Tough at the Top

Ian Woosnam, the 1991 Masters champion, talks frankly to Lewine Mair about his solitary major win and his loathing for being ranked the world’s best player

Ian Woosnam - the 1991 Masters champion

Ian Woosnam, who turned 55 in March, enjoyed the best of vibes ahead of his win at the 1991 Masters Tournament. Quite simply, everything came right.

Augusta suited his eye, he had won the preceding tournament on the PGA Tour – in New Orleans, at the English Turn Golf and Country Club – and, still more pertinently, he had learned on the Monday of Masters’ week that he was the new world number one. It would be a role which, at least at that stage, meant everything to him.

"I was extremely confident,” he chuckles. "So much so that I can remember saying to myself, 'I’m the one to beat’ – and believing it.”

In 1989, this prolific winner on the European Tour had switched to Maruman clubs and much was made of why he would change when things were going so well. At the time, Woosnam would not have it that he was taking a risk but today, amid the on-going fuss about Rory McIlroy’s switch to Nike, he owns to having had teething problems.

At the start of 1991, for instance, he went to the trouble of de-lofting the heads of his irons to make them a club stronger. His two-iron became as a one, his three-iron as a two and so on. Though the average golfer will be puzzled as to why he did not simply take an extra club, the winning Ryder Cup captain of 2006 explains that ‘the feel of the alterations’ worked for him.

And never more so, perhaps, than at that event at English Turn. With more than a touch of mischief, he launched into what happened when it came to the play-off with America’s Jim Hallet.

Pages

Written by Lewine Mair

Photography by AFP

Click here to see the published article.

A Name to be Remembered - John Catlin
It may not resonate as well as his compatriot Patrick Reed, who along with another Masters champion Sergio Garcia are expected to light up this month’s Honma Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi...
Final Shot with Greg Kinnear
"Kinnear" appears to be a Celtic name. What are your family roots? Lineage? If you look way, way back? There's plenty of Scotch in there and a little Irish. So, I'm both happy and depressed at...
The Ordinary Heroes
Very often in golf, a hero will emerge. He rises from near oblivion to become the next great hope in the sport with his name moving beyond just a byword to a feature in the headlines....
Becoming a Wilson Staff
I needed new golf clubs that was for sure. My Ben Hogan Apex irons were well and truly shot. I had broken the 5-iron against a tree long ago, my pitching wedge had gone missing and, my 3-iron was...
Livewire - The New Pat Perez
To know Pat Perez is to understand the dynamics of his flavorful persona. That there can be two diverse sides to his PGA TOUR saga – one win in his first 378 starts; two triumphs in the last 85...
PGA TOUR's October Asia Fest
It is becoming a wonderful tradition for the game in the Far East when fans can prepare to welcome and celebrate the best golfers on the planet, thanks largely to the PGA TOUR bandwagon which...
It's Not All About Winning
I have to admit to being a big fan of attending The Open on the practice days. Not only is it significantly cheaper, £25 as opposed to £80, but it’s obviously a lot quieter, and there is a chance...
Defending the Roll of Honour
Headline writers all over the world have enjoyed a field day since Justin Rose sensationally holed out from the rough on the 72nd hole as a 17-year-old amateur to finish a fairy-tale fourth at...
In Conversation with Siddikur Rahman
While mastering the grammar of golf, the narrative for most golfers on Tour has always been their desire to live their dreams and be the best they can. Beyond the public relations armoury...
In Memory of Peter Thomson
Considered one of Australia’s greatest golfers, Thomson assisted with the renovation of the Old Course and was also involved in designing the Eden Course. He played in the first Hong Kong Open...

Pages