The Belfry, 1985: there he stands forever frozen in time, arms raised in ecstatic triumph, a pencil in one ear, a foul-smelling, half-smoked, roll-up fag jammed behind the other, the famous Groucho Marx moustache a quagmire of tears. Sam Torrance, The Man Who Holed The Putt That Won The Ryder Cup.
The Belfry 2002: another image to treasure; as Paul McGinley, to whom the honour of sinking the wining putt had been bestowed on this occasion, jumped fully clothed into the lake by the 18th green and the victorious Europeans embarked on the mother of all celebrations, so Captain Sam and his wife, Suzanne, stood alone amid the mayhem, locked in a tearful embrace.
To enjoy one such moment in a sporting career is the stuff of boyhood dreams, to savour two accords you entry into the hall of legends. So, although he may be in St Andrews to compete in the Dunhill Links (the Pro-Am section of which he won in tandem with his then 15-year-old son, Daniel, in 2005) it is impossible to engage Slammin' Sam in conversation without the Ryder Cup coming into play.
Looking back, therefore, which is his most precious memory? "I have been blessed, truly blessed. I thought holing that putt in '85 was as special as it gets, then we won on American soil for the first time two years later at Muirfield Village, then we won perhaps the most exciting Ryder Cup contest of the all at Oak Hill in '95, when I played the best golf of my life. But the highlight of them all was the captaincy by a mile . . . by a mile . . . by a mile . . . by 100 miles."
From his childhood on the fairways of Routenburn Golf Club above Largs on the Firth of Clyde, where he honed his skills under the watchful gaze of his dad, Bob, Torrance had harboured two burning ambitions: to beat Jack Nicklaus by one shot to win the Open at Muirfield and to be The Man Who Holed The Putt That Won The Ryder Cup. So when Sam nominates his 2002 captaincy as the highlight of a career that brought him 30 titles worldwide and three victorious Ryder Cup campaigns as a player, you know he is speaking from the heart. "I never, ever dreamt I'd be awarded the captaincy," he said. "It wasn't my vocation so I went through hell for those three years fretting about the speeches. Night and day I was petrified because I knew I had to get each and every one just right. Thanks to the advice of my old pal David Feherty, who's now a successful commentator in the States, I like to think I didn't screw up once ."
Indeed, he did not; following on from the infamous Battle of Brookline in 1999, the Torrance speeches even had the Americans dabbing their eyes. Play it again, Sam.
"Curtis [Strange], old friend, I bid you welcome to Europe, to England and to the Belfry. You are our invited guests and our worthy opponents and, as the old Scottish saying goes: 'oor hoose is your hoose and you're mair than welcome here ."
Or, this, at the moment of triumph: "Curtis, I accept the Ryder Cup into our safe keeping, and I accept it from an outstanding captain of a fine US team. We will cherish it for two years until we meet again. My last thank you is very special and it is to the winning team. I have got to say that only the birth of my children and my marriage to my wife have been more special. I will remember this forever. Thank you very much."
When you consider all the great names to have been associated with the Ryder Cup - Nicklaus, Palmer and Trevino, Faldo, Ballesteros and Jacklin - none has been more beloved by the public than the ever popular Scot. To remind him of that is to risk opening the tear ducts yet again. "The Ryder Cup has been a part of my life since the age of nine. It's been a fairy tale and, yes, I suppose I am a legend of sorts, which is great, it's awesome. I'll be there forever now and that's a wonderful thing to think about. As I said at the time, I'd love to have bottled it and taken a wee sip every day."
Torrance's relationship with the fans - founded at the Belfry in '85 - is joyous to behold. On the Sunday night at Muirfield Village, it was Torrance who led a posse of players into the beer tent where the European spectators were celebrating. "Jesse [Mark James], Woosie and me thought it would be nice to go along to register our thanks. The atmosphere was incredible, they greeted our arrival like the second coming. I gave away my shoes, my sweater, I'd have stripped naked for them if I thought I'd looked good. The players-fans get-together has now become a Ryder Cup tradition."
There was a more recent but no less exuberant party in the bar of the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews three autumns ago when he and Daniel emerged triumphant in the Dunhill Links. "When we went on to the practice ground before the final round, Samuel L Jackson, the actor, looked up and called over to Daniel: 'Hey, great play.' Daniel was mightily chuffed the coolest of Mr Cools should recognise him. Without wishing to tempt fate, I honestly believe he could win the major that always eluded his old man ."
Not that Torrance Snr has ruled out the possibility of winning a seniors' "major". "It would have been lovely to win a real major, which is a regret rather than a disappointment because I gave it my best shot every time; sadly, I just wasn't good enough in the weeks it counted, so it would be nice to put that right among the golden oldies. I was incredibly lucky to start out on a new career when I turned 50 in 2003 - an opportunity unique to golfers - and sit around a table in the clubhouse listening to the likes of the 'Golden Bear' spinning his yarns. Jack Nicklaus was, and remains my ultimate golfing hero, apart from my dad. Only recently I told him: 'Jack, the greatest compliment I can pay you, is that in the 400 majors I won in my imagination, you were runner-up every time. He absolutely loved that."
The greatest compliment I can pay Sam Torrance is that from Routenburn to Ryder Cup glory, the man has never changed.
rphilip@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
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Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
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The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars