Manuel Piñero

For the Chilean footballer, see Manuel Piñero (footballer).

Manuel Piñero Sánchez (born 1 September 1952) is a Spanish professional golfer.

Manuel Piñero
Personal information
Full name	Manuel Piñero Sánchez
Born	(1952-09-01) 1 September 1952 (age 72) Badajoz, Spain
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight	151 lb (68 kg; 10.8 st)
Sporting nationality	Spain
Residence	Málaga, Spain
Career
Turned professional	1968
Current tour(s)	European Seniors Tour
Former tour(s)	European Tour
Professional wins	14
Number of wins by tour
European Tour	9
Other	5
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	CUT: 1978
PGA Championship	CUT: 1986
U.S. Open	DNP
The Open Championship	T6: 1981

Early life

Piñero was born in Badajoz.

Professional career

In 1968, Piñero turned professional and 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. 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 Crosby 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.^[1]

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 (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	Valentín Barrios
2	25 Jul 1976	Swiss Open	−6 (69-70-67-68=274)	3 strokes	Dave Hill
3	28 May 1977	Penfold PGA Championship	[phone]=283)	3 strokes	Peter Oosterhuis
4	12 Jul 1980	Mazda Cars English Classic	−2 (69-69-72-76=286)	1 stroke	Sandy Lyle
5	26 Apr 1981	Madrid Open (2)	−9 (70-68-69-72=279)	5 strokes	Des Smyth
6	30 Aug 1981	Swiss Open (2)	−11 (69-73-69-66=277)	Playoff	Antonio Garrido, Tony Johnstone
7	5 Sep 1982	European Open Championship	−14 (68-68-67-63=266)	2 strokes	Sam Torrance
8	28 Apr 1985	Cepsa Madrid Open (3)	−10 (67-71-67-73=278)	Playoff	José María Cañizares
9	5 May 1985	Italian Open	−21 (69-66-66-66=267)	1 stroke	Sam Torrance

European Tour playoff record (3–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1974	Madrid Open	Valentín Barrios	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1981	Swiss Open	Antonio Garrido, Tony Johnstone	Won with birdie on first extra hole
3	1985	Cepsa Madrid Open	José María Cañizares	Won with birdie on fourth extra hole

Other wins (8)

• 1973 Spanish Professional Closed Championship^[2]
• 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^[3]

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.

  Top 10

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1978 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

• 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

• List of golfers with most European Tour wins