View source for Sam Torrance

{{Short description|Scottish golfer}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox golfer
| name              = Sam Torrance<br><small>[[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]</small>
| image             = Sam Torrance.JPG
| imagesize         = <!-- e.g. 250px (default is 200px) -->
| caption           = At the Dutch Seniors Open 2010
| fullname          = Samuel Robert Torrance OBE
| nickname          =
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1953|8|24|df=y}}
| birth_place       = [[Largs]], Scotland
| death_date        = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|1953|8|24|df=y}} -->
| death_place       =
| height            = {{height|ft=5|in=11}}
| weight            =
| nationality       = {{SCO}}
| residence         = [[Virginia Water]], England
| spouse            = {{marriage|[[Suzanne Danielle]]|1988}}
| partner           =
| children          = 4
| college           =
| yearpro           = 1970
| tour              = 
| extour            = [[European Tour]]<br>[[European Senior Tour]]<br>[[Champions Tour]]
| prowins           = 46
| eurowins          = 21 ([[List of golfers with most European Tour wins|Tied 10th all time]])
| auswins           = 1
| chalwins          = 
| champwins         = <!-- Number of Champions Tour wins -->
| seneurowins       = 11 ([[List of golfers with most European Senior Tour wins|3rd all time]])
| otherwins         = 13
| majorwins         = <!-- Number of Major Championship wins -->
| masters           = T31: 1985
| usopen            = T16: 1996
| open              = 5th: [[1981 Open Championship|1981]]
| pga               = T23: 1995
| wghofid           = <!-- World Golf Hall of Fame member ID -->
| wghofyear         = <!-- World Golf Hall of Fame year inducted -->
| award1            = [[Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year|Sir Henry Cotton<br>Rookie of the Year]]
| year1             = [[1972 European Tour|1972]]
| award2            = [[European Senior Tour#Order of Merit winners|European Senior Tour<br>Order of Merit winner]]
| year2             = [[2005 European Seniors Tour|2005]], [[2006 European Seniors Tour|2006]], [[2009 European Senior Tour|2009]]
| awardssection     = <!-- location of awards page or section -->
}}
'''Samuel Robert Torrance''' (born 24 August 1953) is a [[Scotland|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 (sports)|captain]] of the European Ryder Cup team in [[2002 Ryder Cup|2002]]. Torrance was honoured with the [[Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (1996) and [[OBE]] (2003), for his outstanding contributions to golf.

==Early life==
Torrance was born and grew up in [[Largs]] on the west coast of [[Scotland]], playing golf at Routenburn Golf Club, near his family home. His father Bob (1932-2014) was a highly respected golf instructor<ref name=":0" /> 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, where he used to play for money with members, which was much needed because he was paid only £5 a week as an assistant professional.<ref>{{cite book |title=An Enduring Passion: My Ryder Cup Years |first1=Sam |last1=Torrance |first2=Mark |last2=Baldwin |publisher=Mainstream Publishing Company |location=Edingburgh |date=2010 |isbn=9781845966294}}</ref>

==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 [[Men's major golf championships|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 previously held the record for the most career appearances on the European Tour, with 706. At the 2020 [[Hero Open]], [[Miguel Ángel Jiménez]] passed Torrance for most starts on the European Tour.

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

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 (golf)|New South Wales Open]] in beginning of November<ref>{{Cite news |date=1980-11-03 |title=Golf: Smiling Serhan walks off with $13,000 NSW prize |page=18 |newspaper=The Canberra Times |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article126156360 |access-date=2020-06-21}}</ref> 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 [[1983 Ryder Cup|Ryder Cup]] match to be played in [[Florida]] later the same month, Torrance finished tied first after 72 holes at the [[1983 PGA Tour|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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mnsgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=t2cFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4844,1417228&dq=ronnie+black+southern+open&hl=en |title=Torrance Falters; Black Captures Southern Open |newspaper=The Lewiston Daily Sun |location=Maine |first=Tom |last=Saladino |agency=Associated Press |date=10 October 1983 |page=17 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref>

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 Prefecture|Chiba, Japan]]. That year he also finished in second place at the [[Malaysian Open (golf)|Malaysian Open]], tying Australia's [[Terry Gale]] for second, two behind Taiwan's [[Lu Chien-soon]]. Torrance reached another second place in Japan at the 1987 [[Casio World Open]], losing by two strokes to American [[David Ishii]], after leading or tying the lead after each of the first three rounds.

