'He had a big life' - American Tom Weiskopf, Open champion in 1973, dies at the age of 79 in Arizona
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Published 21/08/2022 at 17:00 GMT
Tom Weiskopf secured the highlight of his golfing career when beating Johnny Miller, the US Open champion at the time, and Neil Coles to claim the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 1973. He was also a great course architect, commentator and analyst. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020 and his wife confirmed he died in Arizona on Saturday.
Tom Weiskopf kisses the Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship, Royal Troon, July 14, 1973
Image credit: Getty Images
The 1973 Open champion Tom Weiskopf has died at the age of 79.
Weiskopf was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020, and died in Arizona on Saturday.
"He worked to the end. It was amazing," Weiskopf's wife Laurie told ESPN. "He had a big life."
As well as being a giant of the game, Weiskopf was a revered course architect and an acclaimed broadcaster.
Weiskopf helped in the design of a host of classic courses, including TPC Scottsdale and Loch Lomond.
Known for his rhythmical swing, Weiskopf was a fierce competitor and won 16 times on the PGA Tour in the era of Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.
Watson, who won the Open on five occasions, paid his own tribute on social media: "I send my deepest sympathies to the family of Tom Weiskopf.
"Will miss you and your stories. RIP my friend."
Weiskopf’s career highlight came in the Open at Troon in 1973, as he defeated Johnny Miller and Neil Coles by three strokes.
His commentary at the Masters in the 1980s and 1990s became the stuff of legend, but Augusta was where he suffered heartbreak on the course as he finished second on four occasions.
Nicklaus was one of his biggest on-course rivals and Weiskopf famously said of the Golden Bear in an interview with Golf Digest in 2008: "Going head-to-head against Jack Nicklaus in a major was like trying to drain the Pacific Ocean with a teacup. You stand on the first tee knowing that your very best golf might not be good enough."
Following his retirement from the PGA Tour, Weiskopf played on the Champions Tour and it was fitting that his one major win on the Seniors was when beating Nicklaus by four shots in the US Senior Open in 1995.
Weiskopf is survived by his wife and two children.
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