgate Country Club and California at the Riviera Country Club. But in 1994, a new opportunity arose when England’s Sky Sports asked him to cover the PGA Tour. Soon, he was traveling as an analyst for the Golf Channel, covering the European Tour. And in 1998, he joined CBS Sports, where he spent almost two decades as part of their golf broadcasting team.
Oosterhuis’ successful career as a popular announcer came to a premature end when, in 2014, he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. He retired the following year.
Notable quote
“The secret is to do for a living something that, given a choice, you’d do anyway. I never saw announcing as work. Hanging out at places like Augusta National and Pebble Beach, being with my friends, the preparation, is not exactly a crime against humanity.” — from a 2015 interview for Golf Digest
Tributes to Peter Oosterhuis
Full obituary: ESPN
