Calvin Peete
| Calvin Peete | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Calvin Peete |
| Born |
July 18, 1943 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died |
April 29, 2015 (aged 71) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Nationality |
 United States |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1975 |
| Retired | 2001 |
| Former tour(s) |
PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 14 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 12 |
| Japan Golf Tour | 2 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T11: 1986 |
| U.S. Open | T4: 1983 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T3: 1982 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Vardon Trophy | 1984 |
| Byron Nelson Award | 1984 |
Calvin Peete (July 18, 1943 – April 29, 2015) was an American professional golfer. He was the most successful African-American to have played on the PGA Tour, with 12 wins, prior to the emergence of Tiger Woods.
Biography
Peete was born in Detroit, Michigan. He played on the 1983 and 1985 U.S. Ryder Cup teams. He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average in 1984. He was in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for several weeks when they debuted in 1986.[1]
Peete did not begin playing golf until he was in his 20s, but immediately excelled at a game most pros learn as young children. He learned the game while peddling goods to migrant workers in Rochester, New York, playing on the public course at Genesee Valley Park. Growing up poor, Peete suffered a badly broken arm that was never properly set.[2] He was the leader in driving accuracy on the PGA Tour for 10 straight years, 1981–90. Peete was inducted into the African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.[3]
Peete died after a long battle with lung cancer, in Atlanta, Georgia on April 29, 2015.[4] He was 71.
Family
Peete and his first wife, Christine, who divorced in 1987, are the parents of Charlotte, Calvin, Rickie, Dennis and Nicole and Kalvanetta Peete. He was married to Pepper Peete and had two daughters, Aisha and Aleya. He was a cousin of former American football quarterback Rodney Peete.
Professional wins
PGA Tour wins (12)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 15, 1979 | Greater Milwaukee Open | −19 (69-67-68-65=269) | 5 strokes |  Victor Regalado, Jim Simons, Lee Trevino |
| 2 | Jul 11, 1982 | Greater Milwaukee Open | −14 (70-66-69-69=274) | 2 strokes | Victor Regalado |
| 3 | Jul 25, 1982 | Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic | −10 (66-68-69=203) | 2 strokes | Bruce Lietzke |
| 4 | Sep 5, 1982 | B.C. Open | −19 (69-63-64-69=265) | 7 strokes | Jerry Pate |
| 5 | Oct 24, 1982 | Pensacola Open | −16 (65-66-72-65=268) | 7 strokes |  Dan Halldorson, Hal Sutton |
| 6 | May 22, 1983 | Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic | −10 (68-75-63=206) | 2 strokes | Jim Colbert, Don Pooley, Chip Beck |
| 7 | Jul 24, 1983 | Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic | −8 (66-75-66-69=276) | 1 stroke | Tim Norris |
| 8 | Oct 7, 1984 | Texas Open | −14 (67-67-66-66=266) | 3 strokes | Bruce Lietzke |
| 9 | Jan 20, 1985 | Phoenix Open | −14 (65-65-72-68=270) | 2 strokes | Morris Hatalsky, Doug Tewell |
| 10 | Mar 31, 1985 | Tournament Players Championship | −14 (70-69-69-66=274) | 3 strokes | D. A. Weibring |
| 11 | Jan 11, 1986 | MONY Tournament of Champions | −21 (68-67-64-68=267) | 6 strokes | Mark O'Meara |
| 12 | Mar 23, 1986 | USF&G Classic | −19 (68-67-66-68=269) | 5 strokes | Pat McGowan |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | Houston Open | Curtis Strange |
Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
Japan Golf Tour wins (2)
- 1982 Gold Win Cup Japan vs USA (tie with Bob Gilder), Dunlop Phoenix
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T19 | T21 | T30 | 49 | T15 | T31 | T11 | T33 | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T23 | DNP | DNP | T11 | T28 | T14 | T10 | T4 | DNP | DNP | T24 | CUT | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | T42 | DNP | T43 | T3 | T36 | 4 | T18 | T30 | WD | T38 |
Note: Peete never played in The Open Championship.
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 25 | 23 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 22 (1976 U.S. Open – 1987 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1982 U.S. Open – 1982 PGA)
U.S. national team appearances
- Ryder Cup: 1983 (winners), 1985
- Nissan Cup: 1985 (winners), 1986
References
- ↑ "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking" (PDF). Official World Golf Ranking. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
- ↑ White Jr., Gordon S. (March 27, 1988). "Peete Returns to the Ranks of Leaders". The New York Times.
- ↑ 2002 United States Inductees Archived February 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Livsey, Laury (April 29, 2015). "Players champion Peete passes away at age 71". PGA Tour.
External links
- Calvin Peete Award
- Calvin Peete at the PGA Tour official site
- Calvin Peete at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Calvin Peete Golf Companies
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Won: 14.5 – 13.5 | ||
| ||
Lost: 11.5 – 16.5 | ||