Torrance played for [[Europe]] in the [[Ryder Cup]] eight times, from 1981 to 1995 consecutively; the Cup is contested every two years. In [[1985 Ryder Cup|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 De Vere Belfry|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 National Golf Club|Hazeltine]] by captain [[Darren Clarke]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Inglis |first=Martin |date=27 July 2016 |title=Sam Torrance named Ryder Cup vice-captain |url=http://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/sam-torrance-named-ryder-cup-vice-captain |magazine=bunkered}}</ref>

Torrance represented Scotland eleven times at the [[World Cup (men's golf)|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 World Cup (men's golf)|1984]] with [[Gordon Brand Jnr]] and [[1987 World Cup (men's golf)|1987]] with [[Sandy Lyle]]. Individually, Torrance finished tied 5th at the [[1978 World Cup (men's golf)|1978 World Cup]] in [[Hanalei, Hawaii]] and 3rd at the [[1995 World Cup of Golf]] at the [[Mission Hills Golf Club]] in [[Shenzhen]], [[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, where Torrance won over [[Mark McNulty]].<ref>{{cite news |date=23 October 1995 |title=Scotland aces the field to win Dunhill Cup; Dunhill Cup |pages=2D, 5D |newspaper=[[The Daytona Beach News-Journal]] |agency=Associated Press |location=Florida |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jGkfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AdUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4833,2972435&dq=dunhill+cup+golf&hl=en |accessdate=22 June 2020}}</ref>

=== Senior career ===
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 European Seniors Tour|2004]]. He finished first on the European Senior Tour's Order of Merit in [[2005 European Seniors Tour|2005]], [[2006 European Seniors Tour|2006]] and [[2009 European Senior Tour|2009]], but never won a senior major. His best finish was lone 5th in the [[Senior Open Championship]], achieved in 2009, which was the same result as his best finish in The Open and a regular major.

During this era, 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 retired from competitive golf after playing his last event on the European Senior Tour, at the time named the Staysure Tour, in October 2017.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/news/tour-news/sam-torrance-reveals-he-has-given-up-golf-184987 |title=Sam Torrance Reveals He Has Given Up Golf |date=28 August 2019 |magazine=Golf Monthly |first=Elliott |last=Heath}}</ref>

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.

==Personal life==
Torrance married English actress [[Suzanne Danielle]] in 1988. They have four children.<ref>{{cite web|date=1 June 2017|title=Sam Torrance|url=https://onlygolfnews.com/golf-bios/sam-torrance.htm|website=OnlyGolfNews}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=28 September 2002|title=The Saturday profile – Suzanne Danielle|newspaper=The Scotsman|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/letters/saturday-profile-suzanne-danielle-2470431}}</ref>

Torrance's father Bob<ref name=":0">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/28380777 |title=Bob Torrance, father of golf star Sam, passes away aged 82 |work=BBC Sport |date=18 July 2014 |accessdate=18 July 2014}}</ref> also coached Sam's son Daniel who played golf to a high level, competing with Sam at the [[Alfred Dunhill Links Championship|Dunhill Links Championship]] in the Pro Am competition, winning it once.

Torrance has appeared on the sport personality quiz show ''[[A Question of Sport]]'' five times since 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sam Torrance |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1519721/filmoseries#tt0239185 |website=[[IMDb]]}}</ref> 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 (golfer)|John Daly]].<ref>{{YouTube|ZrUs4TFBFfw}}</ref> 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{{Explain|date=August 2019|reason=does this mean that his team scored every point possible, including handovers?}}.

== Awards and honors ==

* Torrance was appointed a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1996 Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=54427 |date=14 June 1996 |pages=24}}</ref> 
* He was promoted to an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[2003 New Year Honours]], for services to golf.<ref name="GBR">{{London Gazette |issue=56797 |date=31 December 2002 |pages=13 |supp=y}}</ref> 
* In the June 2023 Graduation Ceremonies at [[University of St Andrews]], Torrance was awarded Doctor of Laws (LLD),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Honorary graduates |url=https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/graduation/honorands/ |access-date=2023-11-28 |publisher=University of St Andrews}}</ref> in recognition of his outstanding career in, and contribution to golf.

