WHEN WOOSIE RULED THE WORLD
Early in 1991, Ian Woosnam went for a knock round his local course in Oswestry. He missed putts on the final three holes “all from less than 12 feet, one of them from about two feet”. Despite this, he shot 57 and “that gave me the feeling 1991 could be a special year”.
The Shropshire-born Welshman had entered the year at number four in the world rankings, behind Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Jose Maria Olazabal. Ever since he had been a teenager working on his father’s farm, his dream had been to be the World No.1.
Back then this aim may have looked exceedingly optimistic, for, as I tentatively suggest, he had not been the most obviously gifted teenage golfer. He rocks back and laughs: “No, I was crap! But I have always been a believer. You also have to remember I was working on the farm, so before I was 18 I was only playing once or twice a week.”
His father had wanted to be a
