Sam Torrance

Some sportsmen transcend their careers and become far better known than perhaps their achievements merit, while others stamp an indelible mark on our consciousness because of one bright, shining instant. In Sam Torrance’s case, though, he had two exceptional moments, both at the Belfry in the Ryder Cup. We at GolfPunk would love him for those achievements alone – holing the winning putt in ’85 and fulfilling the role of Captain Marvel in 2002 – and yet, with Sam, there’s so much more.

In an age of bland superstars who look immaculate, smile on cue and never do or say anything remotely interesting, Sam meanders his own, highly personal, path across the fairways of the world. He comes from Largs on the west coast of Scotland where people are proud that what you see is what you get and seems incapable of being disingenuous, snide or two-faced. Meet him in a pub and he’s likely to buy you a drink, and chat with equal authority, or at least passion, on football, poker, cars or Coronation Street. He is, we feel, just like us except, of course, for that sublime ability to knock a small white object around a manicured field.

That talent brought him 21 European Tour titles across three different decades and he’s now started raking it in on the Seniors Tour. He has been awarded both an MBE and OBE

» Sam Torrance Pt.2