Sam Torrance facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sam TorranceOBE |
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At the Dutch Seniors Open 2010
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Samuel Robert Torrance OBE |
| Born | 24 August 1953 Largs, Scotland |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Nationality |  Scotland |
| Residence | Virginia Water, England |
| Spouse |
Suzanne Danielle
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 4 |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1970 |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour European Senior Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 46 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 21 (Tied 10th all time) |
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 |
| European Seniors Tour | 11 (3rd all time) |
| Other | 13 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
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| The Masters Tournament | T31: 1985 |
| U.S. Open | T16: 1996 |
| The Open Championship | 5th: 1981 |
| PGA Championship | T23: 1995 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year |
1972 |
| European Senior Tour Order of Merit winner |
2005, 2006, 2009 |
Samuel Robert Torrance (born August 24, 1953) is a Scottish professional golfer and sports commentator. He was a top player on the European Tour for many years. From the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, he won 21 tournaments on this tour.
Sam Torrance was also a key member of the European Ryder Cup team. He played in this important golf competition eight times in a row. His teams won the Cup four times. He also helped Scotland win the 1995 Dunhill Cup. In 2002, he was the captain of the winning European Ryder Cup team. For his amazing contributions to golf, he received special honors from the British Empire. He was awarded the MBE in 1996 and the OBE in 2003.
Contents
Early life and start in golf
Sam Torrance was born and grew up in Largs, a town on the west coast of Scotland. He learned to play golf at Routenburn Golf Club, which was close to his family's home. His father, Bob Torrance, was a very respected golf coach. He taught Sam how to play golf from a young age.
In August 1970, when he was a boy, Sam played for Scotland against England in a special match. He became a professional golfer at just 17 years old. His first job was at Sunningdale, where he played golf for money with club members. This extra money was important because he only earned £5 a week as an assistant professional.
Professional golf career
Playing on the European Tour
Sam Torrance joined the golf tour in 1970. This tour officially became the European Tour in 1972. He won his first professional tournament in 1972. In the same year, he received the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. His first win on the European Tour happened in 1976.
He won a total of 21 times on the European Tour. Only one other Scottish golfer, Colin Montgomerie, has won more European Tour titles without winning one of golf's four major championships. Sam's best ranking on the European Tour's money list was second place, which he achieved in 1984 and 1995. He finished in the top 10 on this list ten times. He once held the record for playing in the most European Tour events, with 706 appearances. However, Miguel Ángel Jiménez passed his record in 2020.
Sam Torrance played in The Open Championship 28 times. His best result was finishing tied for 5th place in 1981. He also played in tournaments in Australia and Japan, often finishing near the top. In 1980, he won the Australian PGA Championship. In 1983, he almost won a tournament on the PGA Tour in the United States, losing in a playoff.
Ryder Cup heroics
Sam Torrance played for Europe in the Ryder Cup eight times in a row, from 1981 to 1995. The Ryder Cup is a big team competition held every two years between Europe and the United States. In 1985, he made the winning putt on the final hole, which helped Europe win the trophy for the first time in 28 years. He was also part of the winning European teams in 1987, 1989, and 1995.
In 2002, Sam Torrance was the non-playing captain of the European team that won the Ryder Cup. This made him only the second European golfer to both make the winning putt as a player and captain a winning team. He was also a vice-captain for the European team in the 2016 Ryder Cup.
Sam also represented Scotland many times in other team events. He played in the World Cup eleven times and the Alfred Dunhill Cup nine times. In 1995, he was part of the winning Scotland team at the Dunhill Cup, alongside Colin Montgomerie and Andrew Coltart.
Senior golf career
When Sam Torrance turned 50 in 2003, he became old enough to play in senior golf tournaments. He quickly started winning on the European Senior Tour in 2004. He was the top player on the European Senior Tour's money list three times: in 2005, 2006, and 2009. He never won a senior major championship, but his best finish was 5th place in the Senior Open Championship in 2009.
During this time, Sam also worked as a golf commentator for BBC Sport. He even provided commentary for a video game called Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09. Sam Torrance stopped playing competitive golf in October 2017.
Sam was known for hitting the ball very far and for his excellent short iron shots. He was also one of the first golfers to use a "broomhandle putter," which is a very long putter. He started using it in 1989 and found it helped his game a lot.
Personal life
Sam Torrance married English actress Suzanne Danielle in 1988. They have four children together. Sam's father, Bob, also coached Sam's son, Daniel, who became a good golfer too. Daniel even played with his father in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and they won the Pro-Am competition once.
Sam Torrance has appeared on the sports quiz show A Question of Sport five times. In 2008, he made history on the show by achieving the first-ever perfect score since it began in 1970. This means his team answered every question correctly.
Awards and honors
- Sam Torrance was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1996.
- He was promoted to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003 for his services to golf.
- In June 2023, the University of St Andrews gave Sam Torrance an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree. This was to recognize his amazing career and contributions to golf.
Professional wins (46)
Sam Torrance won a total of 46 professional golf tournaments during his career.
- He won 21 times on the European Tour.
- He won 1 time on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
- He won 1 time on the Safari Circuit.
- He won 1 time on the South American Golf Circuit.
- He won 11 other tournaments, including five Scottish Professional Championships.
- He won 11 times on the European Senior Tour.
Results in major championships
Sam Torrance played in golf's major championships many times.
- In The Open Championship, his best finish was 5th place in 1981. He also finished in the top 10 twice.
- In the Masters Tournament, his best finish was tied for 31st in 1985.
- In the U.S. Open, his best finish was tied for 16th in 1996.
- In the PGA Championship, his best finish was tied for 23rd in 1995.
He also played in senior major championships, with his best finish being 5th place in the Senior Open Championship in 2009 and tied for 5th in the U.S. Senior Open in 2007.
Team appearances
Sam Torrance was a frequent member of many important golf teams:
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1981, 1983, 1985 (winners), 1987 (winners), 1989 (tied and kept trophy), 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners). He was also the non-playing captain for the winning team in 2002.
- World Cup (representing Scotland): He played in this event eleven times.
- Double Diamond International (representing Scotland): 1973 (winners), 1976, 1977.
- Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1976 (winners), 1978 (winners), 1980 (winners), 1982 (winners). He also played for Scotland in 1984.
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Scotland): He played in this event nine times, winning in 1995.
- Four Tours World Championship (representing Europe): 1985, 1991 (winners, captain).
- UBS Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2001, 2002, 2004.
- Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): He was the non-playing captain in 2013.
See also
- List of golfers with most European Tour wins
- List of golfers with most European Senior Tour wins
