British golfer who was No 1 in Europe in the 1970s and compiled one of the finest records in the Ryder Cup
In the gap during the 1970s between the pre-eminence of Tony Jacklin and the emergence of Nick Faldo, Peter Oosterhuis, who has died aged 75, was Britain’s best and most successful golfer. He was No 1 in Europe for four consecutive years and compiled one of the finest records in the Ryder Cup, winning an unusually high percentage of his matches during an era when the US exercised total dominance. He was also a trailblazer in the States, where he became one of the first Europeans to commit full-time to the tour there, joining in 1975 and staying until 1986. Later he carved out a successful second career as a golf analyst for the American broadcaster CBS.
In all, Oosterhuis won 20 tournaments across the world, including the Italian Open (1974) and two French Opens (1973 and 1974). He dominated the newly formed European tour from 1971 to 1974, ending up as leader of the Order of Merit in each of those years.
