| Pete Cooper | |
| Fullname: | Richard Bernice Cooper |
| Birth Date: | 31 December 1914 |
| Yearpro: | 1938 |
| Extour: | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Prowins: | 23 |
| Pgawins: | 5 |
| Otherwins: | 17 (regular) 1 (senior) |
| Masters: | T12: 1956 |
| Usopen: | T4: 1953 |
| Open: | CUT: 1976 |
| Pga: | T9: 1953 |
Richard Bernice "Pete" Cooper (December 31, 1914 – October 8, 1993) was an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s; he was best known for winning the 1976 PGA Seniors' Championship.
Cooper turned professional in 1938. In the ten-year span between 1949 and 1958, he won five official PGA Tour events and had runner-up finishes in the 1950 Houston Open and the 1955 Tournament of Champions. His best finish in a major was T4 at the 1953 U.S. Open.[1] He helped a young Chi-Chi Rodríguez improve enough to secure a spot on the PGA Tour.
Cooper won the 1976 PGA Seniors' Championship at the age of 61 with a four-day total of 283 over runner-up Fred Wampler. The tournament was held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Cooper lived in Lakeland, Florida, where he owned the Par 3 and Lone Palm Golf Club. He was also active in golf course design.
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 6, 1949 | St. Petersburg Open | −9 (68-67-69-71=275) | 1 stroke |  Cary Middlecoff | |
| 2 | Dec 10, 1950 | Miami International Four-Ball (with Claude Harmon) | 1 up | Dave Douglas and Jim Turnesa | ||
| 3 | Jun 13, 1954 | Virginia Beach Open | −13 (67-64-64-68=263) | 1 stroke | Tommy Bolt | |
| 4 | Mar 17, 1957 | St. Petersburg Open | −15 (68-68-68-65=269) | 4 strokes | Jack Burke Jr. | |
| 5 | Nov 23, 1958 | West Palm Beach Open Invitational | −19 (68-63-68-70=269) | Playoff | Wes Ellis |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1958 | West Palm Beach Open Invitational | Wes Ellis | Won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 2 | 1959 | West Palm Beach Open Invitational | Gay Brewer, Arnold Palmer | Palmer won with par on fourth extra hole |
this list is probably incomplete