Who was Peter Oosterhuis? All about the late PGA Tour winner 

Peter "Oosty" Oosterhuis passed away at 75 years old just one day before his 76th birthday. The former PGA Tour player was renowned for his voice on the 17th hole of Augusta National during CBS' Masters coverage.

Peter Oosterhuis was born in London on May 3, 1948, and became the first school-going amateur to play in the Walker Cup representing Great Britain and Ireland. Oosterhuis turned professional in 1968. He won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award the year after he turned professional.

Oosterhuis won the Order of Merit in the European Tour's first three seasons since its inception in 1972. He was the number one player in Europe in 1971, leading the Sunshine Tour's Official Money List.

The former PGA Tour player played 343 events on the Tour throughout his career and made the cut in 234 of them. He has 27 top-ten finishes with 10 top-fives, 3 runner-up and third-place finishes, and one win. Oosterhuis has made $736,692 throughout his career as a professional PGA Tour player.

With a total of 28 wins worldwide, Peter Oosterhuis was a part of the European Ryder Cup team for six consecutive editions. He finished runner-up in 1974 and 1982 and won six out of eight singles matches.

Peter Oosterhuis with Team Europe, 1973 Ryder Cup (Image via Getty)

Oosterhuis won his maiden and only PGA Tour victory at the 1981 Canadian Open by a one-stroke margin ahead of golf legend Jack Nicklaus. He lost a playoff to Lee Elder at the 1974 Monsanto Open at the fourth playoff hole.

Oosterhuis' last PGA tour season was in 2002 when he played the Champions Tour, where he played two events. He finished tied 68th at the 2002 Audi Senior Classic and missed the cut at the 2002 U.S. Senior Open.

The Englishman became the Director of Golf at the Riviera Country Club - the home of the Genesis Invitational since 1973 - in 1992. The 1971 Ryder Cup partner Bernard Gallacher told the DP World Tour:

“This is an incredibly sad day for everyone who was lucky enough to know Peter, but also for the game of golf as a whole. I played alongside Peter at boys, youths and senior amateur level all the way through to being his partner in the 1971 Ryder Cup in Missouri where we combined to beat Lee Trevino and Billy Casper before he went on to win both his singles matches, including beating Arnold Palmer. Peter was an incredibly intelligent golfer, dedicated to his craft and to practice. He excelled in course management and putting which made him a very difficult opponent to get the better of. He was also a very intelligent man and a lovely person to be with in company. I never heard him talk badly of anyone in the decades I knew him and that, alongside his eloquence and deep knowledge of the game, was the reason he was also such a popular and excellent broadcaster.”

His memory lives on through his wife Ruth Ann, sons Rob and Rich, stepsons Byron and Matt, and his grandkids Peyton, Turner, Sutton, and Lachlan.

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Peter Oosterhuis' broadcasting career

Oosterhuis moved on to announcing the game of golf when he received an opportunity from Sky TV to commentate on the 1993 PGA Championship and went on to become one of golf's most celebrated broadcasters.

He first joined CBS in 1998 to serve as a lead analyst for Golf Channel's coverage of the European Tour until 1997. Oosterhuis continued his career as lead analyst for CBS Sports telecasts and was featured in live coverage and studio shows.

He was commended for his commentary during the Masters and retired from his broadcasting career following an Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2016. Oosterhuis was awarded Honorary Life Membership to the European Tour in 2017.