Ayrshire Golfers
Not only has Ayrshire witnesseed some of golf's finest moments from its finest players, it has also produced many famous sons of its own in both the amateur and professional ranks.
The Open Championship in Ayrshire has in itself has been won by the most prestigious golfers in the world although not by neother Jack Nicklaus nor Tiger Woods - although the latter may yet change that. If you want to view the whole list of Ayrshire's Open Championship winners we created a page just for you!
Below we highlight some of Ayrshire's golfing sons (and daughters). We look forward to adding more names, perhaps even from the ranks of some of the fine juniors playing throughout Ayrshire.
Sam Torrance
Ayrshire born and bred, Sam Torrance OBE is Mr Golf and has graced the professional circuit for over 35 years. Coached by his father Bob, Torrance turned professional at sixteen and joined the European Tour at seventeen. He achieved his first professional win in 1972 and his first European Tour win in 1976. He won twenty-one times on the European Tour; only fellow Scot Colin Montgomerie has accumulated more European Tour titles without winning one of golf's four majors. 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 ten on the list ten times.
He topped the European Seniors Tour's Order of Merit in both 2005 and 2006.Torrance played for Europe in the Ryder Cup eight times. In 1985 he sank the winning putt which deprived the Americans of the trophy for the first time in twenty-eight years. Seventeen years later he was the non-playing captain on the European team which won the 2002 Cup at The Belfry.
Sam has always been a great leader and that leadership guided Europe to Ryder Cup triumph – earning Sam the praise and respect of golf fans throughout the world but also his second visit to the Palace where his 1996 MBE was eclipsed by the OBE in 2003.
Gordon Sherry
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Originally from Kilmarnock, and still to this day an active supporter and season ticket holder of Kilmarnock Football Club, Gordon and his family currently lives in Helensburgh.
Studied at the University of Stirling between the years of 1992 and 1996, graduating with a BSc in Biochemistry.
During this period of intense study, enough time and energy were found to practise and play golf to the highest possible standard, as an amateur, resulting in Gordon becoming the Amateur Champion and a member of the winning Walker Cup Team against the USA, in 1995, not to mention his 4 th place finish in the Scottish Open at Carnoustie and 4oth the following week at the Open in St Andrews.
Gordon came 4th in the Scottish Open as an amateur at Carnoustie and then in the same year had the distinction of playing with, and holing in one whilst in the company of former Open Champions, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson at the Open Championship at St Andrews.
At 6’8” tall, Gordon has the interesting distinction of being the tallest golfer ever to have played in The US Masters!!
Scotland's West Coast Golf Links would like to thank the following for their support:
