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. 1988) |
| 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 OBE (born August 24, 1953) is a Scottish professional golfer and sports commentator. He was one of the top players on the European Tour from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, winning 21 tournaments. Sam was part of the European Ryder Cup team eight times in a row, helping them win four times. He also won with the Scotland team at the 1995 Dunhill Cup. In 2002, he was the winning non-playing captain for the European Ryder Cup team. He received the MBE (1996) and OBE (2003) awards for his amazing contributions to golf.
Contents
Early Life and Golf Beginnings
Sam Torrance was born and grew up in Largs, a town on the west coast of Scotland. He started playing golf at Routenburn Golf Club, which was near his family home. His father, Bob, was a highly respected golf teacher who coached Sam from when he was a child.
Sam played for Scotland in a special match against England in August 1970. He became a professional golfer at the age of 17. His first job was at Sunningdale, where he played golf for money with club members. This extra money was very important because he was only paid £5 a week as an assistant professional.
Sam's Professional Golf Career
Playing on the European Tour
In 1970, Sam Torrance joined the golf tour, which became known as the European Tour in 1972. He won his first professional tournament in 1972 and also received the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award that same year. His first official European Tour win was in 1976.
Sam won 21 tournaments on the European Tour. Only one other Scottish golfer, Colin Montgomerie, has won more European Tour titles without winning one of golf's four biggest championships, called major championships. Sam's best finish in the European Tour's yearly rankings was second place, which he achieved in 1984 and 1995. He finished in the top 10 of these rankings ten times.
He used to hold the record for playing in the most European Tour events, with 706 appearances. However, in 2020, Miguel Ángel Jiménez passed Sam's record.
Sam played in The Open Championship 28 times. His best result was tied for 5th place in 1981 at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England.
Playing Around the World
Sam also played in other parts of the world. In 1980, he finished second in the New South Wales Open in Australia. The very next week, he won the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, beating famous golfer Seve Ballesteros.
In 1983, Sam played in a PGA Tour tournament in the U.S. for the first time. He tied for first place after 72 holes at the 1983 Southern Open in Georgia. This was his first time making the cut in a PGA Tour event. He lost in a playoff against Ronnie Black.
He also came close to winning in Japan in 1984, losing in a playoff at the Bridgestone Tournament. That same year, he finished second at the Malaysian Open.
Ryder Cup Hero
Sam Torrance played for Europe in the Ryder Cup eight times in a row, from 1981 to 1995. The Ryder Cup is a team golf competition held every two years between Europe and the United States.
In 1985, Sam made the winning putt on the final hole, which meant Europe won the trophy for the first time in 28 years! He was also part of the winning teams in 1987 (Europe's first win on American soil), 1989, and 1995.
In 2002, Sam was the non-playing captain of the European team that won the Ryder Cup at The Belfry. This made him only the second European golfer to both make the winning putt as a player and captain a winning team, after Seve Ballesteros. He was also a vice-captain for the 2016 Ryder Cup.
Sam represented Scotland many times in other team events, including the World Cup and the Alfred Dunhill Cup. 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 turned 50 in 2003, he became old enough to play in senior golf tournaments. He won his first event on the European Senior Tour in 2004. He was the top player on the European Senior Tour's Order of Merit (their ranking system) in 2005, 2006, and 2009. He won 11 tournaments on the European Senior Tour.
Sam retired from playing competitive golf in October 2017.
During his best years, Sam was known for hitting the ball very far and for his accurate short shots, often playing in a bold way. 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 success with it.
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 played golf at a high level. Daniel even competed with Sam in the Pro-Am competition at the Dunhill Links Championship, and they won it once.
Sam is a fan of the football clubs Celtic and Manchester United.
Awards and Honors
Sam Torrance has received several important awards for his contributions to golf:
- He 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.
- In June 2023, the University of St Andrews gave him an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree, recognizing his amazing career and impact on golf.
Books and Broadcasting
Sam Torrance has written or co-written several golf books, sharing his experiences and stories from the sport. Some of his books include "Play It Again, Sam: The Autobiography" and "An Enduring Passion: My Ryder Cup Years."
He has also worked as a golf commentator for BBC Sport. He even provided commentary for the video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09.
Sam 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 the show began in 1970. This means his team answered every question correctly.
Team Appearances
Sam Torrance has been a part of many important golf teams:
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1981, 1983, 1985 (winners), 1987 (winners), 1989 (tied and kept trophy), 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners), 2002 (winners, as non-playing captain)
- World Cup (representing Scotland): 1976, 1978, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995
- 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), (representing Scotland) 1984
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Scotland): 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners), 1999
- Four Tours World Championship (representing Europe): 1985, 1991 (winners, as captain)
- UBS Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2001, 2002, 2004
- Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2013 (as non-playing captain)
Images for kids
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At the Dutch Seniors Open 2010
See also
- List of golfers with most European Tour wins
- List of golfers with most European Senior Tour wins
