Age: 81
Tom Weiskopf
Age: 81
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, 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.
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.
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.
He has also worked as a golf analyst for CBS Sports, 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. 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; and Loch Lomond, venue of the Scottish Open from 1995 to 2010. 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.
In January 2016, it was announced that Weiskopf would lead a renovation of the Torrey Pines North Course in San Diego, California.
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
- Double Eagle, Galena, Ohio
- Forest Highlands (Canyon and Meadow courses), Flagstaff, Arizona
- Lahontan Golf Club, Truckee, California
- 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
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
Tournament | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | T16 | T2 |
U.S. Open | T40 | DNP | 15 | T24 | T22 |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | T72 | DNP | CUT | T44 |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T23 | T6 | T2 | T34 | T2 | T2 | T9 | T14 | T11 | T41 |
U.S. Open | T30 | CUT | 8 | 3 | T15 | T29 | T2 | 3 | T4 | T4 |
The Open Championship | T22 | T40 | T7 | 1 | T7 | 15 | T17 | T22 | T17 | CUT |
PGA Championship | CUT | T22 | T62 | T6 | WD | 3 | T8 | T58 | T4 | CUT |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | DNP | T10 | T20 | T35 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
U.S. Open | 37 | DNP | T39 | T24 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | T16 | DNP | CUT | T45 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
PGA Championship | T10 | T27 | CUT | T30 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | CUT | T101 | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
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
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 18 | 16 |
The Open Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 12 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 12 |
Totals | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 38 | 71 | 55 |
- 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