Ian Woonam - Part 2 (Early Tour Wins)

Mike Gonzalez: 0:15

Well for our listeners. Let's let's just quickly recap the professional career of one, Ian Harold Woonam, as he mentioned turning professional at age 18. In 1976. He had 52 Professional wins including a couple on the US tour but 29 on the European tour, which is sixth all time on the list. One major the at 1991 Masters which we'll talk about join the European tour 1979 highest world ranking he was number one in the world in 1991-1992, won the Order of Merit in 1987 and 1990. Also Golfer of the Year there in 1987, known as I mentioned earlier as one of the Big Five in Europe with Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo Sandy Lyle and Bernard Langer. And I think we want to talk about that first professional when which I believe if our research is correct, was the 1982 Ebel Swiss Open Is that Is that right? The Ebel Yeah, in Switzerland? Yeah, yeah.

Woosnam, Ian: 1:17

Funny that the week before we're playing the Benson & Hedges and I played with Greg Norman on the last day and after he won had his speech and he said like you know, he was quite amazed and he said this young lads gonna win pretty soon and i thappened the next week I can't remember too much about it but I managed to be Bill Longmuir on in a play off really long more and fortunately Billy three putted and I managed to win poor Billy. I've played him twice in the playoff and he's three-putted both times poor guy must hate me. But, you know a hell of a nice guy. And yeah, that was my first one. When and that was me on the road. Really?

Mike Gonzalez: 2:04

Yes. Smooth little 68-68-66-70 I'm not sure how many Swiss francs you won, but somebody converted to Euros I think it was 14.1 thousand Euros that sounds about right.

Woosnam, Ian: 2:19

1414 15,000 pounds. I think he was Yeah. Yeah, something like that. It's only money isn't it?

Devlin, Bruce: 2:30

Took you less than 12 months to to back it up with another victory to the Silk Cut Masters were Yeah. 1980s up the next one was uh, yeah. 83 in in June there you shot another good score scoring tournament. 68-69-67-65 win by three shots over Bernhard Gallagher, excuse me. Yeah, yeah, Gallagher.

Woosnam, Ian: 2:58

Amazing. Yeah, that was my own country Chepstow. Yeah. It's a funny, you know, you go through things and I just serve like change my putting grip a little bit. And I started all in everything. So it was just like on a roll. So I would I was that sort of Player I would be looking for something tinkered around with something all the time and then when I added something like, I always played pretty good. But we put in let me down a little bit. What, you know, I always found something and when I knew I was gonna get somewhere I'd go on a hot streak. So that was that way, you know, put my thumb a little cross to putter a little bit. I don't know it sort of stopped, stopped me hooking them so much. And that worked for a little bit then that didn't work like often we'll find somebody else.

Mike Gonzalez: 3:45

So that's that tournament, the Silk Cut Masters. Some people may not recognize that name, but it was known by some other more well known names, wasn't it? Was the soak up masters? I mean, it was the Dunlop Masters. It was the British Masters. I mean, it was, you know,

Woosnam, Ian: 4:00

yeah, exactly. It was done at masters. It used to be another chance to soak up master a lot of cigarette companies sponsored the tournament in them days. So, you know, Then, we used to have the Benson & Hedges and things like that. So that was one of them. It lasted a few years, I think it changed to another. So it changed to the Epson a few years later as a computer company, I think,

Mike Gonzalez: 4:22

yeah, we've got you down for at least one when on the European tour that was in the Scandinavian Enterprise Open in Stockholm, and that was by three over Peter Teravainen.

Woosnam, Ian: 4:33

Peter Teravainen and I think Craig Stadler was right there as well. And yeah, so I was lucky. I think we'd been out partying the night before. I wasn't feeling so good. Not too many to drink really. And I played the first night in like, four or five on the bar and I started sobering up a little bit and I managed to get across the cross the line, the line. Yeah, sorry. Thinking while really I didn't play protect pretty well in the third round and so I don't miss scores are there. So I must have thought I wasn't going to win. So sometimes you know a few beers and whatsoever relax and let's give it a see what happens and that's what happened that day and put it to it.

Mike Gonzalez: 5:13

I'm not sure I remember this but I think Seve got hit by lightning here in 1977

Woosnam, Ian: 5:22

that sound familiar? No I can't remember.

