Ian WOOSNAM

 Ian Woosnam joined the European Tour in 1978,two years after he had turned professional,but his first few years proved to be something of a struggle. At the end of the 1981 season he stood in 104th place on the money list and his first four years on the Tour had yielded not much over £6,000. Then,in 1982,the big-hitting little man turned the corner by winning his first Tour event at the Swiss Open followed soon after by the Cacharel World Under-25 Championship. His dramatic improvement meant he found himself in the top ten of the Order of Merit and,helped by success at the Silk Cut Masters,he retained that position in 1983.

That meant a Ryder Cup debut for the man from Oswestry and he started well enough by gaining a half point,in partnership with Sam Torrance,against Ben Crenshaw and Calvin Peete. Thereafter,however,followed two defeats as the Europeans went down to a 14 1/2-13 1/2 defeat in the match played at the PGA National course in Florida. Woosnam continued to impress on the European Tour and by the end of 1985 he had improved to 4th in the Order of Merit. He was back on Ryder Cup duty in '85 for what proved to be a truly memorable week for European golf as they finally wrestled the cup off the Americans with a 16 1/2-11 1/2 victory. Ian partnered Paul Way to two wins over Fuzzy Zoeller and Hubert Green but was defeated with Way against Curtis Strange and Peter Jacobsen whilst in the singles he went down 2&1 to Craig Stadler. (David Scranage)

 In 1986 Woosnam turned in his best performance to date in the Open Championship when finishing in a tie for third place,albeit six strokes behind the winner Greg Norman. In tough conditions at Turnberry Woosnam returned rounds of 70,74,70 and 72 to finish level with Bernhard Langer at six over par. The following year saw Ian perform quite magnificently,winning on no less than five occasions,on his way to topping the Order of Merit. Those wins came at the Jersey,Madrid and Scottish Opens,the Lancome Trophy and the prestigious Suntory World Match Play. Buoyed by those successes Woosnam travelled to Ohio for the Ryder Cup as a vital cog in the European team. His partnership with Nick Faldo proved to be an inspired choice by captain Tony Jacklin as the pair picked up three and a half points from their four games.

Ian went down to a singles defeat to Andy Bean but Europe held on in the face of an American comeback to take the honours by fifteen points to thirteen. The little Welshman was to enjoy more success over the next couple of years in Europe and at the 1989 US Open he came agonisingly close to landing his first major. Rounds of 70,68,73 and a closing day 68 left him at one under par,just one stroke behind Curtis Strange whose victory owed much to a superb secound round 64. Woosnam was back on Ryder Cup duty later that year and the photo above shows his delight after sinking an important putt. He gained two and a half points from five as Europe retained the trophy thanks to a 14-14 draw in the match at the Belfry. (David Scranage)

 The dawn of a new decade saw Ian Woosnam enjoy another fine year on the European Tour with numerous victories to his name. The 1990 Open Championship,played at St Andrews,produced some excellent play from the stocky Welshman but it was his Ryder Cup side-kick Nick Faldo who took the title. Woosie's rounds of 68,69,70 and 69 left him in 4th place at twelve under par but the imperious Faldo set a new Open record with an 18 under par total of 270. Ian finally broke his majors duck in 1991 with his moment of glory coming at the US Masters (see photo above). Rounds of 66 and 67 were sandwiched in between a pair of 72s on the opening and closing days to give the Welshman an 11 under par total. Jose-Maria Olazabal pushed him all the way but Woosnam held his nerve admirably to hole a six footer on the last green for a one stroke victory.

That success elevated the Welshman to the dizzy heights of number one in the world - a far cry from his early years on the European Tour! There were notable victories over the next few years at such events as the 1993 English Open and '94 Dunhill British Masters but Woosnam was unable to launch a serious challange in any of the majors. Ian played in both the 1991 and 1993 Ryder Cup defeats and after a disappointing '91 match he bounced back superbly in '93. He partnered Bernhard Langer to two foursome wins whilst in the four-balls he teamed up with new boy Peter Baker to secure two more points. Woosnam halved his singles match with Fred Couples to finish the week as the leading European player with four and a half points from a possible five. (David Scranage)

 The 1995 Ryder Cup saw Europe regain the trophy they had lost in 1991 with a surprise 14 1/2-13 1/2 victory in the match played at Oak Hill,New York. Woosnam chipped in with one and a half points from three with his half point against Fred Couples on the final day proving to be vital in the final reckoning. The following year the 5ft 4in Welshman was victorious on no less than four occasions in Europe on his way to a second place finish behind Colin Montgomerie in the Order of Merit. Those wins came at the Johnnie Walker Classic,Heineken Classic,Scottish Open and German Open whilst the following year Woosie captured the prestigious Volvo PGA Championship (see photo above).

He made his 8th successive Ryder Cup appearance in 1997 as Europe retained the trophy at Valderrama by fourteen and a half points to thirteen and a half. It was a rather disappointing few days for the Welshman from a personal point of view,however,as captain Seve Ballesteros failed to play him until the afternoon four-balls of day two. He partnered Denmark's Thomas Bjorn to a 2&1 victory over Justin Leonard and Brad Faxon in that game before suffering a crushing 8&7 defeat at the hands of Fred Couples in the singles. That 1997 PGA triumph proved to be his last of the nineties and the last couple of years has seen Woosnam struggle to recapture the form which catapulted him to the World no.1 spot in 1991. He will no doubt be hoping that the new millenium brings an upturn in his fortunes. (David Scranage)