Ian Woosnam

PGA Tour victories: 2 - 1991 USF&G Classic, Masters
European Tour victories: 29 - 1982 Swiss Open; 1983 Silk Cut Masters; 1984 Scandinavian Enterprise Open; 1986 Lawrence Batley TPC; 1987 Jersey Open, Madrid Open, Scottish Open, Lancome Trophy; 1988 Volvo PGA Championship, Irish Open, European Open; 1989 Irish Open; 1990 Mediterranean Open, Monte Carlo Open, Scottish Open, Epson Grand Prix; 1991 Mediterranean Open, Masters, Monte Carlo Open; 1992 Monte Carlo Open; 1993 Murphy's English Open, Trophee Lancome; 1994 Cannes Open, Dunhill British Masters; 1996 Johnnie Walker Classic, Heineken Classic, Scottish Open, Volvo German Open; 1997 Volvo PGA Championship.
European Seniors Victories: 4 - 2008 Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship, Russian Seniors Open; 2009 Irish Seniors Open; 2011 Barenberg Bank Masters; 2014 Dutch Senior Open
Other victories: 1979 News of The World Under-23 Match Play Championship; 1982 Cacharel Under-25 Championship; 1985 Zambian Open; 1986 Kenya Open; 1987 Hong Kong Open, World Cup (individual), Suntory World Matchplay Championship; 1988 Million Dollar Challenge (S.A.); 1990 Suntory World Match Play Championship; 1991 World Cup (individual), PGA Grand Slam.
European Senior Tour wins: 5 - 2008 Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship, Russian Seniors Open; 2009 Irish Seniors Open; 2011 Berenberg Bank Masters; 2014 Dutch Senior Open.]

Woosnam became the first player to win the Order of Merit on both the European Tour (1987 and '90) and the European Senior Tour, earning Euro$320,120 in his rookie year of 2008 to land the John Jacobs Trophy. He almost defended the European Senior Tour Order of Merit crown but was edged by his old friend, Sam Torrance, in 2009. Missed most of the 2007 season while recuperating from a viral ailment, and he continued to battle the rheumatic disease, ankylosing spondylitis, a condition he was first diagnosed with in 1987. That did not stop him from being one of Europe's greatest golfers, with 29 official European Tour titles to his name, including that memorable day in April 1991 when he won the Masters. The Ryder Cup Matches have also been a huge part of his career. He has played eight. In 1993, he became the first European to claim the maximum of four points from the two foursomes and two four-ball matches, a feat matched by Sergio Garcia at The K Club in 2006. That was the year Woosnam captained Europe to a nine-point victory, his team winning all five sessions for the first time in the biennial contest. Received the Order of the British Empire in 2007 in recognition of the feat. Both parents are Welsh, and he learned the game on the local Llanmynech course (15 holes in Wales, three in England) on the border. Worked on the family farm for six months after leaving school. Credits his stocky but powerful physique to lifting heavy hay bales. He was a rival of Sandy Lyle in Shropshire County golf.
In his youth, Woosnam was more devoted to the sport than school. He was torn between soccer and golf and did not know what profession to choose. When he left school at 16, he picked golf because it was physically less destructive than soccer. When he was 18, he traveled the European Tour in a borrowed Volkswagen Caravanette, existing on fast food, and borrowed money because he did not have a sponsor. He promised himself five years to make it in golf, and months away from that self-imposed deadline, the 5-foot, 4-inch Welshman did well on the Safari Tour. He played solid golf on the 1982 European Tour, winning his first tournament (Swiss Open) and placing 8th on the Order of Merit. Between 1983 and 1986, he won three more European tournaments and placed 4th and 9th on the Order of Merit. In 1987, he found the winner's circle five times and led the Order of Merit. His best year was 1990, when he won five tournaments and again placed 1st on the Order of Merit. Was a member of eight European Ryder Cup teams (1983, '85, '87, '89, '91, '93, '95, and '97) and captain of the 2006 team in Ireland.
2008 European Seniors Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 13; Top-10 Finishes - 7; Money - Euro$320,120 (rank 1st); Best Finishes - 1st, Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship, Russian Seniors Open.
2009 European Seniors Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 13; Top-10 Finishes - 5; Money - Euro$167,316 (rank 2nd); Best Finish - 1st, Irish Seniors Open.
2010 European Seniors Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 13; Top-10 Finishes - 1; Money - Euro$85,426 (rank 28th); Best Finish - T-8th, Senior Open Championship.