Mike Gonzalez: 5:25

Yeah, it must not have been that serious. But that was in a news report. I ran across somewhere.

Woosnam, Ian: 5:31

I remember Lee Trevino getting struck by one iron. by by by lightning says only even God can't hit a one-iron .

Mike Gonzalez: 5:44

Yeah, that was that was a Butler National in the Western Open and Oak Brook, Illinois, and Bruce Devlin was just a one hole away

Devlin, Bruce: 5:51

standing on the tee when they got hit on 14 tall. Boy, it was scary. That was the that was the day that the PGA Tour decided that they had to find a way to see what was coming weather wise. And that's what that's what led to them understanding that they had another have to get rid of the players but get rid of the spectators as well get them off the Golf Course. So yeah. Where was that? Where was Butler National in Chicago? Yeah, that was the Western Open. Yeah, Western.

Woosnam, Ian: 6:27

It happened in a major as well, sometimes.

Devlin, Bruce: 6:31

Oh, my think

Mike Gonzalez: 6:32

they had an incident the same year that might have been the same year that we had the US Open in Chicago at Medinah. Yes. I think they had some weather come through there. May

Devlin, Bruce: 6:42

I think you're right. Yeah.

Woosnam, Ian: 6:43

I remember I played there. Yeah. Also a PGA

Mike Gonzalez: 6:46

Championship, I think where they had some lightning issues. Yeah, recall back in the day. But anyway, let's move on to the next year. 1985, Zambia Open. You want that one by two of her Gordon Brand. And Brian Marchbank.

Woosnam, Ian: 7:01

Right. Yes. Sorry. Yeah, I can't remember too much about it. But I think a few years before that in 1982 was interesting because I had a hole in one. And I wanted a Range Rover car. And that helped me a lot. And that gave me some money to sponsor me for a little bit to get 50% back to the sponsor at the time now, but it helped a lot but it actually helped me to get if you finished third in the in the order merit on that little, little circuit, and LP man, you could play on if you did not to qualify on the page on the European tour. So I finished third and on my first tournament was straight into I think it was Italian open and I finished second. And that meant I was exempted straight away from the euro. So obviously it kept going back to Zambia and everything kind of managed to win that tournament. Lusaka Golf Club. Yeah. Good little Golf Course. Might be going back now this year again. Oh, yeah.

Mike Gonzalez: 8:01

Well, I'll tell our listeners how it worked on the European tour back in the early 80s. In terms of what was exempt and what who had to qualify you remember how that worked back then?

Woosnam, Ian: 8:10

Yeah, it was a top 60 in the Order of Merit and then basically if you're in the top 60 You were exempt play all year, all year then you are pre qualifying the other you add qualifying school, which allowed you to go to qualify qualifying on the Mondays before the tournament. So obviously the add a few other spots, spots spots as well invite to know so like maybe you had three golf courses with 20 spots on every week. So you would go there 120 players playing for 20 spots, and that's what we used to do. If you finished in the top 10 in the tournament if you qualified finished in the top 10 You were on to the next door and then you tried to get into that top 60 to be exempt the next year.

Mike Gonzalez: 9:00

Okay, all right. So Bruce, Ian was talking about all the troubles he did course he's off to Kenya 1986 for his next victory

Devlin, Bruce: 9:10

That's great. Yeah, yeah.

Woosnam, Ian: 9:12

90 I'll never forget that one was quite interesting because while it is Kenya's very very hot anyway and he There you go. I beat that was talking to me all along.

Devlin, Bruce: 9:24

Yeah, that kind of say the name of Longmuir comes up again.

Woosnam, Ian: 9:28

I'll never forget I think we played a $15 par three the 16th or 17th on E three putted there again but I got shingles that week and I was really in pain so I did well to even get to finish and to win was just a big bonus. You know, I don't remember too much about it. But I do remember having shingles. Here again we European legend store trying to make these tournaments happen again for the seniors And they've got that on the schedule for this year. Zambia. Yeah. It'd be nice to go back to them all places and play some golf.

Mike Gonzalez: 10:09

Yeah. Yeah. Don't have to learn any new courses. It's got a lot of memories from the early days.