==Bibliography==

* ''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)

==Professional wins (46)==
===European Tour wins (21)===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.
!Date
!Tournament
!Winning score
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runner(s)-up
|-
|align=center|1
|align=right|15 May [[1976 European Tour|1976]] 
|[[Piccadilly Medal]]
|−15 (67-72-66-72=277)
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Bob Shearer]]
|-
|align=center|2
|align=right|12 Jun 1976
|[[Martini International]]
|−8 (69-67-71-73=280)
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tommy Horton]]
|-
|align=center|3
|align=right|16 Aug [[1981 European Tour|1981]] 
|[[Carroll's Irish Open]]
|−12 (68-67-69-72=276)
|5 strokes
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Nick Faldo]]
|-
|align=center|4
|align=right|3 Oct [[1982 European Tour|1982]]
|[[Benson & Hedges Spanish Open]]
|−15 (71-65-67-70=273)
|8 strokes
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Roger Chapman (golfer)|Roger Chapman]], {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Sandy Lyle]],<br>{{flagicon|WAL}} [[Ian Woosnam]]
|-
|align=center|5
|align=right|7 Nov 1982
|[[Portuguese Open]]
|−9 (71-67-69=207)*
|4 strokes
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Nick Faldo]]
|-
|align=center|6
|align=right|3 Jul [[1983 European Tour|1983]]
|[[Scandinavian Enterprise Open]]
|−8 (73-69-68-70=280)
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Craig Stadler]]
|-
|align=center|7
|align=right|6 Nov 1983
|[[Portuguese Open]] (2)
|−2 (72-73-71-70=286)
|3 strokes
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Chris Moody]]
|-
|align=center|8
|align=right|15 Apr [[1984 European Tour|1984]]
|[[Tunisian Open]]
|−6 (66-71-75-70=282)
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Brian Waites]]
|-
|align=center|9
|align=right|19 Aug 1984
|[[Benson & Hedges International Open]]
|−18 (63-68-70-69=270)
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Wayne Grady]]
|-
|align=center|10
|align=right|23 Sep 1984
|[[Sanyo Open]]
|−7 (71-69-70-71=281)
|Playoff
|{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Des Smyth]]
|-
|align=center|11
|align=right|30 Jun [[1985 European Tour|1985]]
|[[Johnnie Walker Monte Carlo Open]]
|−12 (69-63-62-70=264)
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|JPN|1947}} [[Isao Aoki]]
|-
|align=center|12
|align=right|3 May [[1987 European Tour|1987]]
|[[Lancia Italian Open]]
|−17 (64-68-71-68=271)
|Playoff
|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[José Rivero]]
|-
|align=center|13
|align=right|7 Oct [[1990 European Tour|1990]]
|[[Mercedes German Masters]]
|−16 (70-65-64-73=272)
|3 strokes
|{{flagicon|DEU}} [[Bernhard Langer]], {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Ian Woosnam]]
|-
|align=center|14
|align=right|14 Apr [[1991 European Tour|1991]]
|[[Jersey European Airways Open]]
|−9 (68-69-69-73=279)
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mark Davis (golfer)|Mark Davis]]
|-
|align=center|15
|align=right|28 Mar [[1993 European Tour|1993]]
|[[Kronenbourg Open]]
|−4 (69-68-73-74=284)
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Mike Miller (golfer)|Mike Miller]]
|-
|align=center|16
|align=right|25 Apr 1993
|[[Heineken Open (golf)|Heineken Open]]
|−15 (71-63-67=201)*
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jay Townsend (golfer)|Jay Townsend]]
|-
|align=center|17
|align=right|13 Jun 1993
|[[Honda Open]]
|−10 (68-69-68-73=278)
|Playoff
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Paul Broadhurst]], {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Johan Ryström]],<br>{{flagicon|WAL}} [[Ian Woosnam]]
|-
|align=center|18
|align=right|7 May [[1995 European Tour|1995]]
|[[Italian Open (golf)|Italian Open]] (2)
|−19 (69-70-63-67=269)
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[José Rivero]]
|-
|align=center|19
|align=right|9 Jul 1995
|[[Murphy's Irish Open]] (2)
|−11 (68-68-70-71=277)
|Playoff
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stuart Cage]], {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Howard Clark (golfer)|Howard Clark]]
|-
|align=center|20
|align=right|17 Sep 1995
|[[Collingtree British Masters]]
|−18 (67-66-68-69=270)
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Michael Campbell]]
|-
|align=center|21
|align=right|28 Jun [[1998 European Tour|1998]]
|[[Peugeot Open de France]]
|−12 (64-70-72-70=276)
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Olivier Edmond]], {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Massimo Florioli]],<br>{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Mathew Goggin]], {{flagicon|DEU}} [[Bernhard Langer]]
|}
<small>''<nowiki>*</nowiki>Note: Tournament shortened to 54 holes due to weather.''</small>

