European golf legend Peter Oosterhuis has died at the age of 75.
Oosterhuis passed away peacefully on Wednesday morning one day before his 76th birthday, having been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s after retiring from broadcasting in 2014.
He is survived by his wife, two sons, two stepsons and four grandchildren.
The Englishman enjoyed a successful career in the commentary booth for more than 15 years, working for various networks such as CBS, but only after putting together a fine career on the European Tour and then in the United States.
Having been an outstanding amateur who played in the Walker Cup and the Eisenhower Trophy, he turned professional and won the 1969 Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award on what is now called the DP World Tour.
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Oosterhuis led the Order of Merit four years in a row to 1974 winning tournaments all over the continent and in Africa. He fled to the PGA Tour in America and played there from 1975 to 1986.
Much of the mark that Oosterhuis left on European golf came from the Ryder Cup. He is still tied for the record in singles victories with six and had the unique privilege of playing in both the Great Britain & Ireland side and the European side.
He played in six consecutive Ryder Cups and among his highlights from the event was beating Arnold Palmer not once but twice in the singles. In a generation that was littered with icons and household names, Oosterhuis broke through on the PGA Tour at the 1981 Canadian Open.
Oosterhuis never won a major but he came second twice at The Open Championship. He later worked as a lead analyst for Golf Channel’s DP World Tour coverage and he became a regular on CBS’ coverage of the PGA Tour. He worked on the Masters from 1997 to 2014.
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