Woosnam, Ian: 10:14

It gets something like Oak Hill like what they've done and you get them all gold was it it just jumped the trees down? No, no. I'm looking at that first all I can remember it and that tree off the off the night by the green. I'm sure he did. Yeah, this is some great changes obviously at Oak Hill. And look, it did look fantastic on the on the TV. And, you know, it's a great golf Golf Course to play there as well.

Mike Gonzalez: 10:41

Yeah, it sure is. We had a second victory to talk about 1986, the Lawrence Batley International TPC at the Belfry and that was by seven over Ken Brown and Jose Maria Canizares from Spain.

Woosnam, Ian: 10:57

So that was that? Where was that? Was that Oh, the Belfry right. 86 Was it? Yep, yep. Yeah, I seem to be sort of winning one every year. Then when I was younger wasn't one or two. Yeah, you sort of went into anything? Well, if I go in one tournament a year that's you'd be happy. And yeah, it's funny that it's another another thing which I just clicked onto something with my putter. It's funny that I was standing behind it and lining it up myself trying to get it on the right line and Woz. And I just managed to win sort of a Golf Course, which was good for me. It's quite a long Golf Course and I managed to get around. Plus, you know, that played the Ryder Cup there as well.

Devlin, Bruce: 11:45

Getting around. I want to let the people understand how how you get around in 1987 All right, here we go. Yeah, Hong Kong Open. Jersey Open. Madrid Open. Hyundai Motor Masters, Bell Scottish Open and Trophy Lancome. Oh, boy. Well, we traveling around the world, six of them and all in different parts of the world.

Mike Gonzalez: 12:15

Let me let me throw in a few more here, Bruce. How about the Suntory Match Play versus Lyle, a World Cup with David Llewellyn winning the World Cup and the individual medalist and then the Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge. So how's that for a year?

Woosnam, Ian: 12:33

Yeah, well,

Devlin, Bruce: 12:34

only nine times.

Woosnam, Ian: 12:36

There's a story into everything, isn't it?

Mike Gonzalez: 12:39

So what happened? What happened?

Woosnam, Ian: 12:41

Well, there you go. So, I you know, I don't know if you know that I suffer from ankylosing spondylitis, which is our arthritic athletic back, which is, you know, you see people like bent over and, and I was diagnosed 1986 You know, a lot of times, almost a lot of times I I suffered playing golf, because I was so stiff, and I can hardly move. I couldn't sleep properly, either. You know, I put a suitcase underneath the mattress, or I sat up and sleep slept like that. So an 80. Put it in 1986 and 86. I went to, funnily enough, that hospital, which was within three miles of where I lived, one of the best in the country. I went there and seen this guy, and he diagnosed with diagnosed me with ankylosing spondylitis. And he says, Good news and bad news, most of which is what where do you want and so just give me the good news. He said, Well, good news is you might be able to play for 10 years. And so what's the bad news? You said in 10 years time, it could be in a wheelchair. That's not very good. It says, right, we're gonna put you on this medication, which was an anti inflammatory. So he put me on these anti inflammatories. And it was like, God, I can move. And all of a sudden, you know, I just felt normal. I can I can, I can go to sleep properly, I could swing properly. You know, and I just, it was just a relief to have to play without any pain. And I think it was so I was just in such joy and, and freedom that obviously I started. And funnily enough, it was a New Year's Eve, we had we had a party at my house. And I always had this little problem hooking the ball. So someone said, Well, why don't you add a golf ball into into New Year on 87. So we've got this all sort of like silver paper, put it outside and so I was in my dancing shoes and we call on swimming and I thought, Oh, I stayed on the right foot a bit longer. I'm not joking. I went out and I stayed on the right foot a little longer. At the ball higher. I I just that's how I want to lend to him. It was incredible. Just one little thought keeping my foot on the ground longer.

Devlin, Bruce: 15:07

I'd have trouble pronouncing what you said you had the ankylosing spondylitis? Yes it very good one one in 200 men and one in 500 Women in Britain suffer from that team.

Woosnam, Ian: 15:22

Yeah amazing. Yeah, it's it's, it's just you know, it's a bit unfortunate but you know you just got to be thankful like managed to play as long as anyone people say why would you play with that? And I said, well you know the doctors have said to me it's the best thing I could actually do playing golf and kick himself bobble because if you if you don't keep yourself mobile, you just stall just seize up and you get old very quickly. Don't let the don't let the old man in they say. Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez: 15:56

Yeah, well, what a year 1987. We outlined all those wins Order of Merit winter golf for the year. Bruce listed them off. I listed a few tell us about that match play win against against your mate, which I guess was at Wentworth probably right.

