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Hale Irwin joined the Tour in 1968 and after struggling to make an
impact in his first couple of years he has gone on to establish himself
as one of the most consistent performers around. An example of this
consistency is his remarkable run of 86 events without missing a cut
between the years of 1975-79. His first tournament success came in the
1971 Sea Pines Heritage Classic,played at the Harbour Town course,and he
was successful once again in that same tournament two years later. His
next victory was far more important,however,as it brought him his first
major championship with his success in the 1974 US Open at Winged Foot.
His accurate driving held him in good stead in extremely difficult
conditions and his rounds of 73,70,71 and 73 were sufficient to give him
a two stroke victory from Forrest Fezler.
An indication of those
difficult conditions was Irwin's winning total of seven over par but it
mattered not to the man from Joplin,Missouri as he savoured his first
ever major success. Irwin returned to defend his crown the following
year and came agonisingly close to doing just that but in the end had to
settle for a tie for third place at four over par just one shot back on
the winner Lou Graham. There were victories at both the Atlanta Classic
and Western Open on the US Tour and for a second successive year he won
the Piccadilly World Match Play title at Wentworth. Hale made his Ryder
Cup debut later that year and performed splendidly - gaining four and a
half points from a possible five - as the Americans strolled to a 21-11
win over the Great Britain & Ireland team. (David Scranage)
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