Weiskopf was born in Massillon, Ohio, on Nov. 9, 1942. His parents, Tom and Eva, both enjoyed success playing amateur golf tournaments in Ohio and introduced the game to their three children. Weiskopf attended the U.S. Open at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, in 1957, with his father and was instantly hooked on the game.
Weiskopf won the Ohio Jaycees junior golf championship by six strokes in 1960 and qualified three times for the Ohio High School State Championship for Benedictine High School in Cleveland before competing for The Ohio State University for one year, earning All-American honors. He turned professional in 1964 and his first win as a pro came in the 1965 Ohio Open. He claimed his first PGA TOUR title at the Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational in 1968. He won 16 times in all on the PGA TOUR, including one major championship, the 1973 Open at Royal Troon. During his PGA TOUR career, Weiskopf finished tied for second five times in a major, and three times he finished third. He was a member of two Ryder Cup teams in 1973 and 1975, both victories for the United States. Weiskopf also captured four PGA TOUR Champions titles, including a U.S. Senior Open win over Jack Nicklaus in 1995 at Congressional Country Club. He also registered victories on the European Tour (now the DP World Tour), the Sunshine Tour and on the South American Golf Circuit where he won the 1979 Argentine Open.
A true student of the game, Weiskopf left full-time competition after the 1984 PGA TOUR season, and embarked on his second career as a course designer. He is responsible for more than 75 courses, notably the stadium course at TPC Scottsdale, home of the WM Phoenix Open, and Double Eagle Club in nearby Galena, Ohio.
Weiskopf also enjoyed a successful 20-plus year career as television analyst for ABC/ESPN and CBS.
Weiskopf died on August 20, 2022, at 79 after a long bout with pancreatic cancer. His survivors include his wife Laurie, and his children Heidi and Eric from his marriage to his first wife, Jeanne.
“Tom Weiskopf left us too soon, but he left behind a legacy as a champion, accomplished course designer and broadcaster,” Nicklaus said. “It is a privilege for us at the Memorial Tournament and for the Central Ohio patrons to pay tribute to Tom, who was born in Ohio and is one of the great players to come through Ohio State. He was a terrific player—one of the four or five most talented players I’ve ever seen. Tom and I became good friends and spent a great deal of time together, whether on the course or designing them. Less than a year after he won The Open in 1973 at Troon, Tom helped me open Muirfield Village Golf Club on Memorial Day 1974. To recognize him on these same grounds 50 years later will be something very special for the Memorial Tournament, and especially for me, Barbara and my entire family.”
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