Woosnam, Ian: 16:14

It was a hell of a week. It was they had a big storm on the Sunday night. But before that, I think I played Joey Sindelar On the first round. I beat Joey about four three, strong guy good player, beat him by four and three. So then I had Nick Faldo, beat him on the 36th hole then I played Seve, beat him on the 36th hole it was brilliant. Coming down on the last all I've hit it in the trees, right? And he's hit one down the fairway and I get a drop off. You know, it's in that sort of like, we're all spectators have been in everything. I got to drop off Andy McFee.

Mike Gonzalez: 17:02

Brandy, yeah, work with John Paramour a lot.

Woosnam, Ian: 17:04

Yeah, that's right. So and so I've knocked it down the fairway over the wall over the over the over the broken over the little broken service gun with the three wood slices into the trees on the right, and it gets out and he's in this sort of same lie when I add well, going mad because he won't and they won't give him a drop. He's gone. And get he asked for the chief referee Tony Dressel Tony Drake comes along and whatever it gets a drop or he doesn't get a drop anywhere. So I bet my third shot and depends back right up into about six foot short ride or the flat look a little uphill or right to left. savy comes in about seven foot behind the pen. So we're both on the same line. So we go as him first and expecting him to haul it and he misses it. Just it's so warm comes out. Yeah, arms are up. You can see that this has to be to see that move to see that okay, then, so I beat him. And then my mate Sandy and yeah, 36 old beat him on the last screen as well. So what a hell of a What a hell of a week that was?

Mike Gonzalez: 18:26

I bet you were spent when that week was over.

Woosnam, Ian: 18:29

Yeah. Never was never to spend our time a beer or two after it.

Mike Gonzalez: 18:34

Yeah, so as a Spaniard I was always a big fan of Seve tell us a little bit about your memories of Seve Ballesteros?

Woosnam, Ian: 18:41

Well, you know, he sort of a strange guy in a way or me. You either loved him or hated him. But you know, we had so much charisma, I used to call him like Elvis Presley of of Europe golf, you know, he was such a matador you know when it didn't matter. When we were in the Ryder Cup and in when he was a captain and some of the places players are that is he said Woosie you would you you would hit that under the trees and draw and I go Yeah, of course I would Seve he says well they just chip it out. They don't know what to do if you tried he'd hit shots what no other people could see. You know what I mean? It was it was crazy. But that's the way he played by feeling and he was a he was a character is no other man. I remember playing with the first time it was in Leeds and we met him on the putting greens we played the first nine holes maeking his caard Ian Woosnam one under par after nine, I hit 9 greens. I have one single Seve Ballesteros 34. 34 He's only hit 2 greens, I'm not joking? And I thought that was another day that was 1983 And I'll never forget and I thought there's there's more ways of skinning a cat you know getting a score and there's no pictures on the scorecard and that's what was kept out in my mind is no pictures on a scoreboard doesn't matter doesn't matter how you do it. So it's always a lesson to learn

Mike Gonzalez: 20:27

sort of conjures up memories of his match with with Lehman in the Ryder Cup

Woosnam, Ian: 20:32

Oh God up there I was he was quite laid off and how he was sort of one up or something after 8 holes it was incredible. Anybody at Tom would have just cracked up I'm sure they would have done if it would be would have been me I'd been swearing at him but but I have played him in match play before I mean, he's he'll he's he's he's hard to beat because you just don't know what's going to happen.

Mike Gonzalez: 20:58

Yeah, it was a fair to say that no one probably really knew him well,

Woosnam, Ian: 21:03

I would say that yeah, he was to me like a wild style stallion and then he had them wild eyes and he was he was difficult to he had his own way of doing things man was definitely that but he was good guy. We're all different

Mike Gonzalez: 21:18

Yeah, well you were really riding a high in 87 and wanted a lot of different places one in Spain one in Jersey one in Hong Kong you won all over the place and probably finished up the year with either the World Cup or the Nedbank as the calendar goes I would guess right

