Calvin Peete, the most successful black player on the PGA Tour before the arrival of Tiger Woods, died Wednesday morning. He was 71.
The PGA Tour did not have a cause of death. Murray Brothers Funeral Home confirmed it was handling the arrangement but did not release additional information.
Peete won 12 times on the PGA Tour and was the most accurate driver of his generation. He led the tour in driving accuracy every year from 1981 to 1990. Peete’s biggest year was in 1982 when he won four times. He won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average in 1984 by edging Jack Nicklaus.
He won The Players Championship in 1985 and played on two Ryder Cup teams.
He is survived by his wife, Pepper, and seven children.
