Manuel Piñero
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Manuel Piñero Sánchez (born 1 September 1952) is a Spanish professional golfer.
Early life
Piñero was born in Badajoz in the Extremadura region of Spain.
His interest in golf started by co-incidence. Living in Madrid in his youth, on his way to a tennis club, looking for work as a ballboy, his grandfather instead left him at the Club de Campo golf course where they were looking for new caddies.
He turned professional in 1968, 16 years old.
Professional career
Piñero established himself on the European Tour in the early 1970s. He won nine titles on tour, the most prestigious of them the 1977 British PGA Championship, beating a field that included some of the superstars of the game, Tom Watson in the hight of his career as well as Gary Player and Arnold Palmer. Piñero featured in the top ten on the European Tour Order of Merit five times, including back to back fourth places in 1976 and 1977.
Piñero played for Europe in two Ryder Cups. In 1981 he defeated Jerry Pate 2 & 1 in his singles match. In 1985 he claimed four points out of five for the team which captured the trophy from the United States for the first time since 1957, defeating Lanny Wadkins 3 & 1 in singles. He was also a member of Spain's two man team at the World Cup of Golf nine times, collecting the team title in 1976 and 1982. On the latter occasion he also won the individual title.
After turning fifty in 2002 Piñero played on the European Seniors Tour, but he had had little success at that level.
Personal life
Piñero was with Bing Crosby when Crosby died. On 14 October 1977, Piñero teamed up with Crosby, at the La Moraleja Golf course near Madrid, in a recreational match against fellow Spanish pro Valentín Barrios and his amateur partner Cesar de Zulueta, owner of the course. Shortly after the match ended Crosby had a heart attack at the edge of the clubhouse and died instantaneously.
Professional wins (18)
European Tour wins (9)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 Apr 1974 | Madrid Open | −5 (73-71-69-70=283) | Playoff | Spain Valentín Barrios |
| 2 | 25 Jul 1976 | Swiss Open | −6 (69-70-67-68=274) | 3 strokes | United States Dave Hill |
| 3 | 28 May 1977 | Penfold PGA Championship | +3 (73-70-74-66=283) | 3 strokes | England Peter Oosterhuis |
| 4 | 12 Jul 1980 | Mazda Cars English Classic | −2 (69-69-72-76=286) | 1 stroke | Scotland Sandy Lyle |
| 5 | 26 Apr 1981 | Madrid Open (2) | −9 (70-68-69-72=279) | 5 strokes | Republic of Ireland Des Smyth |
| 6 | 30 Aug 1981 | Swiss Open (2) | −11 (69-73-69-66=277) | Playoff | Spain Antonio Garrido, Zimbabwe Tony Johnstone |
| 7 | 5 Sep 1982 | European Open Championship | −14 (68-68-67-63=266) | 2 strokes | Scotland Sam Torrance |
| 8 | 28 Apr 1985 | Cepsa Madrid Open (3) | −10 (67-71-67-73=278) | Playoff | Spain José María Cañizares |
| 9 | 5 May 1985 | Italian Open | −21 (69-66-66-66=267) | 1 stroke | Scotland Sam Torrance |
European Tour playoff record (3–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1974 | Madrid Open | Spain Valentín Barrios | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1981 | Swiss Open | Spain Antonio Garrido, Zimbabwe Tony Johnstone | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1985 | Cepsa Madrid Open | Spain José María Cañizares | Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
Other wins (8)
- 1973 Spanish Professional Closed Championship
- 1974 Spanish Professional Closed Championship
- 1976 World Cup (with Seve Ballesteros)
- 1982 World Cup (with José María Cañizares)
- 1982 World Cup Individual Trophy
- 1983 Spanish Professional Closed Championship
- 1984 Spanish Professional Closed Championship
- 1989 Spanish Professional Closed Championship
Other senior wins (1)
- 2003 Spanish Seniors Professional Closed Championship
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | ||||||||||||||||
| The Open Championship | T36 | CUT | CUT | T58 | T6 | T51 | T45 | T36 | T25 | T19 | CUT | 65 | CUT | T51 | |||
| PGA Championship | CUT |
Note: Piñero never played in the U.S. Open.
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1978 Open Championship) "T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
Professional
- Double Diamond International (representing Continental Europe): 1974, 1976 (captain)
- World Cup (representing Spain): 1974, 1976 (winners), 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982 (winners, individual winner), 1983, 1985, 1988
- Philip Morris International (representing Spain): 1975
- Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing the Continent of Europe): 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1981, 1985 (winners)
- Dunhill Cup (representing Spain): 1985
See also
External links
- at the European Tour official site
- at the Official World Golf Ranking official site