Woosnam, Ian: 21:35

yeah well that's what I did I you know at that time was a bit of an eye out part of our party about and we had to go there the money was crazy to take there was 12 players I think you only guarantee of like 80 or $90,000 So you had to go and it was winner take all at that time that year was winner take all $1 million and it came down to Me and Nick Faldo on we're playing the 71st hole and we're level we're level no one else had it rarely and Nick is headed down a fairway as he usually does he use it in another well I'm not hitting drivers but take this for me I'll hit one iron. I hit one iron just show the bunker on the right and then think I've got about 160 left to the green and Nick would have had about 130 So right up and I just seven iron and went straight out he went straight down in the hole for a two well that'll do it Nick made a par let down the last I think I made a par. I think I finished two or three shots ahead anyway um I mean that was exhausting. You know when you playing for that amount of money on the money you know I was I remember going home and I was seriously all the way home I just I think the just the pressure ever it just got to me and I was exhausted I think

Mike Gonzalez: 23:06

well how do you how do you fit that great big that great big check on the airplane to

Woosnam, Ian: 23:11

wasn't a problem.

Mike Gonzalez: 23:15

Plenty of room in the hole.

Woosnam, Ian: 23:17

Because I just bought a plane. I just bought the blades. That's right.

Mike Gonzalez: 23:23

1988 was a pretty good year to Bruce.

Devlin, Bruce: 23:25

Oh boy. Wasn't Volvo PGA Championship, right? Yeah. And the Irish open. Oh, and then the Panasonic European Open. And I tell you what, look at his look at the players beat that year. Yeah. Okay. Seve and Mark James. At the Volvo Seve Faldo Pinero. Des Smith at the Carroll's Irish. And Mr. Faldo again at the European Open. So pretty, pretty fancy. Yeah. Mr. Woonam.

Woosnam, Ian: 24:01

Yeah. So you, you know, you know, you got all in great players, not just you know, the Faldos the Langers, Seves the Lyles, you know you had so many good players like the Torrances the Mark James and Ken Browns are some great players around and obviously, the you know, you could talk about the top, the Big Five, you know, and you think that's it was it was healthy for us all, I think because we knew we could beat each other and every week we were playing against each other near enough and we're competing against each other and it pushed us on. So you know, you see how many tournaments I've won. And I think Langer is the same Faldo and Seves more and Faldos the same so you know, there was a run there too. So we all swept up a little bit and then obviouslyOlazabal came on and then you had Colin Montgomerie come on this are like as we fade it a little bit we're gonna play more different places they took off took over our mantle a little bit

Mike Gonzalez: 25:00

Yeah, Bruce, you know, I looked back at some of the fields in some of the earlier wins that Ian had. And you mentioned the big five. They're all there, of course, but there were several other hall of famers in the field back in those days, too. I'd remember. Bob Charles would compete some of those events. Gary Player would be there. There was some big time players. Yeah, yeah,

Woosnam, Ian: 25:19

there would be no way you stopped some players coming over, you know, always a try to fetch over Americans, Cory Pavin used to come over. Curtis Strange used to come over you always had players coming over. And a lot of times they did win, but you know, which is you know, that's we were always sort of like, sometimes wished I had USA behin me name because you're not going to charge a lot more.

Devlin, Bruce: 25:48

On my tell you to folks listen to this scoring here when he wins the European Open 65-66-64-65. Pretty fancy 20 under par at that time that was a record score to tell him where he where he shot that to.

Mike Gonzalez: 26:07

You tell us where he was Sunningdale Old?

Woosnam, Ian: 26:09

Yeah, Sunningdale Old Yeah. Yeah, it's funny that you know, when you have the streets, you know what was going on about me particular. So I go into pro shop and _ golf club the other golf club. I'm a member and I and I pick up the Zebra Putter. So pick it up to ladies one. It's got a blue, it's got a blue grip on it. And it's an it's off center on weak what we call weak. Oh, this is brilliant. So I go on the putting green ever excuse are going right? Where I think he wants to do because, you know, I've always pulled my foot. So this is just coming out sort of like an inch right to where I want it to. Well, I love this straightaway and boom, boom, boom. And I just won so many tournaments with that as well. That was amazing, man. Amazing. Yeah, change the grip. It didn't work again.

