Pete Cooper (golfer)

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.

Pete Cooper
Personal information
Full nameRichard Bernice Cooper
Born(1914-12-31)December 31, 1914
DiedOctober 8, 1993(1993-10-08) (aged 78)
Nationality United States
Career
Turned professional1938
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins23
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour5
Other17 (regular)
1 (senior)
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT12: 1956
PGA ChampionshipT9: 1953
U.S. OpenT4: 1953
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 1976

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 Rodríguez 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)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-upRef
1 Mar 6, 1949 St. Petersburg Open −9 (68-67-69-71=275) 1 stroke Cary Middlecoff [2]
2 Dec 10, 1950 Miami International Four-Ball
(with Claude Harmon)		 1 up Dave Douglas and Jim Turnesa [3]
3 Jun 13, 1954 Virginia Beach Open −13 (67-64-64-68=263) 1 stroke Tommy Bolt [4]
4 Mar 17, 1957 St. Petersburg Open −15 (68-68-68-65=269) 4 strokes Jack Burke Jr. [5]
5 Nov 23, 1958 West Palm Beach Open Invitational −19 (68-63-68-70=269) Playoff Wes Ellis [6]

Other wins (17)

this list is probably incomplete

Senior wins (1)

Team appearances

See also

References
  1. "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  2. MacFeely, F. T. (March 7, 1949). "Pete Cooper Wins With Eagle Three". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. p. 6.
  3. "Dream Comes True For Cooper". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. December 11, 1950. p. 8.
  4. "Pete Cooper Wins At Virginia Beach, Heads for Open". The Day. Associated Press. June 14, 1954. p. 17.
  5. Bailey, Mercer (March 18, 1957). "Cooper Captures St. Pete Open". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. p. 8.
  6. "Cooper Wins At WPB In Playoff". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, Florida. AP. November 24, 1958. p. 10.
  7. "Canada Cup Golf Event Starts Today". Schenectady Gazette. Associated Press. June 1, 1961. p. 35.


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