Accident-prone European
Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance is in the wars again after gashing his head on
his car door on arriving at The Belfry to play the Benson and Hedges International
Open.
Torrance has suffered a
series of injuries and mishaps in his career. In 1993 he went sleepwalking at
the same Belfry hotel, bumped into a giant flowerpot and cracked a bone in his
sternum, putting his Ryder Cup place in jeopardy.
The 46-year-old will play
this tournament sporting a head bandage after two stitches in a wound.
"I was just getting the
luggage out of my car and I think someone came by and half-closed the door.
"It's a glass window with
no frame around it and I just never saw it coming. I bashed my head and there
was blood spurting out all over the place, like a Stephen King movie.
"But it wasn't life-threatening
and it isn't golf-threatening so at least I've got it out of the way early."
In 1995 Torrance tore neck
muscles while lifting his daughter out of her pram. He decided to play through
the pain in that year's Italian Open and went on to win it.
The injury returned to
haunt him at the beginning of last season and ended his chances of playing in
the Ryder Cup at Brookline where he was one of Mark James's vice-captains.
Torrance holed the winning
putt to clinch the 1985 Ryder Cup for Europe. He has returned the compliment
by naming James as one of his two vice-captains for The Belfry next year.
