Peter Oosterhuis, a two-time winner of the European Tour money title who later brought his distinguished British voice to CBS golf telecasts as an analyst, died Thursday. He was 75.
The PGA Tour announced his death without listing a cause, though Oosterhuis retired from broadcasting in 2014 with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Oosterhuis won seven times on the European Tour, twice at the French Open. His lone PGA Tour victory was the Canadian Open in 1981 when he beat Jack Nicklaus, Andy North, and Bruce Lietzke by one shot.
Often overlooked was his stellar play in the Ryder Cup. Oosterhuis played on six consecutive teams and compiled a 14-11-3 record from 1971-81, remarkable considering it came in during an era of US dominance. Oosterhuis played on six losing teams and still had a winning record.
He went 6-2-1 in singles, twice beating Arnold Palmer and once Johnny Miller.
Oosterhuis twice won the Order of Merit after the European Tour was formed in 1972. He was twice a runner-up in the Open Championship, and he had the 54-hole lead in the 1973 Masters until closing with a 74 to tie for third behind Tommy Aaron.
That inspired him to spend more time on the PGA Tour — rare in those days for European players. His best year was 1981, when he finished 28th on the money list with $115,862.
The Englishman worked for Sky Sports, and then worked for Golf Channel covering the European tour before spending 15 years with CBS.