12 Things You Didn't Know About Ian Woosnam

12 Things You Didn't Know About Ian Woosnam

No doubt one of the most well-liked players on Tour during his playing time, Ian Woosnam has had a sublime career achieving just about everything there is to do in the game, including a Masters win in 1991. But how well do you know the Welshman? We take a look at 12 things you didn't know about him.

12 Things You Didn't Know About Ian Woosnam

1. Woosnam was born in Oswestry, Shropshire which is a small town close to the Welsh border.

2. On the course he grew up playing, Llanymynech, whilst playing the fourth hole you tee off in Wales and putt out in England.

3. Despite his small stature, he was a player with immense power which he attributed to lifting bales of hay into the barn on his father's farm.

4. When he first started out on the European Tour he lived out of his camper van and would occasionally eat cans of baked beans due to tightness of funds.

5. Woosnam won a whopping 29 times on the European Tour which puts him sixth overall. He is one behind Nick Faldo and one ahead of Ernie Els.

6. He was part of the European 'Big Five' that dominated the game of golf. The other members were Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle.

7. For 50 weeks in 1991 and 1992, he was the world's number one golfer.

8. His first set of golf clubs were a set of Blue Flash Juniors.

9. As a player he competed in the Ryder Cup eight times and was on the winning side four times, lost three and tied once in 1989. He was also captain in 2006 at The K Club where Europe smashed the Americans 18.5 to 9.5 points.

10. After the event, he would be awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire). He said afterwards; “The Ryder Cup was fantastic and was always going to be the pinnacle of my career. On top of it, to be recognised via an award like this is obviously brilliant and I feel very proud indeed.”

11. As part of that Ryder Cup he was in an iconic advert for Glenmuir which you can see below.

12. Woosnam was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017 along with Davis Love III, Meg Mallon, Lorena Ochoa Reyes and the late Henry Longhurst. Woosnam had been vocal in the past after being snubbed in 2014 when he wasn't even included on the last-16 shortlist.