Sam Torrance
| Sam Torrance | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
At the Dutch Seniors Open 2010
|
|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Samuel Robert Torrance OBE |
| Born |
24 August 1953 Largs, Scotland |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Nationality |
 Scotland
|
| Residence | Virginia Water, England |
| Spouse | Suzanne Danielle (m.1988) |
| Children | Daniel, Phoebe, Anouska |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1970 |
| Current tour(s) |
European Senior Tour Champions Tour |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour |
| Professional wins | 43 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 21 (T10th all time) |
| European Senior Tour | 11 |
| Best results in major championships |
|
| Masters Tournament | T31: 1985 |
| U.S. Open | T16: 1996 |
| The Open Championship | 5th: 1981 |
| PGA Championship | T23: 1995 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire |
2003 |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year |
1972 |
| European Senior Tour Order of Merit winner |
2005, 2006, 2009 |
Samuel Robert Torrance OBE (born 24 August 1953) is a Scottish professional golfer and sports commentator. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, with 21 Tour wins. Torrance was a member of European Ryder Cup teams on eight occasions, from 1981 to 1995 consecutively; he was on Cup-winning teams in 1985, 1987, 1989, and 1995. He was the winning non-playing captain of the European Ryder Cup team in 2002. Torrance was honoured with the MBE (1996) and OBE (2003), for his outstanding contributions to golf.
Torrance turned professional at age 16, and joined the European Tour at 17. He achieved his first professional win in 1972, and won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award in the same year. He recorded his first European Tour win in 1976. He won 21 times on the European Tour; only fellow Scot Colin Montgomerie has accumulated more European Tour titles without winning one of golf's four major championships. His best finish on the European Tour Order of Merit was second, which he achieved in 1984 and 1995. In total he finished in the top ten on the list ten times. He holds the record for the most career appearances on the European Tour, with over 700 events played at the close of the 2008 season. During his prime Torrance was known for long driving and accurate short iron play, often played in a daring style.
Torrance was also an early user of the broomhandle putter. After a disappointing 1988 season on the greens, Torrance experimented with the long putter that was already being used successfully in the U.S. He debuted his version, which anchored on the chin rather than the midriff, at the 1989 Jersey Open and subsequently finished in the top five. He has used it relatively successfully ever since.
In 2003, upon turning 50, Torrance became eligible to play in senior tournaments, and he picked up his first win on the European Senior Tour in 2004. He finished first on the European Senior Tour's Order of Merit in 2005, 2006 and 2009.
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