Golf Champion Tom Weiskopf Dead at 79: 'Every Time He Hit a Shot, It Was Beautiful'

AP/Shutterstock

Tom Weiskopf, a professional golfer who won one British Open and grew into a successful golf course designer, died at 79.

Weiskopf, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020, died Saturday at home in Big Sky, Montana, his wife Laurie told the Associated Press.

He had been declared cancer free in 2021, Laurie said to Golf Digest, but it returned in April. "He really fought it for a long, long time, and he did so bravely," she recalled. "It was a shock, but not a surprise."

Laurie also told the AP that her husband remained working as of last week, even attending a luncheon at Spanish Peaks Mountain Club in Big Sky. He was designing a 10-hole, par-three course there inspired by his 10 favorite par-three holes in the world, according to the AP and a description of the course on Vimeo.

RELATED: Masters Winner Patrick Reed Sues Golf Channel Commentator for $750 Million Over On-Air Criticism

"He worked to the end. It was amazing," Laurie said to the AP. "He had a big life."

Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty

Weiskopf was born in Massillion, Ohio and, according to the AP and The Open, first became interested in golf after he attended the 1957 US Open in Toledo with his father. There, he saw then-pro Sam Snead "make such pure contact" — something that inspired Weiskopf to get into the sport.

He played collegiate golf at Ohio State and grew well known for his natural swing, which The Open described as "elegant and powerful."

The athelete secured his first PGA Tour win in 1968. His best year as a professional golfer came in 1973, when he was named Champion Golfer of the Year and finished the year as the second-best golfer in the world.

Over the course of his career, Weiskopf won 28 professional tournaments and was known for narrowly missing winning several more majors.

Weiskopf is tied for most times finished as a runner-up at the Masters with Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan (4) and finished within the top 4 at the US Open five different times and within the top 8 at the PGA Championships four different times as well.

"You had dinner with Tom and loved every minute of it," golfer Andy North told the AP. "The sad thing that gets lost is how good he was. Every time he hit a shot, it was beautiful."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"Jack knew he was going to beat you. You knew Jack was going to beat you. And Jack knew you knew he was going to beat you," Weiskopf famously said of Nicklaus, according to the AP

Nicklaus' career overlapped significantly with Weiskopf's on his way to a world record 18 career major championships. The golfer himself once said Weiskopf "had as much talent as any player I've ever seen play the tour," the AP reported.

While Weiskopf excelled in golf, he claimed that his drinking habit in part prevented him from having a more successful career and quit drinking in 2000, according to the AP. He was also passionate enough about spending time outdoors in general — not just on a golf course — that he skipped the 1977 Ryder Cup to go sheep hunting instead, according to the AP.

RELATED: Tiger Woods Holds Back Tears After Struggling at 2022 British Open, Return to St. Andrews in Doubt

Weiskopf was also known for breaking out in a bad temper, which landed him the nicknames "Towering Inferno" and "Terrible Tom," when combined with his 6 foot, 3-inch tall frame, the AP and Golf Digest reported.

He won his final PGA Tour tournament in 1982 and won the 1995 US Senior Open during his time on the Senior PGA Tour in the 1990s.

Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty

"I know he always felt like he was sort of in my shadow because he followed me at Ohio State, and he shouldn't have felt that way," Nicklaus told Golf Digest on Sunday. "He was a great player in his own right. He was impressive."

After his playing career ended, Weiskopf worked in broadcasting and grew into a well-known golf course architect, according to the AP and The Open. He is credited with designing "at least 40 courses," around the world, The Open reported, while the AP reported that he designed 80 courses globally.

"Golf, to me, was always such a great challenge of the mind, and there were times I wish I had handled that challenge a little better," Weiskopf told Golf Digest in 2021. "But I love the game. I love talking about it and thinking about it and to me it is endlessly fascinating."