Ian Woosnam
Ian Woosnam | |
---|---|
— Golfer — | |
Woosnam in 2009 | |
Personal information | |
Full name | Ian Harold Woosnam OBE |
Nickname | Woosie |
Born |
Oswestry, England | 2 March 1958
Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 4 1⁄2 in) |
Weight | 168 lb (76 kg; 12.0 st) |
Nationality | Wales |
Residence | Jersey, Channel Islands |
Spouse | Glendryth (m. 1983) |
Children | Daniel, Rebecca, Ami |
Career | |
Turned professional | 1976 |
Current tour(s) |
European Senior Tour PGA Tour Champions |
Former tour(s) | European Tour |
Professional wins | 52 |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 2 |
European Tour | 29 (6th all time) |
PGA Tour Champions | 1 |
European Senior Tour | 5 |
Other | 16 |
Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
Masters Tournament | Won: 1991 |
U.S. Open | T2: 1989 |
The Open Championship | T3: 1986, 2001 |
PGA Championship | 6th: 1989 |
Achievements and awards | |
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire | 2007 |
European Tour Order of Merit winner | 1987, 1990 |
European Tour Player of the Year | 1987, 1990 |
European Senior Tour Order of Merit winner | 2008 |
Ian Harold Woosnam OBE (born 2 March 1958) is a Welsh professional golfer.
Nicknamed 'Woosie', 'Woosers', or the 'Wee Welshman', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup. His peers in this group were Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, and Sandy Lyle.[1] Woosnam was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame and will be inducted in September 2017.[2]
Career outline
Woosnam was born in the town of Oswestry, Shropshire in England, and his family lived in the nearby village of St Martin's in Shropshire. He started playing at the unique Llanymynech Golf Club, which straddles the Wales-England border.[3] He is short for a male golfer at 1.64 m (5 ft 4 1⁄2 in), but he is a powerful hitter. He played as an amateur in regional competitions in the English county of Shropshire alongside Sandy Lyle.
Woosnam turned professional in 1976 and first played the European Tour in 1979. Woosnam spent his early years on Tour driving around the continent in a camper van, living on a diet of baked beans to save money.[4] After three modest seasons, his career took off in 1982 when he won the Swiss Open and came eighth on the Order of Merit (prize money list). He also finished in the top ten on the Order of Merit every year from 1983 to 1991 and again in 1993, 1996, and 1997, making thirteen times in all. In 1987 and 1990 he was first, and in the former year he set a world record for global tournament earnings of £1,062,662. He has won 28 official money events on the European Tour and many other events around the world.
Woosnam placed third in the 1986 Open Championship. In 1991, he reached the top of the Official World Golf Ranking, eventually spending a total of 50 weeks as World Number 1 (7 April 1991 – 21 March 1992). In the same year, he emulated his British rivals, Sandy Lyle and Nick Faldo, by winning the Masters Tournament; the first person representing Wales to ever win a major championship.[5][6]
After winning the Torras Monte Carlo Golf Open in 1991, Woosnam had a decline in form in the second half of the year and said that he was suffering from exhaustion after playing in too many tournaments across the world. In December 1991, his sterling silver Masters trophy, a $9,000 copy of the original, was stolen from a British train.[7]
Woosnam's last official European Tour victory was in the 1997 Volvo PGA Championship. In the late 1990s, his form began to fade, but he nearly made a spectacular comeback at The Open Championship in 2001, when he finished third despite suffering a two-stroke penalty for starting the final round with 15 clubs in his bag instead of the allowable maximum of 14. While his caddie, Miles Byrne, was responsible for this error, Woosnam surprisingly decided not to fire him stating: "It is the biggest mistake he will make in his life. He won't do it again. He's a good caddie. I am not going to sack him. He's a good lad."[8]
Ironically, Woosnam did fire his caddie two weeks later when, after a night drinking on the town, he failed to turn up to tee-time.[9] In the same year, at the age of 43, Woosnam became the oldest player to win the World Match Play Championship (not an official European Tour event at the time) when he beat Pádraig Harrington 2 & 1 in the 2001 final. Woosnam also became the first player to capture the trophy in three different decades, having previously won the World Match Play Championship in 1987 and 1990.[4] Woosnam had a record outward nine holes of 28 (-7) in the 2001 final against Harrington, which tied the tournament record of 7 successive birdies in a match.[10]
Woosnam was a member of eight consecutive European Ryder Cup teams from 1983 to 1997. Despite not winning a singles match he accumulated an overall record of 14 wins, 12 losses and 5 halves in 31 matches. He was a vice captain for the 2002 European team and was elected as captain for the 2006 Ryder Cup, leading Europe to victory over the U.S. 18½–9½ at the K Club, County Kildare, Ireland.
