# Tom Weiskopf

Thomas Daniel Weiskopf (November 9, 1942 – August 20, 2022) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. His most successful decade was the 1970s. He won 16 PGA Tour titles between 1968 and 1982, including the 1973 Open Championship. He was the runner-up at The Masters four times. After winding down his career playing golf, Weiskopf became a noted golf course architect.

## Early life

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

## Professional career

In 1964, Weiskopf turned professional. Weiskopf's first win on the PGA Tour came at the 1968 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational and fifteen more followed by 1982. His best 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 runner-up at The Masters in 1969, 1972, 1974, and 1975, and 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 and fellow Ohio State University alum 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 also qualified 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 which is a rare combination. Weiskopf's height and displays of his temper on the golf course earned him the nickname of "The Towering Inferno".

### Later career

He also worked as a broadcaster for CBS Sports covering the Masters Tournament, first in 1981 and again from 1985–95. He returned to broadcasting with ESPN and ABC for coverage of The Open Championship from 2008–13.
Weiskopf joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1993 and won several senior tournaments, including one senior major: the 1995 U.S. Senior Open.
Weiskopf got into golf course design working initially with Jay Morrish but later established his own 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, the 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.

## Personal life

In 2020, Weiskopf was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died at his home in Big Sky, Montana on August 20, 2022, aged 79. His death was first announced by fellow golfer Tom Watson, who extended his condolences to the Weiskopf family in a tweet.

## Awards and honors

He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2023 and was inducted on June 10, 2024.

## Amateur wins

* 1963 Western Amateur

## Professional wins (28)
### PGA Tour wins (16)

* Legend
* Major championships (1)
* Other PGA Tour (15)
| 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 (2) | −17 (65-70-68-68=271) | 3 strokes | Lanny Wadkins |
| 8 | Jun 10, 1973 | IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic (2) | −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 (2) | −6 (65-74-68-67=274) | Playoff | Jack Nicklaus |
| 13 | Jun 5, 1977 | Kemper Open (3) | −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 |
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 by 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 (2)

* Legend
* Major championships (1)
* Other European Tour (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
| 1 | Jul 14, 1973 | The Open Championship | −12 (68-67-71-70=276) | 3 strokes | Neil Coles, Johnny Miller |
| 2 | Aug 23, 1981 | Benson & Hedges International Open | −16 (66-69-68-69=272) | 1 stroke | Eamonn Darcy, Bernhard Langer |

### Southern Africa Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Dec 1, 1973 | Luyt Lager PGA Championship | −7 (70-69-67-67=273) | 3 strokes | Vin Baker |

### South American Golf Circuit wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Nov 18, 1979 | Argentine Open | +5 (71-72-76-70=289) | 3 strokes | Alberto Rivadeneira |

### Other wins (5)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Sep 29, 1965 | Ohio Open | −7 (70-71-70-70=281) | 9 strokes | David Lawrence |
| 2 | Oct 14, 1972 | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship | 4 and 3 | 4 and 3 | Lee Trevino |
| 3 | Sep 9, 1973 | World Series of Golf | −3 (71-66=137) | 3 strokes | Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus |
| 4 | Sep 13, 1982 | Jerry Ford Invitational | −6 (66-70=136) | 3 strokes | Tom Purtzer, Fuzzy Zoeller |
| 5 | Feb 28, 1993 | Chrysler Cup Individual Trophy | −14 (66-67-69=202) | 4 strokes | George Archer |

### Senior PGA Tour wins (4)

* Legend
* Senior major championships (1)
* Other Senior PGA Tour (3)
| 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 |

## 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 | | | | T16 | T2 |
| U.S. Open | T40 | | 15 | T24 | T22 |
| The Open Championship | | | | | |
| PGA Championship | | T72 | | 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 | 1989 |
| Masters Tournament | CUT | | T10 | T20 | T35 | |
| U.S. Open | 37 | | T39 | T24 | | |
| The Open Championship | T16 | | CUT | T45 | | CUT |
| PGA Championship | T10 | T27 | CUT | T30 | CUT | |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | |
| U.S. Open | | | | | CUT |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T101 | CUT | CUT | |
| PGA Championship | | | | | |
| Tournament | 2004 |
| Masters Tournament | |
| U.S. Open | |
| The Open Championship | CUT |
| PGA Championship | |
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1982 Open Championship) WD = withdrew "T" indicates a tie for a place.

### 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