A FIXTURE ON GOLF BROADCASTS SINCE 1995, Peter Oosterhuis was not flashy or particularly chatty as a golf announcer and analyst for the BBC, CBS Sports and Golf Channel, which is what I liked about him. Oosterhuis just went about the job without an excess of words or calling attention to himself.
In May, at an event for the Jim Nantz Alzheimer's Center, Oosterhuis, 67, publicly announced that he has Alzheimer's disease. (GolfWorld released the above video today.)
"It's a horrible disease," said Roothie Oosterhuis, Peter's wife. "It not only affects Peter. It affects me, it affects our children, it affects our grandchildren, it affects our friends.
"It took nine months for us to accept the fact that Peter has this. He is, as always, elegant and amazing in standing up to the situation."
Contrary to what I wrote above, I suppose Oosterhuis is calling attention to himself in this instance, but it's a brave call for the right reasons. Oosterhuis will be openly sharing about his personal challenge with a disease our society needs to understand better, and also helping to raise awareness and perhaps research money along the way.
As you may know, Oosterhuis was a good player -- a member of six European Ryder Cup teams and winner of more than 20 worldwide titles.
"Golf has been a big part of my life ever since I was a little boy growing up in England," Oosterhuis said when he retired in January, "and I thank CBS and Golf Channel for allowing me to continue in the sport after my playing days were over."
Source: Retired Golf Broadcaster Peter Oosterhuis Has Alzheimer's