Ian Woosnam
Born on 2nd of March 1958
Ian Woosnam is a Welsh professional golfer born in Oswestry, England. He has various nicknames including 'Woosie' and 'the Wee Welshman', he stands at only 5ft 4ins tall. He is considered one of the 'Big Five', a generation of European golfers who were all born within 12 months of each other.
Woosnam turned professional in 1976 whilst still a teenager but did not achieve any real success for some years. The breakthrough finally came in 1982 when he won the Swiss Open. He finished eighth in the Order of Merit that year, a ranking based on earnings from tournament prize money. He finished in the top ten of the Order of Merit for a total of thirteen years altogether, including consecutive years from 1982 to 1991.
In 1986 he achieved a third place in the Open Championship, and in 1991 finally made it to the top of the Official Golf World Rankings. He managed to hold on to this position for 50 weeks. Between these achievements he had managed to become the first European golfer to top one million dollars in a season, winning eight tournaments that year.
Between 1983 and 1997 he was selected for eight consecutive Ryder Cups and was Vice Captain for the 2002 team. In 2006 he was given the honour of captaining the European Ryder Cup team. The team was highly successful under his leadership, thumping the USA team 18.5 pts to 9.5 pts.
Woosnam's golfing days are not over and he is still a formidable player. In 2008 he set a course record at Krakow Valley Golf and Country Club, whilst playing in a European Seniors Tour event. He was awarded the OBE in the 2007 New Years Honours list and currently resides on the island of Jersey.
Links:
http://www.woosie.com/ Official Pages...
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