Ian Woosnam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ian WoosnamOBE |
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Woosnam in 2009
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Ian Harold Woosnam |
| Nickname | Woosie |
| Born | 2 March 1958 Oswestry, England |
| Height | 1.63m |
| Weight | 168 lb (76 kg; 12.0 st) |
| Nationality |  Wales |
| Residence | Jersey |
| Spouse |
Glendryth
(m. 1983) |
| Children | 3 |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1976 |
| Current tour(s) | European Senior Tour |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour PGA Tour Champions |
| Professional wins | 52 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 2 |
| European Tour | 29 (6th-all-time) |
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 2 |
| Champions Tour | 1 |
| European Seniors Tour | 5 |
| Other | 16 |
| Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 1) |
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| The Masters Tournament | Won: 1991 |
| U.S. Open | T2: 1989 |
| The Open Championship | T3: 1986, 2001 |
| PGA Championship | 6th: 1989 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 2017 |
| European Tour Order of Merit winner |
1987, 1990 |
| European Tour Golfer of the Year |
1987 |
| European Seniors Tour Order of Merit winner |
2008 |
| European Seniors Tour Rookie of the Year |
2008 |
Ian Harold Woosnam (born 2 March 1958) is a Welsh professional golfer. People often call him "Woosie". He was part of a special group of five European golfers. They were all born around the same time. Each of them won a major golf championship. They also helped Europe become very strong in the Ryder Cup golf competition. The other golfers in this group were Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, and Sandy Lyle. Ian Woosnam won the Masters Tournament in 1991. He was added to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.
Contents
Early Life & Amateur Golf
Ian Woosnam was born in Oswestry, England. His family lived in a nearby village called St Martin's.
He started playing golf at the Llanymynech Golf Club. This club is unique because it is on the border between Wales and England. Even though he is not very tall for a male golfer, he could hit the ball with great power. As a young golfer, he played in local competitions in England.
Becoming a Professional Golfer
Woosnam became a professional golfer in 1976. He started playing on the European Tour in 1979. In his early years, he traveled around Europe in a camper van. He ate simple food to save money.
His career really took off in 1982. He won the Swiss Open that year. He also finished eighth on the Order of Merit. This is a list that ranks golfers by how much prize money they win. From 1983 to 1991, he was always in the top ten on this list. He also made the top ten in 1993, 1996, and 1997. In total, he was in the top ten thirteen times.
In 1987 and 1990, he was number one on the Order of Merit. In 1987, he earned a world record amount of prize money. He won 28 official tournaments on the European Tour. He also won many other events around the world.
Major Wins and World Number One
In 1991, Ian Woosnam became the best golfer in the world. He was ranked World Number 1 for 50 weeks. This was from April 1991 to March 1992.
In that same year, he won the Masters Tournament. This was a huge achievement. He was the first golfer from Wales to win a major championship. After winning the Torras Monte Carlo Golf Open in 1991, he felt very tired. He said he had played in too many tournaments.
In December 1991, his special Masters trophy was stolen from a train. It was a silver copy of the original trophy.
Later Career & Challenges
Woosnam's last official European Tour win was in 1997. This was at the Volvo PGA Championship. In the late 1990s, his golf game was not as strong.
However, he almost made a big comeback in 2001. This was at The Open Championship. He finished third, even though he had a two-stroke penalty. This happened because he started the final round with 15 clubs in his bag. Golfers are only allowed to have 14 clubs. His caddie (the person who carries his clubs) made this mistake. Woosnam decided not to fire him at first. He said, "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." But two weeks later, he did let his caddie go. This was after the caddie did not show up for a tee-time.
Later in 2001, when he was 43, Woosnam won the World Match Play Championship. He was the oldest player to win this event. He also became the first player to win this trophy in three different decades. He had won it before in 1987 and 1990. In the 2001 final, he set a tournament record. He made seven birdies in a row.
Ryder Cup Captain
Ian Woosnam was a member of the European Ryder Cup team eight times in a row. This was from 1983 to 1997. He played 31 matches. He won 14, lost 12, and tied 5. He was a helper captain for the European team in 2002. Then, he was chosen to be the captain for the 2006 Ryder Cup. He led Europe to a big victory over the U.S. team. The final score was 18½–9½.
Senior Tour Success
On June 1, 2008, Woosnam won his first stroke play title in 11 years. This was at the Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship. He had just turned 50 in March 2008 and joined the European Seniors Tour. He won the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit that year. This made him the only person to win the Order of Merit on both the regular European Tour and the European Seniors Tour.
Awards and Recognition
- In 1987, 1990, and 1991, Woosnam won the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year award.
- He received an OBE award in 2007. This is a special honor from the British government.
- In September 2010, he was added to the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
In 1987, Ian Woosnam was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This is a condition that affects the spine.
Professional Wins
Ian Woosnam has won 52 professional golf tournaments.
PGA Tour Wins (2)
- Masters Tournament (1991)
- USF&G Classic (1991)
European Tour Wins (29)
He won many tournaments on the European Tour, including:
- Ebel Swiss Open (1982)
- Silk Cut Masters (1983)
- Scandinavian Enterprise Open (1984)
- Lawrence Batley International T.P.C. (1986)
- Jersey Open (1987)
- Cepsa Madrid Open (1987)
- Bell's Scottish Open (1987, 1990, 1996)
- Trophée Lancôme (1987, 1993)
- Volvo PGA Championship (1988, 1997)
- Carroll's Irish Open (1988, 1989)
- Panasonic European Open (1988)
- Amex Med Open (1990)
- Torras Monte Carlo Open (1990, 1991)
- Epson Grand Prix of Europe (1990)
- Fujitsu Mediterranean Open (1991)
- The European Newspaper Monte Carlo Open (1992)
- Murphy's English Open (1993)
- Air France Cannes Open (1994)
- Dunhill British Masters (1994)
- Johnnie Walker Classic (1996)
- Heineken Classic (1996)
- Volvo German Open (1996)
Other Wins (20)
Woosnam also won tournaments on other tours and special events:
- United Airlines Hong Kong Open (1987)
- Hyundai Motor Masters (1997)
- Zambia Open (1985)
- 555 Kenya Open (1986)
- News of the World Under-23 Match Play Championship (1979)
- Cacharel World Under-25 Championship (1982)
- Suntory World Match Play Championship (1987, 1990)
- World Cup (Team and Individual, 1987)
- Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge (1987)
- Welsh National PGA Championship (1988)
- World Cup Individual Trophy (1991)
- PGA Grand Slam of Golf (1991)
- Cisco World Match Play Championship (2001)
- Insperity Invitational (2015)
- Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship (2008)
- Russian Seniors Open (2008)
- Irish Seniors Open (2009)
- Berenberg Bank Masters (2011)
- Dutch Senior Open (2014)
- PGA Handa Cup Philanthropy Senior Tournament (2009)
Images for kids
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Woosnam in 2009
See also
In Spanish: Ian Woosnam para niños
