Ian Woosnam


Ian Harold Woosnam is a Welsh professional golfer.
Nicknamed 'Woosie', 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. Woosnam was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.

Early life

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.

Career outline

Woosnam started playing at the unique Llanymynech Golf Club, which straddles the Wales-England border. He is short for a male golfer at, 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. After three modest seasons, his career took off in 1982 when he won the Swiss Open and came eighth on the Order of Merit. 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. 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.
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.
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 decided at the time not to dismiss 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." Woosnam did dismiss his caddie two weeks later when, after a night drinking on the town, Byrne failed to turn up to tee-time.
Later in 2001, at the age of 43, Woosnam became the oldest player to win the World Match Play Championship when he beat Pádraig Harrington 2 & 1 in the 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. Woosnam had a record outward nine holes of 28 in the 2001 final against Harrington, which tied the tournament record of seven successive birdies in a match.
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.
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. The tournament was his third appearance on European Seniors Tour, which he joined after turning 50 years old in March 2008. Woosnam went 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.

Honours

In December 1987, 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.
Woosnam was awarded an OBE in the 2007 New Years Honours List.
In September 2010, he was inducted to the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Woosnam was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis in early 1987, which affects approximately 1 in 200 men and 1 in 500 women in Britain. He now lives in Jersey.

Controversy

Woosnam was criticised for playing a tournament in Sun City in apartheid South Africa, in contravention of the United Nations cultural moratorium.

Professional wins (52)

PGA Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
124 Mar 1991USF&G Classic−13 Playoff Jim Hallet
214 Apr 1991Masters Tournament−11 1 stroke José María Olazábal

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11991USF&G Classic Jim HalletWon with par on second extra hole

European Tour wins (29)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
129 Aug 1982Ebel Swiss Open−16 Playoff Bill Longmuir
25 Jun 1983Silk Cut Masters−15 3 strokes Bernard Gallacher
38 Jul 1984Scandinavian Enterprise Open−4 3 strokes Peter Teravainen
421 Sep 1986Lawrence Batley International T.P.C.−11 7 strokes Ken Brown, José María Cañizares
512 Apr 1987Jersey Open−9 1 stroke Bill Malley
626 Apr 1987Cepsa Madrid Open−19 3 strokes Wayne Grady
711 Jul 1987Bell's Scottish Open−20 7 strokes Peter Senior
820 Sep 1987Trophée Lancôme−24 2 strokes Mark McNulty
930 May 1988Volvo PGA Championship−14 2 strokes Seve Ballesteros, Mark James
1021 Aug 1988Carroll's Irish Open−10 7 strokes Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo,
Manuel Piñero, Des Smyth
1111 Sep 1988Panasonic European Open−20 3 strokes Nick Faldo
1225 Jun 1989Carroll's Irish Open −10 Playoff Philip Walton
134 Mar 1990Amex Med Open−6 2 strokes Miguel Ángel Martín, Eduardo Romero
147 Jul 1990Torras Monte Carlo Open−18 5 strokes Costantino Rocca
1514 Jul 1990Bell's Scottish Open −15 4 strokes Mark McNulty
1630 Sep 1990Epson Grand Prix of Europe−13 3 strokes Mark McNulty, José María Olazábal
173 Mar 1991Fujitsu Mediterranean Open −5 1 stroke Michael McLean
1814 Apr 1991Masters Tournament−11 1 stroke José María Olazábal
196 Jul 1991Torras Monte Carlo Golf Open −15 4 strokes Anders Forsbrand
204 Jul 1992European Monte Carlo Open −15 2 strokes Mark McNulty, Johan Ryström
2122 Aug 1993Murphy's English Open−19 2 strokes Costantino Rocca
2219 Sep 1993Trophée Lancôme −13 2 strokes Sam Torrance
231 May 1994Air France Cannes Open−17 5 strokes Colin Montgomerie
2418 Sep 1994Dunhill British Masters −17 4 strokes Seve Ballesteros
2528 Jan 1996Johnnie Walker Classic1−16 Playoff Andrew Coltart
264 Feb 1996Heineken Classic1−11 1 stroke Paul McGinley, Jean van de Velde
2713 Jul 1996Scottish Open +1 4 strokes Andrew Coltart
2825 Aug 1996Volvo German Open−20 6 strokes Thomas Gögele, Robert Karlsson,
Iain Pyman, Fernando Roca
2926 May 1997Volvo PGA Championship −13 2 strokes Darren Clarke, Ernie Els,
Nick Faldo

1Co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia
European Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11982Ebel Swiss Open Bill LongmuirWon with par on third extra hole
21987Suze Open Seve BallesterosLost to par on first extra hole
31989Wang Four Stars Craig ParryLost to birdie on first extra hole
41989Carroll's Irish Open Philip WaltonWon with birdie on second extra hole
51993Honda Open Paul Broadhurst, Johan Ryström,
Sam Torrance		Torrance won with birdie on first extra hole
61996Johnnie Walker Classic Andrew ColtartWon with birdie on third extra hole
71997Dubai Desert Classic Richard Green, Greg NormanGreen won with birdie on first extra hole
81999Linde German Masters Sergio García, Pádraig HarringtonGarcía won with birdie on second extra hole
Woosnam eliminated by par on first hole

Asia Golf Circuit wins (1)

Safari Circuit wins (2)

Other wins (12)

Other playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11987World Cup
 − Sandy Lyle and Sam TorranceWon with par on second extra hole
21992World Cup Individual Trophy Brett OgleLost to birdie on first extra hole
31996Johnnie Walker Super Tour Ernie ElsLost to par on first extra hole
41997Hyundai Motor Masters Sandy LyleWon with birdie on second extra hole

Champions Tour wins (1)

Champions Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
12015Insperity Invitational Tom Lehman, Kenny PerryWon with birdie on first extra hole

European Senior Tour wins (5)

European Senior Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
12009Irish Seniors Open Bob BoydWon with birdie on third extra hole
22016Acorn Jersey Open Gordon Manson, Gary WolstenholmeManson won with birdie on third extra hole

Japan PGA Senior Tour wins (1)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the half way cut

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied

Results in senior major championships

Results are not in chronological order before 2017.
CUT = missed the halfway cut

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances