Tom Weiskopf

Tom Weiskopf
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Daniel Weiskopf
Born	(1942-11-09) November 9, 1942 Massillon, Ohio
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Nationality	United States
Spouse	Laurie
Career
College	Ohio State University
Turned professional	1964
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Senior PGA Tour
Professional wins	28
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	16
European Tour	1
PGA Tour Champions	4
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T2: 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975
U.S. Open	T2: 1976
The Open Championship	Won: 1973
PGA Championship	3rd: 1975

Thomas Daniel Weiskopf (born November 9, 1942) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. His most successful decade was the 1970s, and he won 16 PGA Tour titles between 1968 and 1982. After winding down his tournament career, Weiskopf has become a noted golf course architect.

Weiskopf was born in Massillon, Ohio. He attended Benedictine High School in Cleveland, and Ohio State University, where he played on the golf team. He turned professional in 1964.

Weiskopf's first win on the PGA Tour came at the Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational in 1968, and fifteen more followed by 1982. His career season was 1973, when he won seven tournaments around the world, including The Open Championship at Royal Troon,^[1][2] and he would finish that year ranked second in the world according to Mark McCormack's world golf rankings. This was to remain his only major championship victory, but he was a four-time runner-up at The Masters and also had a T2 finish at the 1976 U.S. Open.^[3]

Weiskopf won the Canadian Open in 1973 and 1975; the latter win was achieved in dramatic fashion, with a one-hole playoff win over archrival Jack Nicklaus, when Weiskopf nearly holed his approach on the 15th hole at the Royal Montreal Golf Club's Blue Course. Weiskopf was a member of the United States team in the 1973 and 1975 Ryder Cups. He qualified as well for the 1977 team, but decided to skip the competition in order to go big-game hunting.^[1]

Weiskopf's swing was much admired in the golf world. He hit the ball high, generated enormous power and had very good control as well, a rare combination. Weiskopf's displays of temper on the golf course earned him the nickname of "The Towering Inferno".

Weiskopf joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1993 and won several senior tournaments, including one senior major, the 1995 U.S. Senior Open.^[1][4]

He has also worked as a golf analyst for CBS Sports,^[1] covering the 1981 and 1985 to 1995 Masters. Since 2008, he has contributed to ABC Sports and ESPN's coverage of The Open Championship.

Golf course design

Weiskopf got into golf course design working initially with Jay Morrish, but now has his own established practice.^[1] He has at least 40 courses to his credit in many parts of the world, including the Monument and Pinnacle courses at Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona;^[5] and Loch Lomond, venue of the Scottish Open from 1995 to 2010.^[1] A drivable par-4 hole is a common element in most of Weiskopf's designs. Many of the courses have received considerable praise by being ranked highly in lists of top courses around the world.^[5]

In January 2016, it was announced that Weiskopf would lead a renovation of the Torrey Pines North Course in San Diego, California.^[6]

The following is a (partial) list of courses that Weiskopf either designed alone or co-designed:

• Troon North Golf Club (Monument and Pinnacle courses), Scottsdale, Arizona
• Loch Lomond Golf Club, Luss, Argyll & Bute, Scotland
• Catamount Ranch & Club, Steamboat Springs, Colorado^[7]
• Double Eagle, Galena, Ohio
• Forest Highlands (Canyon and Meadow courses), Flagstaff, Arizona^[8]
• Lahontan Golf Club, Truckee, California^[9]
• The Olympic Club (Ocean and Cliffs courses), San Francisco, California
• The Ridge at Castle Pines North, Castle Rock, Colorado
• Shanty River Cedar River Course, Bellaire, Michigan
• Quail Hollow Course, Painesville, Ohio
• Snake River Sporting Club, Jackson, Wyoming

Amateur wins (1)

• 1963 Western Amateur

Professional wins (28)

PGA Tour wins (16)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Feb 11, 1968	Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational	−15 (66-68-71-68=273)	1 stroke	Al Geiberger
2	Jul 7, 1968	Buick Open Invitational	−8 (73-67-71-69=280)	1 stroke	Mike Hill
3	Jun 13, 1971	Kemper Open	−11 (66-72-70-69=277)	Playoff	Dale Douglass, Gary Player, Lee Trevino
4	Aug 22, 1971	IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic	−14 (67-71-66-70=274)	1 stroke	Dave Hill
5	Feb 27, 1972	Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic	−10 (69-72-69-68=278)	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus
6	May 13, 1973	Colonial National Invitation	−4 (69-68-70-69=276)	1 stroke	Bruce Crampton, Jerry Heard
7	Jun 3, 1973	Kemper Open	−17 (65-70-68-68=271)	3 strokes	Lanny Wadkins
8	Jun 10, 1973	IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic	−14 (67-71-65-71=274)	4 strokes	Jim Barber
9	Jul 14, 1973	The Open Championship	−12 (68-67-71-70=276)	3 strokes	Neil Coles, Johnny Miller
10	Jul 29, 1973	Canadian Open	−10 (67-73-68-70=278)	2 strokes	Forrest Fezler
11	Apr 6, 1975	Greater Greensboro Open	−9 (64-71-72-68=275)	3 strokes	Al Geiberger
12	Jul 27, 1975	Canadian Open	−6 (65-74-68-67=274)	Playoff	Jack Nicklaus
13	Jun 5, 1977	Kemper Open	−11 (67-71-69-70=277)	2 strokes	George Burns, Bill Rogers
14	Mar 12, 1978	Doral-Eastern Open	−16 (67-70-67-68=272)	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus
15	Sep 20, 1981	LaJet Classic	−10 (73-67-70-68=278)	2 strokes	Gil Morgan
16	Jul 4, 1982	Western Open	−12 (69-67-70-70=276)	1 stroke	Larry Nelson

Major championship is shown in bold.

PGA Tour playoff record (2–3)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1966	Greater Greensboro Open	Doug Sanders	Lost to par on second extra hole
2	1969	Greater Greensboro Open	Julius Boros, Gene Littler Orville Moody	Littler won with birdie on fifth extra hole Weiskopf eliminated with par on first hole
3	1971	Kemper Open	Dale Douglass, Gary Player, Lee Trevino	Won with birdie on first extra hole
4	1975	Canadian Open	Jack Nicklaus	Won with birdie on first extra hole
5	1979	Southern Open	Ed Fiori	Lost to birdie on second extra hole

European Tour wins (1)

• 1981 Benson & Hedges International Open

Other wins (7)

• 1965 Ohio Open
• 1972 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship (England, unofficial event)
• 1973 World Series of Golf (not yet a PGA Tour event), South African PGA Championship
• 1979 Argentine Open
• 1982 Jerry Ford Invitational
• 1993 Chrysler Cup

Senior PGA Tour wins (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 28, 1994	Franklin Quest Championship	−12 (68-67-69=204)	Playoff	Dave Stockton
2	Jul 2, 1995	U.S. Senior Open	−13 (69-69-69-68=275)	4 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
3	Mar 31, 1996	SBC Dominion Seniors	−9 (69-69-69=207)	2 strokes	Bob Dickson, Graham Marsh, Gary Player
4	Jun 9, 1996	Pittsburgh Senior Classic	−11 (68-67-70=205)	3 strokes	Brian Barnes, J. C. Snead

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1994	Franklin Quest Championship	Dave Stockton	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Senior major championship is shown in bold.

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runners-up
1973	The Open Championship	1 shot lead	−12 (68-67-71-70=276)	3 strokes	Neil Coles Johnny Miller

Results timeline

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 18 (1975 Masters – 1979 U.S. Open)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1973 U.S. Open – 1974 Masters)

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1995	U.S. Senior Open	−13 (69-69-69-68=275)	4 strokes	Jack Nicklaus

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

• Ryder Cup: 1973 (winners), 1975 (winners)
• World Cup: 1972

See also

• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins

References

External links

• Tom Weiskopf at the PGA Tour official site
• Tom Weiskopf at the European Tour official site
• Profile on sporting-heroes.net
• Profile on golfweb.com
• A 285-acre Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course

Tom Weiskopf in the Ryder Cup
United States Ryder Cup team – 1973 Tommy Aaron Homero Blancas Gay Brewer Billy Casper Dave Hill Lou Graham Jack Nicklaus Arnold Palmer Chi-Chi Rodríguez J. C. Snead Lee Trevino Tom Weiskopf Jack Burke Jr. (non-playing captain) Won: 19 – 13 United States Ryder Cup team – 1975 Billy Casper Raymond Floyd Al Geiberger Lou Graham Hale Irwin Gene Littler Johnny Miller Bob Murphy Jack Nicklaus J. C. Snead Lee Trevino Tom Weiskopf Arnold Palmer (non-playing captain) Won: 21 – 11