The Legendary Calvin Peete
Professional Golfer Calvin Peete was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 18, 1943. Toward the end of the 20th Century Peete had become the most successful African American golfer on the PGA Tour, with 12 wins and a record that would be surpassed only by Tiger Woods who turned professional in 1996 at age 20. In 1983, dubbed "Mr. Accuracy" by fellow golfers for his ability to hit the ball consistently onto the fairway, Peete hit a staggering 84.55 percent of fairways in 87 PGA Tour rounds.
In 1984, he won the Professional Golf Association's (PGA) "Vardon Trophy," for PGA Tour leaders with the lowest scoring average. He was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup teams in 1983 and 1985 and among the "top 10" in the "Official World Golf Ranking" for several weeks, during the rankings' 39-week inaugural year, 1986.
After earning his PGA Tour card in 1975, he went on to win his first tournament, the Milwaukee Open, in 1979. The following year he qualified for the Masters in Augusta, Georgia and became the first African American to win The Players Championship in Vedra Beach, Florida, five years later.
During his 20-year career on the PGA Tour, Peete finished fourth on the money list in 1982 and had two-win seasons in 1983, '85 and '86. His success waned in the 1990s. Between 1991 and 1995 he appeared in 21 events. His last PGA Tour start came at the 1995 Player's Championship.
Ironically the same year that 20-year-old Tiger Woods joined the professional ranks. After retiring from competition in 1995, he continued to play in the Legends of Golf Tournaments until 2009.