Thomas Daniel Weiskopf (November 9, 1942 – August 20, 2022) was an American professional golfer who played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

and the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many year ...

. His most successful decade was the 1970s. He won 16 PGA Tour titles between 1968 and 1982, including the 1973 Open Championship. After winding down his career playing golf, Weiskopf became a noted

golf course architect A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

Career

Weiskopf was born in

Massillon, Ohio Massillon is a city in Stark County, Ohio, Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately west of Canton, Ohio, Canton, south of Akron, and south of Cleveland. The population was 32,146 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Mass ...

. He attended Benedictine High School in Cleveland, and

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pub ...

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 The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...

Royal Troon Royal Troon Golf Club is a links golf course in Scotland, located in Troon, South Ayrshire, southwest of Glasgow. Founding and early years The club, which now has a total of 45 holes, was founded in 1878, initially with five holes. It lies adj ...

, and he would finish that year ranked second in the world according to

Mark McCormack's world golf rankings The McCormack rankings were unofficial world golf rankings published in Mark McCormack's ''World of Professional Golf Annual'' from 1968 to 1985, and were a forerunner of the current Official World Golf Ranking. Unlike their replacement they were ...

. This was to remain his only major championship victory, but he was a four-time runner-up at

The Masters The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first ma ...

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 Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tou ...

, 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 Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

s. 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 which is a rare combination. Weiskopf's displays of his temper on the golf course earned him the nickname of "The Towering Inferno". Weiskopf joined the

Senior PGA Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years ...

in 1993 and won several senior tournaments, including one senior major, the 1995 U.S. Senior Open. He also worked as a golf analyst for

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...

covering the 1981 and 1985 to 1995 Masters. After 2008, he contributed to

ABC Sports ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Televisi ...

and

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

's coverage of

Death

In 2020, Weiskopf was diagnosed with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancr ...

. 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.

Golf course design

Weiskopf got into golf course design working initially with

Jay Morrish Jay Morrish (c. 1936 – March 2, 2015) was an American golf course designer. He graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Landscape and Nursery Management. In 1964, he taught Horticulture at that university while pursuing graduate d ...

, 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 Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon has a port with freight services and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O oper ...

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nic ...

; and

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of ...

, 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. The following is a (partial) list of courses that Weiskopf either designed by himself or co-designed: * Troon North Golf Club (Monument and Pinnacle courses),

Loch Lomond Golf Club Loch Lomond Golf Club is located in Luss, Argyll & Bute, Scotland on the shore of Loch Lomond. The course occupies land previously held by Clan Colquhoun and includes the clan's seat of Rossdhu House as its clubhouse. History While Clan Colquho ...

, Luss, Argyll & Bute, Scotland * Catamount Ranch & Club,

Steamboat Springs, Colorado The City of Steamboat Springs is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Routt County, Colorado, United States. Steamboat Springs is the principal city of the Steamboat Springs, CO Micropolitan St ...

* Double Eagle,

Galena, Ohio Galena is a village in Delaware County, Ohio, United States. The population was 924 at the 2020 United States Census. History Galena was originally called Zoar, and under the latter name was platted in 1816. A post office called Galena has be ...

* Mira Vista Country Club,

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

* Forest Highlands (Canyon and Meadow courses),

Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has an estimated population ...

* Lahontan Golf Club,

Truckee, California Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 16,180, reflecting an increase of 2,316 from the 13,864 counted in the 2000 Census and having the 316th highe ...

The Olympic Club The Olympic Club is an athletic club and private social club in San Francisco, California. First named the "San Francisco Olympic Club", it is the oldest athletic club in the United States. Established on May 6, 1860, its first officers were ...

(Ocean and Cliffs courses),

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

* The Ridge at Castle Pines North,

Castle Rock, Colorado Castle Rock is a home rule town that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 73,158 at the 2020 United States Census, a 51.68% increase since the 2010 United St ...

* Shanty Creek Resort — Cedar River,

Bellaire, Michigan Bellaire is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Antrim County. The population was 1,053 in 2020 census. The village is split between Forest Home and Kearney townships. The historic Antrim County Courthouse is ...

* Quail Hollow Country Club, Concord Township, Ohio * Snake River Sporting Club,

Jackson, Wyoming Jackson is a town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 10,760 at the 2020 census, up from 9,577 in 2010. It is the largest town in Teton County and its county seat. Jackson is the principal town of the Jackson, WY-ID Mic ...

Castiglion del Bosco Castiglion del Bosco is a wine estate which produces Brunello di Montalcino and was one of the founders of Brunello di Montalcino Consortium. It is located in the comune of Montalcino in the province of Siena, Italy, within the Val d’Orcia natu ...

, Tuscany, Italy * The Rim Golf Club,

Payson, Arizona Payson is a town in northern Gila County, Arizona, United States. Due to Payson's location being very near to the geographic center of Arizona, it has been called "The Heart of Arizona". The town is surrounded by the Tonto National Forest, the la ...

* Silverleaf Club,

* Estancia El Terrón Mendiolaza,

Córdoba, Argentina Córdoba () is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province and the second most populous city in Argentina after Buenos ...

* Frost Creek,

Eagle, Colorado The Town of Eagle is the Statutory Town that is the county seat of Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 7,511 at the 2020 United States Census, a +15.41% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Eagle is the part ...

* Bloody Point,

Daufuskie Island, South Carolina Daufuskie Island, located between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, is the southernmost inhabited sea island in South Carolina. It is long by almost wide – approximate surface area of (5,000 acres). With over of beachfront, Daufuskie is sur ...

* Black Desert Resort,

Ivins, Utah Ivins ( ) is a city in southwestern Washington County, Utah, United States. It is a part of the St. George Metropolitan Area as a suburb or "bedroom" community. The population was 8,978 at the 2020 census, up from 6,753 at the 2010 census.h ...

Amateur wins

*1963

Western Amateur The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association. The Western Amateur features an international field of top-ranked amateur golfers. It was first ...

Professional wins (28)

PGA Tour wins (16)

PGA Tour playoff record (2–3)

European Tour wins (2)

Sunshine Tour wins (1)

South American Golf Circuit wins (1)

Other wins (5)

Senior PGA Tour wins (4)

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1982 Open Championship)
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

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)

U.S. national team appearances

;Professional *

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

(winners),

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

(winners) *

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

References

External links

*
Profile on sporting-heroes.net

A 285-acre Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiskopf, Tom American male golfers Ohio State Buckeyes men's golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Winners of men's major golf championships Winners of senior major golf championships Golf writers and broadcasters Golf course architects Golfers from Ohio Sportspeople from Massillon, Ohio Deaths from pancreatic cancer Deaths from cancer in Montana 1942 births 2022 deaths