woosie and lehman - head-to-head
Lehman and Woosnam lock horns this month.
Although it is 12 against 12 in the Ryder Cup at the K Club in Dublin, European and USA captains Ian Woosnam and Tom Lehman will have a significant part to play. Carl Markham looks at how the two match up. MAJORS Woosnam famously won the Masters in 1991 after holding off the challenge of Tom Watson and Jose Maria Olazabal, sparking a golden period for the Welshman. Lehman squeezed home ahead of Mark McCumber and Ernie Els to win the 1996 Open at Lytham and St Annes. OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS After his Masters victory, Woosnam was catapulted to world number one, a position he occupied for 50 weeks. He has 29 European Tour titles to his name, with his last tournament victory coming at the 2001 World Match Play. By contrast, Lehman has won just five PGA Tour events, with the 2000 Phoenix Open his most recent. The year after winning the Open, he became only the second American at the time to top the world rankings, although his stay lasted just one week before being toppled by Greg Norman. CHARACTER Welshman Woosnam is a fiery and passionate person and will definitely bring a different kind of leadership to the team from that of the calm and calculating Bernhard Langer. He has taken a strong line on selection but is more than capable of making some of the difficult decisions ahead of him. Lehman is tough and steely, far detached from his predecessor Hal Sutton who often gave the impression he was not entirely sure of his plan of action. Lehman has already laid down his ground rules on team unity to stars Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and warned other big names reputations count for nothing in the race for selection. RYDER CUP HISTORY Woosnam featured in seven Ryder Cups (1983-97), playing 31 matches, winning 14, losing 12 and halving five - accumulating 16 points. In 1993 he became the first, and so far only, European player to claim the maximum four points from the two foursomes and two fourball matches. Member of winning side on three occasions (1985, 1995, 1997). Lehman competed in the 1995, 1997 and 1999 Ryder Cups and won each of his three singles. He has played 10 matches, winning five, losing three and halving two for a total of six points.
