Tom Weiskopf, major champion and golf course architect, dies at 79

Tom Weiskopf's golf skill went far beyond his 16 victories on the PGA Tour and his lone major at Royal Troon in the British Open. He was outspoken and accurate in the television booth and found even greater success designing golf courses.

Weiskopf died Saturday at his home in Big Sky, Montana, his wife said. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2020. He was 79.

Laurie Weiskopf said Tom was working last week at The Club at Spanish Peaks and attended a legacy luncheon at a club where he is designing a collection of his 10 favourite par 3s.

"He worked to the end. It was amazing," she said. "He had a big life."

The son of a railroad worker in Ohio, Weiskopf once said he fell in love with the game before he even began to play. His father took him to the 1957 U.S. Open at Inverness and he was mesmerized watching Sam Snead make such pure contact.

Pure contact was his hallmark at Ohio State and then his career on tour. At 6-foot-3 — tall for golf in that era — Weiskopf had a swing that was powerful and rhythmic. His best year was in 1973, when he won seven times around the world, including the claret jug and the World Series of Golf at Firestone before it was an official tour event.

He was known equally for the majors he didn't win and the competition he faced — particularly Jack Nicklaus, the star from Ohio who preceded him and cast an enormous shadow over Weiskopf for his entire career.

Weiskopf had four runner-up finishes in the Masters, the most of any player without having won the green jacket. Most memorable was in 1975, when Weiskopf and Johnny Miller stood on the 16th tee as they watched Nicklaus hole a 40-foot birdie putt up the slope that carried him to another victory.

13 days until Masters Week.<br>Ben