'''European Tour playoff record (4–2)'''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent(s)!!Result
|-style="background:#D0F0C0;"
|align=center|1
|[[1984 European Tour|1984]]
|[[Sanyo Open]]
|{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Des Smyth]]
|Won with par on first extra hole
|-style="background:#D0F0C0;"
|align=center|2
|[[1987 European Tour|1987]]
|[[Lancia Italian Open]]
|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[José Rivero]]
|Won with par on sixth extra hole
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|3
|1987
|[[London Standard Four Stars National Pro-Celebrity]]
|{{flagicon|ZWE}} [[Mark McNulty]]
|Lost to birdie on second extra hole
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|4
|[[1990 European Tour|1990]]
|[[NM English Open]]
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mark James (golfer)|Mark James]]
|Lost to birdie on first extra hole
|-style="background:#D0F0C0;"
|align=center|5
|[[1993 European Tour|1993]]
|[[Honda Open]]
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Paul Broadhurst]], {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Johan Ryström]],<br>{{flagicon|WAL}} [[Ian Woosnam]]
|Won with birdie on first extra hole
|-style="background:#D0F0C0;"
|align=center|6
|[[1995 European Tour|1995]]
|[[Murphy's Irish Open]]
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stuart Cage]], {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Howard Clark (golfer)|Howard Clark]]
|Won with eagle on second extra hole<br>Cage eliminated by par on first hole
|}

===PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.
!Date
!Tournament
!Winning score
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runner-up
|-
|align=center|1
|align=right|9 Nov 1980
|[[Mayne Nickless Australian PGA Championship]]
|−6 (71-72-69-70=282)
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Seve Ballesteros]]
|}

'''PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (0–1)'''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent!!Result
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|1
|1981
|[[CBA West Lakes Classic]]
|{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Eamonn Darcy]]
|Lost to birdie on first extra hole
|}

===Safari Circuit wins (1)===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.
!Date
!Tournament
!Winning score
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runner-up
|-
|align=center|1
|align=right|23 Mar 1975
|[[Zambia Open]]
|−12 (66-69-70-75=280)
|Playoff
|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Brian Barnes (golfer)|Brian Barnes]]
|}

===South American Golf Circuit wins (1)===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.
!Date
!Tournament
!Winning score
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runner-up
|-
|align=center|1
|align=right|16 Dec 1979
|[[Colombian Open]]
|−11 (67-64-70-72=273)
|3 strokes
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ray Carrasco]]
|}

===Other wins (11)===
*1972 [[Lord Derby's Under-25 Match Play Championship]], Radici Open (Italy)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110690410/the-daily-telegraph/ |title=Radici T'ment |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=31 October 1972 |page=33 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
*1975 [[Scottish Uniroyal Tournament]]
*1978 [[Scottish PGA Championship|Scottish Professional Championship]]
*1979 [[Skol Tournament]]
*1980 [[Scottish PGA Championship|Scottish Professional Championship]]
*1982 [[Skol Tournament]]
*1985 [[Scottish PGA Championship|Scottish Professional Championship]]
*1991 [[Scottish PGA Championship|Scottish Professional Championship]]
*1993 [[Scottish Professional Championship (golf)|Scottish Professional Championship]]
*2006 [[Hassan II Golf Trophy]]