Woosnam was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in early 1987,[11] which affects approximately 1 in 200 men and 1 in 500 women in Britain.[12] In December that year, Woosnam won the first of his three BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year awards, which he went on to win in 1990 and 1991.[13]
Woosnam was awarded an O.B.E. in the 2007 New Years Honours List.[14] He now lives in Jersey.
On 1 June 2008, Woosnam won his first stroke play title in 11 years at the Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship at Kraków Valley Golf and Country Club, finishing with a course record 63.[15] The tournament was his third appearance on European Seniors Tour, which he joined after turning 50 years old in March 2008. Woosnam would go on to win the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit that year becoming the only person to have won the Order of Merit on both the European Seniors Tour and the regular European Tour.
In September 2010. Woosnam was inducted to the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame.[16]
After Woosnam missed the cut in the 2016 Masters Tournament, he said in an interview that this was his last Masters appearance, stating he's not fit enough to play with his bad back.[17]
Controversy
Woosnam was criticised for playing a tournament in Sun City, North West in Apartheid South Africa, in contravention of the United Nations cultural moratorium.[18]
Professional wins (52)
European Tour wins (29)
Legend |
Major championships (1) |
Flagship event (2) |
Other European Tour (26) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 29 Aug 1982 | Ebel Swiss Open | −16 (68-68-66-70=272) | Playoff | Bill Longmuir |
2 | 5 Jun 1983 | Silk Cut Masters | −15 (68-69-67-65=269) | 3 strokes | Bernard Gallacher |
3 | 8 Aug 1984 | Scandinavian Enterprise Open | −4 (71-70-69-70=280) | 3 strokes | Peter Teravainen |
4 | 21 Sep 1986 | Lawrence Batley International T.P.C. | −11 (71-71-66-69=277) | 7 strokes | Ken Brown, José Maria Cañizares |
5 | 12 Apr 1987 | Jersey Open | −9 (68-67-72-72=279) | 1 stroke | Bill Malley |
6 | 26 Apr 1987 | Cepsa Madrid Open | −19 (67-67-69-66=269) | 3 strokes | Wayne Grady |
7 | 11 Jul 1987 | Bell's Scottish Open | −20 (65-65-66-68=264) | 7 strokes | Peter Senior |
8 | 20 Sep 1987 | Trophée Lancôme | −24 (65-64-69-66=264) | 2 strokes | Mark McNulty |
9 | 30 May 1988 | Volvo PGA Championship | −14 (67-70-70-67=274) | 2 strokes | Seve Ballesteros, Mark James |
10 | 21 Aug 1988 | Carroll's Irish Open | −10 (68-70-70-70=278) | 7 strokes | Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Manuel Piñero, Des Smyth |
11 | 11 Sep 1988 | Panasonic European Open | −20 (65-66-64-65=260) | 3 strokes | Nick Faldo |
12 | 25 Jul 1989 | Carroll's Irish Open | −10 (70-67-71-70=278) | Playoff | Philip Walton |
13 | 4 Mar 1990 | Amex Med Open | −6 (68-68-74=210) | 2 strokes | Miguel Ángel Martín, Eduardo Romero |
14 | 7 Jul 1990 | Torras Monte Carlo Open | −18 (66-67-65-60=258) | 5 strokes | Costantino Rocca |
15 | 14 Jul 1990 | Bell's Scottish Open | −15 (72-62-67-68=269) | 4 strokes | Mark McNulty |
16 | 30 Sep 1990 | Epson Grand Prix of Europe | −13 (65-67-67-72=271) | 3 strokes | Mark McNulty, José María Olazábal |
17 | 3 Mar 1991 | Fujitsu Mediterranean Open | −5 (70-71-71-67=279) | 1 stroke | Michael McLean |
18 | 14 Apr 1991 | Masters Tournament | −11 (72-66-67-72=277) | 1 stroke | José María Olazábal |
19 | 6 Jul 1991 | Torras Monte Carlo Golf Open | −15 (67-66-61-67=261) | 4 strokes | Anders Forsbrand |
20 | 4 Jul 1992 | European Monte Carlo Open | −15 (66-65-66-64=261) | 2 strokes | Mark McNulty, Johan Ryström |
21 | 22 Aug 1993 | Murphy's English Open | −19 (71-67-65-66=269) | 2 strokes | Costantino Rocca |
22 | 19 Sep 1993 | Trophée Lancôme | −13 (64-70-68-65=267) | 2 strokes | Sam Torrance |
23 | 1 May 1994 | Air France Cannes Open | −17 (72-70-63-66=271) | 5 strokes | Colin Montgomerie |
24 | 18 Sep 1994 | Dunhill British Masters | −17 (71-70-63-67=271) | 4 strokes | Seve Ballesteros |
25 | 28 Jan 1996 | Johnnie Walker Classic | −16 (69-68-69-66=272) | Playoff | Andrew Coltart |
26 | 4 Feb 1996 | Heineken Classic | −11 (69-71-65-72=277) | 1 stroke | Paul McGinley, Jean van de Velde |
27 | 13 Jul 1996 | Scottish Open | +1 (70-74-70-75=289) | 4 strokes | Andrew Coltart |