Mike Gonzalez: 27:03

That's a weird, all these little things. Yeah. So you go to 19 you go to 1981 We've got one one win on the list. That was the Carroll's Irish Open. sort of back to back almost at Portmarnock in a playoff with Philip Walton. What was going on then? Do you have a lot of close calls that year?

Woosnam, Ian: 27:22

What year was that? 89 I don't know I don't know maybe I yeah, I won that tournament they're back to back actually wasn't a portmanteau they that was that was an experience now because now Phil lives right there in Malahide. So he is the local hero. So we're in this playoff. And I'm thinking there's me against like 50,000 Irish eventually I win anyway, I win. And then I said in me speeach I said there would be no one better to play in a Ryder Cup with than Phillip Walton.

Devlin, Bruce: 28:06

And what we did here won them over.

Woosnam, Ian: 28:08

We won, I won them over and I played in I played in the Ryder Cup with him. So it was a was a great experience. Yeah, at all. 1995 That's pretty cool.

Mike Gonzalez: 28:20

Cool. Well, let's go on to another big year. This is 1990 and four wins on our list Bruce Order of Merit winner but in addition to the AMEX Met Open, in addition to the Monte Carlo Open in addition to the Bell's Scottish Open the Epson Grand Prix. This guy also wins the match play again at Wentworth beating Mark McNulty. But let's start in Monte Carlo because I have played that Golf Course. That's the one that's sort of up on the hill on the cliff overlooking the city and

Woosnam, Ian: 28:53

absolute. That's the one. Yeah, so I went to Monte Carlo The first time I got I can't. I wasn't even I think we just got married my wife may 1983. So we went up there and I played nine holes, and I still don't want to eat. I looked around. So where did you go? I couldn't I couldn't see a fairway. So played nine holes and I walked in so not playing you know, I went I went home. While I tried to go. They wanted about two grand to change the flight. So it was I tried to get back into the tournament, but they wouldn't let me back in. So when I left, I left and I came back. That was the first year I played it right. So I came back and obviously I want it in a way I would I should have looked at it is that it's very much like the Golf Course I was brought up at Llanymynech It was sort of like all of a side of it up and down. And you know, is that one of the years I shot 60 I'm not sure what's around you did last round. Yeah. par to last. It

Mike Gonzalez: 29:59

Yeah. Oh, one by five over Roca. And Bruce I remember playing this course back in the 80s I think sometime before then I think and, and I was playing a Golf Course. We had a pretty full kit on because it was snowing where we were playing on the hill. And I looked down and I could see pretty much see our group on the beach. sunning in the in the 70 degree weather.

Woosnam, Ian: 30:26

Yeah, that's right. It's some you know, it's a bit like Switzerland as well. You can be up there, you're in the clouds and you just don't you get your water present. It's freezing. Yeah. So you don't know what you're gonna get.

Mike Gonzalez: 30:40

Yeah, so, you want the Scottish Open at the Kings Course that was at Gleneagles. That was by for over Mark McNulty. What do you remember?

Woosnam, Ian: 30:49

Mark McNulty? You know, poor Mark. I think he finished second to me a lot of times. You always seem to play well, when I played as well and unfortunately for him and yeah, you know, when you played with Mark, I know if you've ever played with Mark, now he's like, he's a guy you can he's one of the best Putter's I've ever seen in my life. And you know, you just you just don't know when you when, when you're gonna win against Mark McNulty and great player study player. The fortunate, bright place to win the Scottish Open as well at Gleneagles.

Mike Gonzalez: 31:26

Speaking of McNulty, Bruce, he got on the next event at home

Devlin, Bruce: 31:32

at the Epsom Grand Prix you Is that what you're talking about? Absolutely. Yeah, he finished three behind you along with Olazabal

Woosnam, Ian: 31:45

it was about three times. Yeah, yeah. Again, you know, Chepstow we played Chepstow again, St. Pierre and one in front of my home crowd again. And I had managed to that. I enjoyed that Golf Course. I didn't know I played a lot of a lot of golf. Because we played a sir a lot of Pro-Ams as well. So it was one of my I really enjoyed that. So I always had a chance of winning there.

Mike Gonzalez: 32:14

Thank you for listening to another episode of for the good of the game. And please, wherever you listen to your podcast on Apple and Spotify, if you like what you hear, please subscribe. Spread the word. Tell your friends until we tee it up again. FORE the Good of the Game. So long everybody