20 Facts About Ian Woosnam

Ian Harold Woosnam was born on 2 March 1958 and is a Welsh professional golfer.

Ian Woosnam was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ian Woosnam was born in the town of Oswestry, Shropshire in England, and his family lived in the nearby village of St Martin's in Shropshire.

Ian Woosnam started playing at the unique Llanymynech Golf Club, which straddles the Wales-England border.

Ian Woosnam played as an amateur in regional competitions in the English county of Shropshire alongside Sandy Lyle.

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Ian Woosnam turned professional in 1976 and first played the European Tour in 1979.

Ian Woosnam spent his early years on Tour driving around the continent in a camper van, living on a diet of baked beans to save money.

Ian Woosnam finished in the top ten on the Order of Merit every year from 1983 to 1991 and again in 1993,1996, and 1997, making thirteen times in all.

Ian Woosnam has won 28 official money events on the European Tour and many other events around the world.

In 1987, Ian Woosnam was criticised by antiapartheid campaigners for playing a tournament in Sun City in apartheid South Africa, in contravention of the United Nations cultural moratorium.

Ian Woosnam became the first player to capture the trophy in three different decades, having previously won the World Match Play Championship in 1987 and 1990.

Ian Woosnam had a record outward nine holes of 28 in the 2001 final against Harrington, which tied the tournament record of seven successive birdies in a match.

Ian Woosnam was a member of eight consecutive European Ryder Cup teams from 1983 to 1997.

Ian Woosnam was a vice captain for the 2002 European team and was elected as captain for the 2006 Ryder Cup, leading Europe to victory over the US 18½–9½ at the K Club, County Kildare, Ireland.

On 1 June 2008, Ian Woosnam won his first stroke play title in 11 years at the Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship at Krakow Valley Golf and Country Club, finishing with a course record 63.

Ian Woosnam went on to win the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit that year becoming the only person to have won the Order of Merit on both the European Seniors Tour and the regular European Tour.

In December 1987, Ian Woosnam won the first of his three BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year awards, which he went on to win in 1990 and 1991.

Ian Woosnam was the subject of This Is Your Life in 2002 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at a central London hotel.

Ian Woosnam was awarded an OBE in the 2007 New Years Honours List.

Ian Woosnam was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis in early 1987, which affects approximately 1 in 200 men and 1 in 500 women in Britain.