Manuel Piñero


Manuel Piñero Sánchez is a Spanish professional golfer.
Piñero was born in Badajoz. He turned professional in 1968 and established himself on the European Tour in the early 1970s. He won nine titles on the Tour, the most prestigious of them the 1977 British PGA Championship. He 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 was with Bing Crosby when he died. On 14 October 1977, Piñero teamed up with Crosby in a recreational match against fellow Spanish pro Valentín Barrios and his amateur partner Cesar de Zulueta, owner of Moraleja Golf Course, where the match was played. Shortly after the match ended Crosby had a heart attack at the edge of the clubhouse and died instantaneously.
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.
Since turning fifty in 2002 Piñero has played on the European Seniors Tour, but he has had little success at that level.

Professional wins (12)

European Tour wins (9)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
127 Apr 1974Madrid Open−5 Playoff Valentín Barrios
225 Jul 1976Swiss Open−6 3 strokes Dave Hill
328 May 1977Penfold PGA Championship+3 3 strokes Peter Oosterhuis
412 Jul 1980Mazda Cars English Classic−2 1 stroke Sandy Lyle
526 Apr 1981Madrid Open −9 5 strokes Des Smyth
630 Aug 1981Swiss Open −11 Playoff Antonio Garrido, Tony Johnstone
75 Sep 1982European Open Championship−14 2 strokes Sam Torrance
828 Apr 1985Cepsa Madrid Open −10 Playoff José María Cañizares
95 May 1985Italian Open−21 1 stroke Sam Torrance

European Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11974Madrid Open Valentín BarriosWon with birdie on first extra hole
21981Swiss Open Antonio Garrido, Tony JohnstoneWon with birdie on first extra hole
31985Cepsa Madrid Open José María CañizaresWon with birdie on fourth extra hole

Other wins (3)

Note: Piñero never played in the U.S. Open.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances