JUNO BEACH, Fla. - FSGA champion is a label Pete Williams wears but certainly not the only one. Williams is also a husband, a father, and he spent 38 years as a pilot with United Airlines. He recently retired his wings after over 27,000 hours in the air.
Williams started golf early in life and became a successful high school player who eventually earned a spot on the men’s golf team at Rollins College. He found success competing in top
amateur events during this time, but once he became a pilot golf faded into the background. Hired by United Airlines, Williams started on the 727 but it did not take too long for Williams to become a captain on the 737, which he flew for five years. Then he became a captain on the 757 and 767 for twenty years. Next, he became a 777 captain for three years and then finally retired as a 787 captain. He explains that the start of his career included a lot of domestic flying, but looking back on his 38 years as a whole, he mainly flew internationally. You can surely gather that Williams has been all over the globe including China, India, South America, South Africa, Israel, and all across Europe. From Hong Kong to Hawaii, Williams has certainly seen the world, but he explains his favorite place as, “I always say coming home to the United States is my favorite destination.”
In the midst of his piloting career, Williams did not have much time for competitive golf. “I gave up the game for a long time. I never took my clubs flying because it was a hassle to bring them overseas on top of the jet lag and time restraint of the job. It was not really feasible to play while flying.” However, when Williams turned 50 years old, he found his passion for the sport again. He started out as an active member of the Palm Beach County Golf Association and has since secured over thirty victories with the association. Williams says, “It became a passion and a hobby of mine to get back into competitive golf.”
Williams then began his competitive golfing career with the FSGA and has secured over ten victories. Some of these victories include, the Senior Amateur Championship, Florida Senior Open Championship, Senior Four-Ball Championship, Forty & Over Championship, Senior/Mid-Amateur Championship, and the Two-Man Shoot-Out Championship. In addition, he has earned Senior Amateur Player of the Year honors three times in 2014, 2018, and 2019. Williams describes his favorite win, “All of the wins have been memorable and gratifying, but my favorite was the Florida Senior Open in 2012. Anytime you can win an FSGA event, especially an individual one, it is meaningful and gratifying.” Williams was the first amateur to win the Florida Senior Open posting rounds of 70-66-68. He also qualified and competed in the 2014 U.S. Senior Open.
William’s journey has been filled with exciting places and championship victories. He has made great friends along the way as well, including Tom Midtgaard, a fellow United pilot whom he teamed up with to win a few FSGA four-ball events. While William’s family does not all play golf they still support the game. In fact, his golf career inspired one of his daughter’s to create her own golf clothing line called Byrdie Golf Social. He explains that, “Ironically enough, I played the 2014 U.S. Senior Open and she came with me. She noticed all the clothes and decided that she could create her own line of women’s clothing. So that tournament served as the catalyst to get her going with it.”
Moreover, Williams is preparing for the upcoming championship season and he has a full month of golf ahead in April with the Super Senior Amateur Championship, the Senior Amateur Championship, and the Florida Senior Open all approaching next month. However, Williams is devoted to the FSGA as more than just a player. He serves as an Executive Committee member and when asked about his devotion to our organization he said, “I just really like all the leadership with the FSGA. I love all the volunteers and the players, and I like being associated with the such a classy group of people and organization. It made me want to contribute and give back.”