2011 European Seniors Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 14; Top-10 Finishes - 6; Money - Euro$179,160 (rank 5th); Best Finish - 1st, Berenberg Bank Masters.
2012 European Seniors Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 8; Top-10 Finishes - 4; Money - Euro$83,357 (rank 21st); Best Finish - 3rd, Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open.
2013 European Seniors Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 11; Top-10 Finishes - 5; Money - Euro$98,721 (rank 13th); Best Finish - 3rd, ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship.
2014 European Seniors Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 10; Top-10 Finishes - 2; Money - Euro$59,980 (rank 24th); Best Finish - 1st, Dutch Senior Open.
2015 Notes: Won for the first time on PGA Tour Champions when he made a 30-foot birdie putt at the first playoff hole to defeat Tom Lehman and Kenny Perry for the Insperity Invitational title. Victory near Houston came at age 57 years, 2 months, 1 day, making him the third-oldest, first-time winner in PGA Tour Champions history and the oldest first-timer since Bruce Devlin won the 1995 FHP Health Care Classic a little more than four months past his 57th birthday. Became the first player from Wales to win on the PGA Tour Champions. The week before winning, was second at the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge. He and teammate Sandy Lyle were leading by two strokes after 36 holes but couldn't hold off a final-round charge by the Billy Andrade and Joe Durant team.
After finishing T-45th at the Senior PGA Championship, played twice on the European Senior Tour, finishing T-2nd at the SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open, two strokes behind winner Paul Wesselingh. The next week, had a home start at the Acorn Jersey Open, where he finished 42nd.
2015 European Seniors Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 5; Top-10 Finishes - 1; Money - Euro$41,804 (rank 32nd); Best Finishes - T-2nd, SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open.
2016 Notes: The season included 15 starts on PGA Tour Champions and nine on the European Senior Tour, and a start at the Masters. Was on the leaderboard throughout the final two rounds at the U.S. Senior Open in August in Columbus before eventually finishing 4th, two strokes behind eventual winner Gene Sauers. Fired a closing-round, two-under-par 68 on his way to his best showing in a major championship on PGA Tour Champions since he finished T-8th at the 2010 Senior Open Championship. He finished T-10th at the Toshiba Classic, where his second round included a double eagle at the 15th hole (driver, 3-iron from 215 yards). His year's highlight came in October when he was selected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Good fortune followed later in the week when he finished 5th at the PowerShares QQQ Championship, the first Charles Schwab Cup Playoff event. Among his four top-10 finishes on the European Senior Tour were a pair of T-2nd efforts at the Travis Perkins Masters and the Acorn Jersey Open. Competed at his 28th Masters Tournament but did not make the cut.
2017 Notes: His schedule included 14 starts on PGA Tour Champions and four more on the European Senior Tour. Was T-8th at the unofficial Diamond Resorts Invitational. Best finish on Champions Tour, a T-22nd at the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf, playing with Sandy Lyle.
2018 Notes: Played in eight events on PGA Tour Champions with a best finish of T-30th at the Bass Pro Shops Legends teamed with Sandy Lyle.
2019 Notes: Played in six PGA Tour Champions events with two top-25 finishes. Best finish was T-12th at the Regions Tradition. Woosnam played in his 31st Masters and missed the cut. After the second round, he announced that he was retiring from the Masters.
2020 Notes: On January 22nd, Woosnam had back surgery, which was a success. Two months later, he was swinging a club without pain and was playing Augusta National again, this time on a simulator in his garage. Before the pandemic postponed the Masters, Woosnam was looking forward to traveling to Augusta for the April Masters in his new non-playing capacity. Because of COVID-19, he wasn't able to travel to the Masters in November.
2021 Notes: When Woosnam received his invitation to play in the 2021 Masters, he had a change of heart on his retirement. He wrote on social media, "with the back operation, which has gone really well, I'm going to play again, can't wait." He missed the cut in what would be his 32nd and last Masters start. Though he boasts seven top-25 finishes, his 1991 victory was the only time Woosnam finished in the top 10 at the Masters. He finished the year with his best finish, a T-24th at the Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale.
2022 Notes: After fighting years with ankylosing spondylitis, a condition that affects the spine, he decided to retire from the Masters. He was T-54th at the Cologuard Classic and T-29th at the Senior Open Championship. Played on the European Legends tour in six events his best finish was T-3rd at the Legends Open de France. Has not played competitively since finishing T-32nd in the Jersey Legends last November.