Cigarettes and whisky and wild, wild Woosie (Ian Woosnam)

Member Name: merv

Product:	Ian Woosnam
Date:	09/08/02 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great player, A real character, Home town boy makes good

Disadvantages: Past his peak

Everyone has an Achilles heel and I have two. In work, the younger members of staff used to have a bit of a go at me because of my penchant for name dropping - usually minor celebrities who I’d been to school with, bumped into on holiday or met at football matches.

I remember they once compiled a list of ‘not particularly famous people Merv’s met’ which got up to about 53 till we all got bored with it. Still it was a laugh while it lasted and brightened up the tea breaks for a couple of weeks.

The second failing is my love of golf, which is not allied to any ability at the game. I usually play about once a week, though I’m no longer a club member. I’m in demand to play from a wide circle of friends who I would like to believe consider me good company but I fear that they probably like to play someone they can beat.

These two weaknesses do have something in common, in that in the late 60’s and early 70’s I used to play golf with Ian Woosnam at a wonderful little golf club called Llanymynech near Oswestry in Shropshire.

I say ‘play’ loosely, because in those days he was a precocious twelve year old golfer with a tremendous drive and the limit of our involvement was me waving him through while me and the rest of my foursome searched for my wayward ball. At that time, there was no joining fee, and full membership was £14 per year! It was and still is one of the most picturesque clubs in the country, perched on a limestone cliff with majestic views of the Berwyn mountains, sweeping for miles into mid Wales

Even in those early days you could tell Woosie was something special. He learned the to play the game at this scenic course on the Welsh border and worked on the family farm for six months after leaving school. Legend has it that it was here, lifting hay bales, that he developed the physique that made him one of the longest hitters on Tour.

He is onl
y 5’ 4”, but as strong as an ox, and a really tough competitor who at his peak could drive the ball further than any of his competitors.

After some success as an amateur in regional competitions such as the Shropshire and Herefordshire Amateur, where he played alongside his friend Sandy Lyle, he turned professional in 1976. It took him three attempts to qualify for the tour and even after qualifying for the tour he only won £6,000 in his first five years.

This was an extremely tough time for Woosie. He travelled around Europe in a Camper Van, competing in tournaments and had so little to show for it. Its this dogged determination that has made Ian Woosnam such a great competitor.

The turning point in Woosnam's career came in 1982 with his victory in the Swiss Open. His progress was progressive rather than dramatic, however when he came 3rd in the 1986 Open it was clear he was destined to become one of the world’s top golfers. In 1987, he won 8 tournaments , topped the money list on the European tour and was awarded the famous Vardon trophy. He was actually the first European to win more than 1m US dollars in a season.

In 1989, he came second in the US Open, one stroke behind Curtis Strange and it was only a matter of time before he won his first Major.

Although born in Oswestry which is in England, both of Ian Woosnam’s parents are Welsh and he has always considered himself to be Welsh, one of his proudest moments coming when he partnered David Llewellyn to win the World Cup for Wales in 1987. He won the International Trophy for the best individual golfer, a feat he repeated in 1991 when Wales were runners-up.

In 1991 he finally joined the elite by winning a Major, The Masters at Augusta. Going to the last, Ian was tied at 11 under with Tom Watson and Jose-Maria Olazabal, the Spanish star, in the group ahead, who made bogey, leaving Woosnam and Watson ahead.
Watson found trou
ble in the trees on the right and Woosie was still just off the green, needing to get down in two to win. He held his nerve and putted out to beat Olazabal by one stroke.

It was also in 1991 he topped the World Rankings and was officially recognised as the World's best golfer.

Woosie has been a member of the European Ryder Cup team seven times since 1983, sharing in the famous victories of 1985, 1987 and 1995. His best year was 1993 when he won all his foursomes and fourballs, although remarkably he never won a Ryder Cup singles match.

His form suffered a slump in 1995 when he was 68th on the European Tour, but he returned with a vengeance, finishing second to Colin Montgomerie in 1996 whilst winning four times on tour and finishing fifth in the Order of Merit in 1997.

Woosnam should never be underestimated. In 1997, he kept his cool to fend off Faldo and Montgomerie to win the Volvo PGA Championship; the most prestiguous event on the PGA European Tour.

He is a relaxed character which is manifested by his confident stride on the fairways. He prefers to spend time with his family rather than living out of a suitcase,travelling all over the world. However, he does fly his own plane to take him to tournaments which considerably reduces his travelling time.

The US Masters continues to be his favourite Major and he was up amongst the leaders in 1999 when moving to just four off the lead in the final round before eventually finishing tied 14th.

In 2001, Woosie hit the headlines because he fired his caddie David Byrne. He was third-round co-leader in The Open and having his best attempt at gaining the ultimate prize for several years. On the second tee his caddie discovered he had 15 clubs in his bag. He was penalized two strokes (only 14 clubs are allowed) and never recovered from the penalty. To be fair he actually gave his caddie another chance, but sacked him after he failed to turn up for the follo
wing week’s Scandinavian Open.

Ian Woosnam no longer lives in Oswestry or plays at Llanymynech for tax reasons! He now lives in Jersey where he commutes on his own aeroplane. I similarly no longer live in Oswestry or play at Llanymynech, though tax has had little to do with my decision.

Still he is a tremendous player and a wonderful character. "Life's too short to spend all the time in the gym. I just like to have a few beers and enjoy myself". He said that after he beat Colin Montgomerie in the Cisco World Matchplay at Wentworth in 2001, which sounds remarkably like my own philosophy.

Little did I know that the twelve year old lad we used to wave through would become one of the world’s top golfers. It goes to show what you can achieve if you have the passion, the commitment, and of course the skill.

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