Tom Weiskopf

Lore & Background

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. His first PGA Tour win was the 1968 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational. His best season was 1973, when he won seven tournaments worldwide, including The Open Championship at Royal Troon, and finished second in Mark McCormack's world golf rankings. He was runner-up at The Masters in 1969, 1972, 1974, and 1975, and had a T2 finish at the 1976 U.S. Open. He won the Canadian Open in 1973 and 1975, the latter via a one-hole playoff against Jack Nicklaus. He played in the 1973 and 1975 Ryder Cups, and qualified for the 1977 team but skipped it for big-game hunting. His swing was admired; his height and temper earned him the nickname 'The Towering Inferno.' He worked as a broadcaster for CBS Sports covering the Masters from 1981 and 1985–95, and for ESPN and ABC covering The Open Championship from 2008–13. He joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1993 and won several senior tournaments, including the 1995 U.S. Senior Open. He designed at least 40 courses worldwide, including Troon North's Monument and Pinnacle courses and Loch Lomond. In January 2016, he led a renovation of Torrey Pines North Course. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020 and died at his home in Big Sky, Montana on August 20, 2022, aged 79. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2023 and inducted on June 10, 2024.

In Their Own Story

The afternoon light at Augusta in April 1973 had turned the azaleas into smears of pink and white. Weiskopf stood at the 18th green, the flagstick trembling in the breeze, and felt the familiar quiet settle over him — the same quiet that had carried him through 54 holes of careful, unglamorous golf. He lined up a ten-footer. The ball rolled, kissed the hole, and dropped. He didn't raise his arms. He simply exhaled, looked at his caddie, and said, "Good one." The crowd roared. He walked to the clubhouse, shook hands, and let the champagne find him. Two years of work, compressed into a single putt on a single green, and the Masters was his. He never made a speech about it. He just went back to the range the next morning.

Reader's Guide

Tom Weiskopf won 16 PGA Tour titles, including the 1973 Open Championship. He was runner-up at The Masters four times (1969, 1972, 1974, 1975) and had a T2 finish at the 1976 U.S. Open. He won the 1995 U.S. Senior Open. He designed over 40 golf courses worldwide.

Did You Know?

• Weiskopf's nickname was 'The Towering Inferno' due to his height and temper.
• He skipped the 1977 Ryder Cup to go big-game hunting.
• He nearly holed his approach on the 15th hole at Royal Montreal to win the 1975 Canadian Open in a playoff against Jack Nicklaus.
• He worked as a broadcaster for CBS Sports covering the Masters and for ESPN and ABC covering The Open Championship.