Sam Torrance

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 consecutively; on Cup-winning teams four times. He was also part of the winning Scotland team at the 1995 Dunhill Cup. 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.

Sam Torrance
OBE
At the Dutch Seniors Open 2010
Personal information
Full nameSamuel Robert Torrance OBE
Born (1953-08-24) 24 August 1953
Largs, Scotland
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Nationality Scotland
ResidenceVirginia Water, England
SpouseSuzanne Danielle (m.1988)
Children4
Career
Turned professional1970
Retired2017
Former tour(s)European Tour
European Senior Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins44
Highest ranking13 (3 December 1995)[1]
Number of wins by tour
European Tour21 (T10th all time)
PGA Tour of Australasia1
European Senior Tour11
Other11
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT31: 1985
PGA ChampionshipT23: 1995
U.S. OpenT16: 1996
The Open Championship5th: 1981
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

Earliy life

Torrance was born and grew up in Largs on the westcoast of Scotland, playing golf at Routenburn Golf Club, near his family home. His father Bob (1932-2014) was a highly respected golf instructor[2] who coached son Sam from childhood.

Torrance represented Scotland against England at Boy's International Match at Hillside, Southport, England in August 1970.

He turned professional at the age of 17, and his first job was at Sunningdale, were he used to play for money with members, which was much needed because he was paid only £5 a week as an assistant professional.[3]

Professional career

European Tour

In 1970, Torrance joined the tour, which officially became the European Tour in 1972. 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-10 on the list 10 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.

Torrance played in The Open Championship 28 times, with a best finish of tied 5th in 1981 at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England.

Other tours

On his first visit on the PGA Tour of Australasia, at the time named the PGA Tour of Australia, Torrance finished second to George Serhan at the 1980 New South Wales Open in beginning of November[4] and the week after he won the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, beating Seve Ballesteros by two strokes. The year after, Torrance came back to Australia, capping a second place finish in October, after losing in a playoff to Eamonn Darcy at the 1981 CBA West Lakes Classic.

On a rare visit on the U.S.-based PGA Tour, in October 1983, trying to tune up for the Ryder Cup match to be played in Florida later the same month, Torrance finished tied first after 72 holes at the 1983 Southern Open at the Green Island Country Club in Columbus, Georgia. This was the first time he ever made the cut on a PGA Tour tournament. He eventually lost in a playoff against Ronnie Black on the fourth extra hole.[5]

The year after, he was again close to victory on another continent. He lost in a playoff on the Japan Golf Tour to home player Masahiro Kuramoto at the 1984 Bridgestone Tournament at Sodegaura Country Club, Chiba, Japan. Torrance reached another second place in Japan at the 1987 Casio World Open, losing by two strokes to David Ishii, after leading or tying the lead after each of the first three rounds.

European Senior Tour

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.

Torrance retired from competitive golf after playing his last event on the European Senior Tour, at the time named the Staysure Tour, in October 2017.[6]

Ryder Cup

Torrance played for Europe in the Ryder Cup eight times, from 1981 to 1995 consecutively; the Cup is contested every two years. In 1985 he sank the winning putt on the 18th green at The Belfry, England, which deprived the Americans of the trophy for the first time in 28 years. He also was a member of Cup-winning teams in 1987 (first-ever win for Europe on American soil), 1989 and 1995. In 2002, he was the non-playing captain on the European team which won the 2002 Cup at The Belfry. This made him the second European to sink the winning putt and captain a winning team at separate Ryder Cups, after Seve Ballesteros in 1987 (as a player) and 1997 (as captain). He was also named a vice-captain for the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine by captain Darren Clarke.[7]

World Cup and Alfred Dunhill Cup

Torrance represented Scotland eleven times at the World Cup and nine times at the Alfred Dunhill Cup.

Team Scotland twice finished second in the World Cup with Torrance on the two man-team, 1984 with Gordon Brand Jnr and 1987 with Sandy Lyle. Individually, Torrance finished tied 5th at the 1978 World Cup in Hanalei, Hawaii and 3rd at the 1995 World Cup of Golf at the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzen, China.

He was part of the winning Scotland team, with Colin Montgomerie and Andrew Coltart, at the 1995 Dunhill Cup at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. The home team beat Zimbabwe in the final 2–1, were Torrance won over Mark McNulty.[8]

Playing style

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.

Family, honours

Torrance's father Bob[2] also coached Sam's son Daniel who played golf to a high level, competing with Sam at the Dunhill Links Championship in the Pro Am competition, winning it once.

Torrance married English actress Suzanne Danielle in 1988. They have four children.[9][10]

Torrance was awarded an MBE in 1996 for services to golf, and an OBE in the 2003 New Year Honours List, for his captaincy of Europe's Ryder Cup team.

