Peter Oosterhuis (1948

03/05/2024

Peter Oosterhuis, an Honorary Member described by his Ryder Cup team-mate and former PGA Captain Bernard Gallacher as an intelligent golfer who was dedicated to his craft, has died at the age of 75.

Oosterhuis played in six Ryder Cup matches and Gallacher was in the team on each occasion. However, their association and friendship had begun long before the pair made their Ryder Cup debuts at the Old Warson Country Club, Missouri, in 1971.

“I played alongside Peter at boys, youths and senior amateur level all the way through to being his partner in the 1971 Ryder Cup in Missouri,” Gallacher recalled.

“Playing together we defeated Lee Trevino and Billy Casper before he went on to win both his singles matches, including beating Arnold Palmer.

“Peter was an incredibly intelligent golfer, dedicated to his craft and to practice. He excelled in course management and putting which made him a very difficult opponent to get the better of.

“He was also a very intelligent man and a lovely person to be with in company. I never heard him talk badly of anyone in the decades I knew him and that, alongside his eloquence and deep knowledge of the game, was the reason he was also such a popular and excellent broadcaster.

“This is an incredibly sad day for everyone who was lucky enough to know Peter, but also for the game of golf as a whole.”

Peter was made an Honorary PGA Member in 1994 and commenting on his life and passing, the Association’s chief executive Robert Maxfield said: “This is very sad news, indeed.

“Peter was a shining light in the world of golf throughout a career that saw him become one of Europe’s most accomplished players and then a respected and popular broadcaster.

“Despite his involvement with the game on a global scale, Peter always took a keen interest in the PGA, and he will be greatly missed.”

The son of a Dutch father and English mother, Peter was educated at Dulwich College, south London, and learned the game at Dulwich and Sydenham Golf Club in London.

David Williams, former chairman of the European Tour Group and a fellow member at Dulwich and Sydenham reflected: “As I walk the fairways of our club, there is rarely a time when I don’t think of Peter playing on this course where he grew up and perfected his extraordinary game.

“A legacy will be the inspiration his life and career will give to a new generation of Dulwich golfers. A charming, polite, and lovely man who had time for everybody. The entire world of golf has lost a generational talent with his passing.”

Peter’s ‘extraordinary game’ saw him enjoy a successful amateur career that culminated with him representing Great Britain and Ireland in the 1967 Walker Cup.

Having turned pro and been elected to PGA membership the following year, Peter represented Dulwich and Sydenham until 1972, by which time he had become a dominant force in the European Tour’s formative years.

He had served notice of the tournament success to come by winning the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award in 1969 and went on to top the Tour’s Order of Merit in its first three seasons from 1972-74.

In total he won 20 times around the world, seven of which were recorded on the European Tour and one on the PGA Tour, the Canadian Open in 1982. He also won six out of his eight singles matches in the Ryder Cup although winning one of the four majors proved elusive.

Peter came third in the 1973 Masters and was runner up behind Gary Player in the following year’s Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes. He had finished four shots adrift of the South African on that occasion but came even closer to claiming the Claret Jug at Royal Troon in 1982 when he and Nick Price tied for second place a shot behind Tom Watson.

He retired from playing competitively four years later and became the club professional at Forsgate Country Club, New Jersey, and was appointed director of golf at Riviera Country Club in California, in 1992.

Peter returned to the United Kingdom the following year to accept an invitation from Sky TV to commentate on the PGA Championship at Inverness that proved the start of a second career. It led to a job with the newly formed Golf Channel in 1995 and working in tandem with Renton Laidlaw covering European Tour events.

Then a successful trial with CBS Sports covering the Masters installed in the 14th hole tower at Augusta in 1997 resulted in Peter being offered a full-time position and becoming one of the game’s most respected analysts.

Sadly, the diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2015, a year after he had been awarded Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour resulted in him retiring to a quiet, private life with his second wife Ruth Ann (Roothie) at their home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

He is survived by Ruth Ann, sons Rob and Rich, stepsons Byron and Matt and four grandchildren Peyton, Turner, Sutton and Lachlan. The PGA extends heartfelt condolences to them and Peter’s legion of friends on their loss.