===European Senior Tour wins (11)===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! Legend
|- style="background:thistle"
| Tour Championships (1)
|- 
| Other European Senior Tour (10)
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.
!Date
!Tournament
!Winning score
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runner(s)-up
|-
|align=center|1
|align=right|15 Aug [[2004 European Seniors Tour|2004]]
|[[Travis Perkins Senior Masters]]
|−13 (72-69-62=203)
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Seiji Ebihara]]
|-
|align=center|2
|align=right|12 Jun [[2005 European Seniors Tour|2005]]
|[[Irvine Whitlock Seniors Classic]]
|−11 (65-68-72=205)
|4 strokes
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[David J. Russell (golfer)|David J. Russell]]
|-
|align=center|3
|align=right|7 Aug 2005
|[[De Vere PGA Seniors Championship]]
|−17 (66-70-66-69=271)
|4 strokes
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[David J. Russell (golfer)|David J. Russell]]
|-
|align=center|4
|align=right|25 Sep 2005
|[[Bendinat London Seniors Masters]]
|−15 (64-67-70=201)
|3 strokes
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[David J. Russell (golfer)|David J. Russell]]
|-
|align=center|5
|align=right|21 May [[2006 European Seniors Tour|2006]]
|[[Sharp Italian Seniors Open]]
|−11 (68-70-67=205)
|4 strokes
|{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Eamonn Darcy]]
|-
|align=center|6
|align=right|4 Jun 2006
|[[AIB Irish Seniors Open]]
|−6 (70-68-69=207)
|Playoff
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jerry Bruner]], {{flagicon|CHI}} [[Guillermo Encina]],<br />{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Stewart Ginn]]
|-
|align=center|7
|align=right|28 Aug 2006
|[[PGA Seniors Championship]] (2)
|−20 (65-66-71-66=268)
|3 strokes
|{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Luis Carbonetti]]
|-
|align=center|8
|align=right|3 Sep 2006
|[[Charles Church Scottish Seniors Open]]
|−3 (76-67-70=213)
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Bill Longmuir]]
|-
|align=center|9
|align=right|24 Jun [[2007 European Seniors Tour|2007]]
|[[Bendinat London Seniors Masters]] (2)
|−10 (68-68-70=206)
|1 stroke
|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[José Rivero]]
|-style="background:thistle"
|align=center|10
|align=right|9 Nov [[2008 European Seniors Tour|2008]]
|[[OKI Castellón Open España Senior Tour Championship]]
|−13 (68-66-69=203)
|2 strokes
|{{flagicon|CHI}} [[Ángel Fernández (golfer)|Ángel Fernández]], {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Katsuyoshi Tomori]]
|-
|align=center|11
|align=right|20 Mar [[2009 European Senior Tour|2009]]
|[[DGM Barbados Open]]
|−14 (65-63-74=202)
|4 strokes
|{{flagicon|PAR|1990}} [[Ángel Franco]]
|}

'''European Senior Tour playoff record (1–1)'''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent(s)!!Result
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|1
|[[2005 European Seniors Tour|2005]]
|[[Bovis Lend Lease European Senior Masters]]
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mark James (golfer)|Mark James]]
|Lost to birdie on first extra hole
|-style="background:#D0F0C0;"
|align=center|2
|[[2006 European Seniors Tour|2006]]
|[[AIB Irish Seniors Open]]
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jerry Bruner]], {{flagicon|CHI}} [[Guillermo Encina]],<br />{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Stewart Ginn]]
|Won with eagle on second extra hole<br />Encina and Ginn eliminated by birdie on first hole
|}

==Playoff record==
'''PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)'''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent!!Result
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|1
|[[1983 PGA Tour|1983]]
|[[Southern Open]]
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ronnie Black]]
|Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole
|}

'''PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (0–1)'''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponents!!Result
|-style="background:#F2C1D1;"
|align=center|1
|[[1984 PGA of Japan Tour|1984]]
|[[Bridgestone Tournament]]
|{{flagicon|TWN}} [[Chen Tze-chung]], {{flagicon|JPN|1870}} [[Yoshihisa Iwashita]],<br>{{flagicon|JPN|1870}} [[Masahiro Kuramoto]]
|Kuramoto won with eagle on first extra hole
|}

==Results in major championships==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament
!1972
!1973
!1974
!1975
!1976
!1977
!1978
!1979
|-
|align=left|[[Masters Tournament]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]
|T46
|CUT
|CUT
|T19
|CUT
|CUT
|CUT
|CUT
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament
!1980
!1981
!1982
!1983
!1984
!1985
!1986
!1987
!1988
!1989
|-
|align=left|[[Masters Tournament]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T31
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]
|T38
|style="background:yellow;"|5
|12
|T53
|style="background:yellow;"|T9
|T16
|T21
|T50
|T47
|CUT
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament
!1990
!1991
!1992
!1993
!1994
!1995
!1996
!1997
!1998
!1999
!2000
|-
|align=left|[[Masters Tournament]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T33
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|CUT
|T39
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T21
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T16
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|CUT
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]
|T39
|T44
|CUT
|T51
|CUT
|T11
|CUT
|CUT
|T24
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|CUT
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|CUT
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T30
|T23
|CUT
|T45
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|CUT
|}
{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}
{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1973, 1977 and 1978 Open Championships)<br />
"T" indicates a tie for a place