28 | 25 Aug 1996 | Volvo German Open | −20 (64-64-65=193) | 6 strokes | Thomas Gögele, Robert Karlsson, Iain Pyman, Fernando Roca |
29 | 26 May 1997 | Volvo PGA Championship | −13 (67-68-70-70=275) | 2 strokes | Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo |
European Tour playoff record (3–5)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1982 | Ebel Swiss Open | Bill Longmuir | Won with par on third extra hole |
2 | 1987 | Suze Open | Seve Ballesteros | Lost to par on first extra hole |
3 | 1989 | Wang Four Stars | Craig Parry | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
4 | 1989 | Carroll's Irish Open | Philip Walton | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
5 | 1993 | Honda Open | Paul Broadhurst, Johan Ryström, Sam Torrance |
Torrance won with birdie on first extra hole |
6 | 1996 | Johnnie Walker Classic | Andrew Coltart | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
7 | 1997 | Dubai Desert Classic | Richard Green, Greg Norman | Green won with birdie on first extra hole |
8 | 1999 | Linde German Masters | Sergio García, Pádraig Harrington | García won with birdie on second extra hole Woosman eliminated with par on first hole |
PGA Tour wins (2)
Legend |
Major championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (1) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 Mar 1991 | USF&G Classic | −13 (73-67-68-67=275) | Playoff | Jim Hallet |
2 | 14 Apr 1991 | Masters Tournament | −11 (72-66-67-72=277) | 1 stroke | José María Olazábal |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1991 | USF&G Classic | Jim Hallet | Won with par on second extra hole |
Other wins (15)
- 1979 News of the World Under-23 Match Play Championship
- 1982 Cacharel Under-25 Championship
- 1985 Zambia Open
- 1986 555 Kenya Open
- 1987 Suntory World Match Play Championship, Hong Kong Open, Million Dollar Challenge (South Africa), World Cup (team with David Llewellyn), World Cup (individual)
- 1988 Welsh Professional Championship
- 1990 Suntory World Match Play Championship
- 1991 PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States), World Cup (individual)
- 1997 Hyundai Motor Masters (South Korea)
- 2001 Cisco World Match Play Championship
Champions Tour wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 May 2015 | Insperity Invitational | −11 (71-66-68=205) | Playoff | Tom Lehman, Kenny Perry |
Champions Tour playoff record (1–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2015 | Insperity Invitational | Tom Lehman, Kenny Perry | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
European Senior Tour wins (5)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 Jun 2008 | Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship | −14 (71-68-63=202) | 1 stroke | Domingo Hospital |
2 | 6 Jul 2008 | Russian Seniors Open | −12 (67-67-70=204) | 3 strokes | Ángel Franco |
3 | 7 Jun 2009 | Irish Seniors Open | −2 (74-70-67=211) | Playoff | Bob Boyd |
4 | 19 Jun 2011 | Berenberg Bank Masters | −9 (71-70-66=207) | 2 strokes | Ángel Fernández |
5 | 12 Oct 2014 | Dutch Senior Open | −11 (71-69-68=208) | 5 strokes | Philip Golding, David J Russell, George Ryall |
Other senior wins (1)
- 2009 PGA Handa Cup Philanthropy Senior Tournament (Japan PGA Senior Tour)
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1991 | Masters Tournament | 1 shot lead | −11 (72-66-67-72=277) | 1 stroke | José María Olazábal |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | T14 |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T2 |
The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | CUT | T16 | T3 | T8 | T25 | T49 |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T30 | CUT | WD | 6 |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T30 | 1 | T19 | T17 | T46 | T17 | T29 | T39 | T16 | T14 |
U.S. Open | T21 | T55 | T6 | T52 | CUT | T21 | T79 | CUT | CUT | DNP |
The Open Championship | T4 | T17 | T5 | T51 | CUT | T49 | CUT | T24 | T57 | T24 |
PGA Championship | T31 | T48 | CUT | T22 | T9 | CUT | T36 | CUT | T29 | CUT |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T40 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | DNP | 44 | CUT |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | T68 | T3 | T37 | 72 | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | CUT | T51 | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 28 | 13 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 7 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 23 | 17 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 9 |
Totals | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 24 | 79 | 46 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 15 (1989 Masters – 1992 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1992 U.S. Open – 1992 Open Championship)
Results in senior major championships
Results are not in chronological order before 2016.
Tournament | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Tradition | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T43 | DNP | T52 |
Senior PGA Championship | T16 | T37 | DNP | DNP | DNP | T59 | CUT | DNP | CUT |
Senior Players Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Senior Open Championship | T13 | T19 | T8 | T16 | T10 | CUT | 75 | DNP | T44 |
U.S. Senior Open | T23 | T22 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 4 |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
- World Cup (representing Wales): 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987 (team and individual winner), 1990, 1991 (individual winner), 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003
- Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1982 (winners), (representing Wales) 1984
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1983, 1985 (winners), 1987 (winners), 1989 (tied – cup retained), 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners), 1997 (winners), 2006 (winners, non-playing captain)
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Wales): 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2000
- Four Tours World Championship (representing Europe): 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990
- Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2000, 2002 (winners)
- UBS Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2001, 2002, 2003 (tie), 2004
- Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2006 (winners)
See also
References
- ↑ Reason, Mark (25 May 2003). "In the footsteps of the famous five". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
- ↑ "Love III gets Hall of Fame call: Woosnam, Mallon, Ochoa, Longhurst also included in Class of 2017". PGA Tour. 18 October 2016.
- ↑ "Ian Woosnam". BBC Wales. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
- 1 2 "Ian Woosnam – captain". BBC News. 18 September 2006.
- ↑ Diaz, Jamie (April 15, 1991). "Golf; Woosnam Wins On 18th Green". The New York Times.
- ↑ Garrity, John (22 April 1991). "Fight to the finish". Sports Illustrated.
- ↑ "Woosnam to take it easy next year". New Straits Times. 27 December 1991. p. 44.
- ↑ Caruso, David; Salovey, Peter (2004). The Emotionally Intelligent Manager. Jossey-Bass Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7879-7071-0.
- ↑ "Woosnam fires caddie". CBC Sports Golf. 5 August 2001. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ↑ "Volvo World Match Play Championship Facts and Figures". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
- ↑ Casey, Phil (29 July 2006). "New treatment puts Woosnam back in title hunt". The Independent. London. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ↑ "Woosnam to seek medical advice". Daily Mail. UK. 28 April 2007. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
- ↑ "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
- ↑ Carey, Paul (30 December 2006). "Golf: Woosie ends year with OBE". Western Mail. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
- ↑ "Woosnam celebrates Polish victory". BBC Sport. 1 June 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
- ↑ "Inductees to Roll Of Honour". Welsh Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.
- ↑ Huggan, John (8 April 2016). "Ian Woosnam quietly calls it quits in the Masters 25 years after win". Golf Digest.
- ↑ Ostler, Scott (7 December 1987). "There's a Price Paid for 'Guilt Premium' Offered by South Africa". Los Angeles Times.
External links
- Ian Woosnam at the European Tour official site
- Ian Woosnam at the PGA Tour official site
- Ian Woosnam at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- Llanymynech Golf Club