Pete Cooper (golfer)
| Pete Cooper | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Richard Bernice Cooper |
| Born | December 31, 1914 |
| Died | October 8, 1993 (aged 78) |
| Nationality |
 United States |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1938 |
| Former tour(s) |
PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 23 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 5 |
| Other |
17 (regular) 1 (senior) |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T12: 1956 |
| U.S. Open | T4: 1953 |
| The Open Championship | CUT: 1976 |
| PGA Championship | T9: 1953 |
Richard Bernice "Pete" Cooper (December 31, 1914 – October 8, 1993) was an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s; he was best known for winning the 1976 PGA Seniors' Championship.
Cooper turned professional in 1938. In the ten-year span between 1949 and 1958, he won five official PGA Tour events and had runner-up finishes in the 1950 Houston Open and the 1955 Tournament of Champions. His best finish in a major was T4 at the 1953 U.S. Open.[1] He helped a young Chi Chi Rodriguez improve enough to secure a spot on the PGA Tour.
Cooper won the 1976 PGA Seniors' Championship at the age of 61 with a four-day total of 283 over runner-up Fred Wampler. The tournament was held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Cooper lived in Lakeland, Florida, where he owned the Par 3 and Lone Palm Golf Club. He was also active in golf course design.
Professional wins (23)
PGA Tour wins (5)
- 1949 St. Petersburg Open
- 1950 Miami International Four-Ball (with Claude Harmon)
- 1954 Virginia Beach Open
- 1957 St. Petersburg Open
- 1958 West Palm Beach Open Invitational
Other wins (17)
this list is probably incomplete
- 1944 Florida Open
- 1946 Florida Open
- 1948 Florida Open
- 1949 Florida Open
- 1950 Florida Open
- 1953 Metropolitan Open
- 1954 Orlando Two-ball (with Patty Berg)
- 1956 Michigan Open
- 1957 Florida Open
- 1958 Florida Open
- 1959 Panama Open, Puerto Rico Open, Colombian Open
- 1960 Jamaica Open, Maracaibo Open
- 1961 Panama Open
- 1966 Florida Open
Senior wins (1)
Team appearances
- Canada Cup (representing Puerto Rico): 1961[2]
See also
References
- ↑ "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved January 15, 2008.
- ↑ "Canada Cup Golf Event Starts Today". Schenectady Gazette. Associated Press. June 1, 1961. p. 35.
External links
- Pete Cooper at the PGA Tour official site
- Notice of Pete Cooper's death