===Summary===
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!Tournament !! Wins !! 2nd !! 3rd !! Top-5 !! Top-10 !! Top-25 !! Events !! Cuts made
|-
|align=left|[[Masters Tournament]]         || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 ||  0 ||  4 ||  3
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 ||  2 ||  3 ||  2
|-
|align=left|[[The Open Championship]]      || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 2 ||  8 || 28 || 16
|-
|align=left|[[PGA Championship]]           || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 ||  1 ||  6 ||  3
|-
!Totals                                    !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 1 !! 2 !! 11 !! 41 !! 24
|}
*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.''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"
!Tournament !! 2004 !! 2005 !! 2006 !! 2007 !! 2008 !! 2009 !! 2010 !! 2011 !! 2012 !! 2013 !! 2014 !! 2015 !! 2016
|-
|align=left|[[The Tradition]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T21
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[Senior PGA Championship]]
|T38
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T19
|CUT
|T34
|T53
|T56
|CUT
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|-
|align=left|[[The Senior Open Championship]]
|style="background:yellow;"|T9
|T29
|CUT
|style="background:yellow;"|T10
|CUT
|style="background:yellow;"|5
|T63
|CUT
|CUT
|CUT
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|T75
|CUT
|-
|align=left|[[U.S. Senior Open]]
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:yellow;"|T5
|CUT
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|style="background:#eeeeee;"|
|}
{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}
{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}
CUT = missed the halfway cut<br />
"T" indicates a tie for a place.<br />
''Note: Torrance never played in the [[Senior Players Championship]].''

==Team appearances==
*[[Ryder Cup]] (representing Europe): [[1981 Ryder Cup|1981]], [[1983 Ryder Cup|1983]], [[1985 Ryder Cup|1985]] (winners), [[1987 Ryder Cup|1987]] (winners), [[1989 Ryder Cup|1989]] (tied and retained trophy), 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners), 2002 (winners, non-playing captain)
*[[World Cup (men's golf)|World Cup]] (representing Scotland): [[1976 World Cup (men's golf)|1976]], [[1978 World Cup (men's golf)|1978]], [[1982 World Cup (men's golf)|1982]], [[1984 World Cup (men's golf)|1984]], [[1985 World Cup (men's golf)|1985]], [[1987 World Cup (men's golf)|1987]], [[1989 World Cup (men's golf)|1989]], [[1990 World Cup (men's golf)|1990]], [[1991 World Cup (men's golf)|1991]], [[1993 World Cup of Golf|1993]], [[1995 World Cup of Golf|1995]]
*[[Double Diamond International]] (representing Scotland): 1973 (winners), 1976, 1977
*[[Hennessy Cognac Cup]] (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1976 (winners), 1978 (winners), 1980 (winners), 1982 (winners), (representing Scotland) 1984
*[[Alfred Dunhill Cup]] (representing Scotland): [[1985 Dunhill Cup|1985]], [[1986 Dunhill Cup|1986]], [[1987 Dunhill Cup|1987]], [[1989 Dunhill Cup|1989]], [[1990 Dunhill Cup|1990]], [[1991 Dunhill Cup|1991]], [[1993 Dunhill Cup|1993]], [[1995 Dunhill Cup|1995]] (winners), [[1999 Alfred Dunhill Cup|1999]]
*[[Four Tours World Championship]] (representing Europe): 1985, 1991 (winners, captain)
*[[UBS Cup]] (representing the Rest of the World): 2001, 2002, 2004
*[[Seve Trophy]] (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2013 (non-playing captain)

==See also==
*[[List of golfers with most European Tour wins]]
*[[List of golfers with most European Senior Tour wins]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{EuroTour player|193}}
*{{OWGR|328}}

{{Sir Henry Cotton Rookies of the Year}}
{{navboxes|title=Sam Torrance in the [[Ryder Cup]]
|list1={{European Ryder Cup Captains}}
{{1981 European Ryder Cup team}}
{{1983 European Ryder Cup team}}
{{1985 European Ryder Cup team}}
{{1987 European Ryder Cup team}}
{{1989 European Ryder Cup team}}
{{1991 European Ryder Cup team}}
{{1993 European Ryder Cup team}}
{{1995 European Ryder Cup team}}
{{2002 European Ryder Cup team}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torrance, Sam}}
[[Category:Scottish male golfers]]
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[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Golfers from North Ayrshire]]
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[[Category:Living people]]