Ian Woosnam's 2008 Season - The Legend Turns Senior

Nov. 11, 2008 - PRLog -- Ian Woosnam in his own right is a legend of the golfing world. His career started when he turned pro in 1976 and has a successful career to date. Woosnam joined the Senior tour this year in March after he turned 50 on the 2nd.

2008 marks Woosie's first year on the European Seniors Tour, and it has been a successful season, culminating in him winning the Order of Merit. On the European Tour, Woosnam has played in 9 events and made all 9 cuts. He has played in a variety of bigger tournaments with big named stars such as Sergio Garcia and Robert Karlsson.

However Woosnam has shined during the Seniors European tour. He has had a lot of success and had possibly one of the greatest seasons of his lifetime.

The Parkridge Seinors Open took place on the 1st June. This was the first stroke play victory Woosnam had made for more than ten years. Woosnam finished one shot ahead of the Spanish Domingo Hospital to finish with an outstanding fourteen under par. He shot a remarkable nine under par in the final round at Krakow. The last title which Woosnam had taken was the 1997 Volvo PGA championships. Woosnam had to fight nerves and scorching temperatures to capture the title. He shot a 63 in the final round and smashed the course record. Woosnam played with opposition Hospital and it was shot for shot. He said,

“I haven’t won a stroke play competition since 1997 so was nice to get that monkey off my back. I think I’ll be celebrating with a few beers tonight.” He added, “It has been a tough couple of weeks on the back of tournaments in the states but even though I’m in a bit of pain, I’m a happy man. It has all been worthwhile.”

The Russian Seniors was the second major win for Woosnam during his 2008 season. Woosnam was suffering with back pain whilst playing in the tournament. However he overcame this and completed the Eastern Double by scoring two 67’s and a final round of 70. Woosnam finished three shots ahead of Paraguay’s Angel Franco. He led most of the tournament and took the £56,500 prize money from Pestovo golf and yacht club. During the final round Woosnam made some heavy work for himself. He had birdies on the sixth, ninth and twelfth. He then dropped a shot on the fourteenth before sealing the 46th victory of his long and illustrious career with a birdie two on the 17th. The weather was terrible during the tournament and Woosnam showed his cheerful side by saying,
“I feel like I have been drowned.”

Woosnam has had a couple of runner up positions during is 2008 Senior Tour. During the Lake Garda tournament he was 12 under par behind Peter Mitchell and finally finished seven under. He moved from a 23rd position to 5th in one round. On the final day he was only one shot away from Peter Mitchell. He narrowly missed out on clinching the title.

Woosnam had another good finish during the Casa Serena tournament. He finished with a total of eleven under par and came second to Bernard Langer. After his first round he was six under par however on the second day dropped shots on the fourth, seventeenth and a double on the sixth. He made up his dropped shots by 4 consecutive birdies from the ninth. During his third round he opened by birdying the first hole however dropping shots on the third and eleventh. His final round he finished one under par leaving his tournament score of nine under par. Woosnam was again victorious at the Trans Perkins Senior Masters where he finished two under and in eleventh place.

Due to this success Woosnam won the Senior Order of Merit with earnings of just over £280,000.

During the year, Woosnam also decided to join Forgan Golf http://www.forgan.co.uk as a staff player. Woosnam will be taking a leading role in the custom fit golf club development, designing a new IWD range for 2009.