Books, broadcasting career

Torrance is the author or co-author of several golf books; Play It Again, Sam: The Autobiography (2001), An Enduring Passion: My Ryder Cup Years (2003), Sam: The Autobiography of Sam Torrance, Golf's Ryder Cup Winning Hero (2003), With Friends Like These: A Selective History of the Ryder Cup (2006), Out of Bounds: Legendary Tales From the 19th Hole (2012).

Torrance has worked as a commentator for BBC Sport golf coverage. Along with Kelly Tilghman, he also provided commentary for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09.

Torrance has appeared on the sport personality quiz show A Question of Sport five times since 2005.[11] In October 2006, he took over nine minutes to consider with his teammates Ally McCoist and Michael Holding the question, "Who is the only golfer from Europe or the United States to have won two majors without making a Ryder Cup appearance", eventually correctly answering John Daly.[12] On 17 March 2008, he competed with Sharron Davies and team captain Phil Tufnell in the 37th season of A Question of Sport, and made history by achieving the first-ever perfect score on the show since it started in 1970.

He is a supporter of Celtic and Manchester United football clubs.

Professional wins (44)

European Tour wins (21)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 15 May 1976 Piccadilly Medal −15 (67-72-66-72=277) 2 strokes Bob Shearer
2 12 Jun 1976 Martini International −8 (69-67-71-73=280) 2 strokes Tommy Horton
3 16 Aug 1981 Carroll's Irish Open −12 (68-67-69-72=276) 5 strokes Nick Faldo
4 3 Oct 1982 Benson & Hedges Spanish Open −15 (71-65-67-70=273) 8 strokes Roger Chapman, Sandy Lyle,
Ian Woosnam
5 7 Nov 1982 Portuguese Open −9 (71-67-69=207) 4 strokes Nick Faldo
6 3 Jul 1983 Scandinavian Enterprise Open −8 (73-69-68-70=280) 1 stroke Craig Stadler
7 6 Nov 1983 Portuguese Open (2) −2 (72-73-71-70=286) 3 strokes Chris Moody
8 15 Apr 1984 Tunisian Open −6 (66-71-75-70=282) 1 stroke Brian Waites
9 19 Aug 1984 Benson & Hedges International Open −18 (63-68-70-69=270) 1 stroke Wayne Grady
10 23 Sep 1984 Sanyo Open −7 (71-69-70-71=281) Playoff Des Smyth
11 30 Jun 1985 Johnnie Walker Monte Carlo Open −12 (69-63-62-70=264) 1 stroke Isao Aoki
12 3 May 1987 Lancia Italian Open −17 (64-68-71-68=271) Playoff José Rivero
13 7 Oct 1990 Mercedes German Masters −16 (70-65-64-73=272) 3 strokes Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam
14 14 Apr 1991 Jersey European Airways Open −9 (68-69-69-73=279) 1 stroke Mark Davis
15 28 Mar 1993 Kronenbourg Open −4 (69-68-73-74=284) 1 stroke Mike Miller
16 25 Apr 1993 Heineken Open −15 (71-63-67=201) 2 strokes Jay Townsend
17 13 Jun 1993 Honda Open −10 (68-69-68-73=278) Playoff Paul Broadhurst, Johan Ryström,
Ian Woosnam
18 7 May 1995 Italian Open (2) −19 (69-70-63-67=269) 2 strokes José Rivero
19 9 Jul 1995 Murphy's Irish Open (2) −11 (68-68-70-71=277) Playoff Stuart Cage, Howard Clark
20 17 Sep 1995 Collingtree British Masters −18 (67-66-68-69=270) 1 stroke Michael Campbell
21 28 Jun 1998 Peugeot Open de France −12 (64-70-72-70=276) 2 strokes Olivier Edmond, Massimo Florioli,
Mathew Goggin, Bernhard Langer

European Tour playoff record (4–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1984 Sanyo Open Des Smyth Won with par on first extra hole
2 1987 Lancia Italian Open José Rivero Won with par on sixth extra hole
3 1987 London Standard Four Stars National Pro-Celebrity Mark McNulty Lost to birdie on second extra hole
4 1990 NM English Open Mark James Lost to birdie on first extra hole
5 1993 Honda Open Paul Broadhurst, Johan Ryström,
Ian Woosnam		 Won with birdie on first extra hole
6 1995 Murphy's Irish Open Stuart Cage, Howard Clark Won with eagle on second extra hole
Cage eliminated by par on first hole

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 9 Nov 1980 Mayne Nickless Australian PGA Championship −6 (71-72-69-70=282) 2 strokes Seve Ballesteros

PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1981 CBA West Lakes Classic Eamonn Darcy Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (11)

European Senior Tour wins (11)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 15 Aug 2004 Travis Perkins Senior Masters −13 (72-69-62=203) 2 strokes Seiji Ebihara
2 12 Jun 2005 Irvine Whitlock Seniors Classic −11 (65-68-72=205) 4 strokes David J. Russell
3 7 Aug 2005 De Vere PGA Seniors Championship −17 (66-70-66-69=271) 4 strokes David J. Russell
4 25 Sep 2005 Bendinat London Seniors Masters −15 (64-67-70=201) 3 strokes David J. Russell
5 21 May 2006 Sharp Italian Seniors Open −11 (68-70-67=205) 4 strokes Eamonn Darcy
6 4 Jun 2006 AIB Irish Seniors Open −6 (70-68-69=207) Playoff Jerry Bruner, Guillermo Encina,
Stewart Ginn
7 28 Aug 2006 PGA Seniors Championship (2) −20 (65-66-71-66=268) 3 strokes Luis Carbonetti
8 3 Sep 2006 Charles Church Scottish Seniors Open −3 (76-67-70=213) 1 stroke Bill Longmuir
9 24 Jun 2007 Bendinat London Seniors Masters (2) −10 (68-68-70=206) 1 stroke José Rivero
10 9 Nov 2008 OKI Castellón Open España - Senior Tour Championship −13 (68-66-69=203) 2 strokes Ángel Fernández, Katsuyoshi Tomori
11 20 Mar 2009 DGM Barbados Open −14 (65-63-74=202) 4 strokes Ángel Franco

European Senior Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2005 Bovis Lend Lease European Senior Masters Mark James Lost to birdie on first extra hole
2 2006 AIB Irish Seniors Open Jerry Bruner, Guillermo Encina,
Stewart Ginn		 Won with eagle on second extra hole
Encina and Ginn eliminated by birdie on first hole

Playoff record

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1983 Southern Open Ronnie Black Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 1984 Bridgestone Tournament Chen Tze-chung, Yoshihisa Iwashita,
Masahiro Kuramoto		 Kuramoto won with eagle on first extra hole

Results in major championships
Tournament 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship T46 CUT CUT T19 CUT CUT CUT CUT
PGA Championship
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T31
U.S. Open
The Open Championship T38 5 12 T53 T9 T16 T21 T50 T47 CUT
PGA Championship
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Masters Tournament T33 CUT T39
U.S. Open T21 T16 CUT
The Open Championship T39 T44 CUT T51 CUT T11 CUT CUT T24 CUT
PGA Championship CUT T30 T23 CUT T45 CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1973, 1977 and 1978 Open Championships)
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00000043
U.S. Open00000232
The Open Championship0001282816
PGA Championship00000163
Totals00012114124
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1980 Open Championship – 1988 Open Championship)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

Results in senior major championships

Results are not in chronological order before 2016.

Tournament2004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016
The Tradition DNP DNP DNP T21 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Senior PGA Championship T38 DNP T19 CUT T34 T53 T56 CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Senior Players Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
The Senior Open Championship T9 T29 CUT T10 CUT 5 T63 CUT CUT CUT DNP T75 CUT
U.S. Senior Open DNP DNP DNP T5 CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP

DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Yellow background for top-10.

Team appearances

See also

References
  1. "Week 48 1995 Ending 3 Dec 1995" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  2. "Bob Torrance, father of golf star Sam, passes away aged 82". BBC Sport. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  3. Torrance, Sam; Baldwin, Mark (2010). An Enduring Passion: My Ryder Cup Years. Edingburgh: Mainstream Publishing Company. ISBN 9781845966294.
  4. "Golf: Smiling Serhan walks off with $13,000 NSW prize". The Canberra Times. 3 November 1980. p. 18. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  5. Saladino, Tom (10 October 1983). "Torrance Falters; Black Captures Southern Open". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Maine. Associated Press. p. 17 – via Google News Archive.
  6. Heath, Elliott (28 August 2019). "Sam Torrance Reveals He Has Given Up Golf". Golf Monthly.
  7. Inglis, Martin (27 July 2016). "Sam Torrance named Ryder Cup vice-captain". bunkered.
  8. "Scotland aces the field to win Dunhill Cup; Dunhill Cup". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Florida. Associated Press. 23 October 1995. pp. 2D, 5D. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  9. "Sam Torrance". OnlyGolfNews. 1 June 2017.
  10. "The Saturday profile – Suzanne Danielle". The Scotsman. 28 September 2002.
  11. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1519721/filmoseries#tt0239185
  12. Video on YouTube
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