Ian Woosnam Ends Masters Career

Ian Woosnam The Masters, Round 2 - Getty Images

Former champion Ian Woosnam says the 2016 Masters will be his last because of a persistent back injury.

The 58-year-old is set to miss the cut after finishing his second round 19 over par, following his opening score of 82 by carding an 81.

It is 25 years since Woosnam triumphed at Augusta to become the first - and still only - Welshman to win one of golf's major championships.

"I am in pain all the way round so it's time to say bye-bye really," he said.

"There's not much they can do. I have ankylosing spondylitis and I can't play with all the slopes here.

"I was swinging it beautiful before I came here. I am always taking painkillers just to play golf but it's just too tough here for me.

"I said in the past that if I started shooting in the 80s I would call it a day."

Woosnam carded a double bogey, eight bogeys and a solitary birdie on the 15th in his final competitive round at Augusta.

But he could take the positives from finishing with a par on the 18th, just as he did in 1991 to edge out Jose Maria Olazabal and Tom Watson for the Green Jacket.

"That was a great way to finish. The 18th was as well as I played this week," added Woosnam.

"It's just getting really tough. That's my last go. I am not fit enough to play with my bad back.

"Every time I play this course it just seizes on me and I can't swing the club properly.

"It's time for me to sit back and watch. I'll still keep coming to the tournament obviously.

"It's a shame to finish off playing like that but you can only do your best. Never mind, I've still got a green jacket."

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Phil Woosnam 1932 - 2013

Phil Woosnam, the former Welsh soccer star who served as the North American Soccer League's commissioner and had a brief stint as coach of the U.S. national team, has died. He was 80.

U.S. Soccer said Sunday that Woosnam died Friday in Dunwoody, Ga., of complications related to prostate cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

"We are saddened by the loss of one of the most important individuals in the history of American soccer. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family," U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said in a statement. "The impact that Phil Woosnam had in the growth of soccer in the United States was immense. He was a giant in the sport and his leadership, passion and knowledge will be missed."

Woosnam played for a number of pro clubs -- including English teams Aston Villa, West Ham and Leyton Orient -- during a 16-year career and earned 17 caps with the Welsh national team.

He came to the United States in 1966 at the age of 35, and became the U.S. coach in 1968, serving in the role for nine games, including four World Cup qualifiers.

He won the NASL's first coach of the year award, for the Atlanta Chiefs in 1968, before taking over as commissioner, a position he held until 1982. Under his guidance, the NASL brought in world-class players such as Pele. The league folded after the 1984 season.

Woosnam, the cousin of pro golfer Ian Woosnam, was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1997.

#RIP

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Woosnam Enjoys European Strength

an Woosnam believes the current crop of United Kingdom golfers can dominate the world game for years to come.

Woosnam, Masters champion in 1991, was a contemporary of fellow major winners Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle.

And the Welshman believes the likes of Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell could go on to surpass their achievements.

"In depth, [there's] no doubt about it. There are so many good players these days," he said.

"They come up through the ranks, they go to these colleges and have all these lessons. It's a different game.

"It's not all about talent anymore. It's all about how you prepare to become a professional golfer."

Four British players - Donald, Westwood, McIlroy and McDowell - are currently ranked among the top 10 golfers in the world.

Northern Ireland's McIlroy was crowned US Open champion in June, a year after compatriot McDowell became the first European to lift the trophy since Tony Jacklin's triumph in 1970.McIlroy made it a Northern Irish double at the US Open

Donald is the current world number one after surpassing Westwood following his victory at the PGA Championship at Wentworth in May.

For Woosnam, the US Masters winner in 1991 following Lyle's victory in 1988 and Faldo's double in 1989 and 1990, the emergence of these players is reminiscent of his own golden era.

"It's amazing how these spells go around and how these guys feed off each other," Woosnam told BBC Wales.

"You play practice rounds with each other and it installs confidence in the other lads as well.

"I think it's really good for golf and everybody's going to be fighting that little bit harder to be that world number one."

Woosnam led Europe to victory over the United States in the Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland in 2006.

The European team, captained by Colin Montgomerie, regained the Ryder Cup with victory over the Americans at the Celtic Manor in Newport in 2010.

And Woosnam believes the prominence of European players is due to their ability to adapt to different courses and conditions.

"Every tournament's different," said Woosnam. "Being a European player it's like being an international player.

"You're playing all different kinds of conditions. I think that's where maybe the Europeans are a bit stronger in the game at the moment."