Ronan Rafferty
Encyclopedia
Ronan P. Rafferty is an Northern Irish professional golfer
, who formerly played on the European Tour
.
Rafferty was born in Newry
, Northern Ireland
. He won the Boys Amateur Championship
aged fifteen and played in the Walker Cup
aged seventeen. He tied for first place with Peter McEvoy
in the 1980 English Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy
.
The most notable achievement of Rafferty's professional career came in 1989, when he finished top of the European Tour Order of Merit. He came close to breaking the then record for consecutive cuts made on the European Tour in the early 1990s, before struggling for form amid injuries later in the decade. He failed to finish inside the top 100 on the Order of Merit between 1998 and 2004. In total he has seven wins on the tour, all of which came between 1989 and 1993.
Rafferty now plays few tournaments, and is involved in broadcasting, where he works as a commentator
and analyst, and golf course design. He regularly appeared on Setanta
Golf's coverage of the PGA Tour
.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = Withdrew
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Professional
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
, who formerly played on the European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
.
Rafferty was born in Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. He won the Boys Amateur Championship
Boys Amateur Championship
The Boys Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. The competition is organised and run by The R&A-History:The Boy's Amateur Championship was first played at Royal Ascot in 1921...
aged fifteen and played in the Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
aged seventeen. He tied for first place with Peter McEvoy
Peter McEvoy
Peter McEvoy OBE was a leading British amateur golfer for many years, and is now a golf course designer, golf administrator, and golf writer....
in the 1980 English Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy
Brabazon Trophy
The English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy is the national amateur stroke play golf championship in England . It has been played annually since 1947 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over 4 days...
.
The most notable achievement of Rafferty's professional career came in 1989, when he finished top of the European Tour Order of Merit. He came close to breaking the then record for consecutive cuts made on the European Tour in the early 1990s, before struggling for form amid injuries later in the decade. He failed to finish inside the top 100 on the Order of Merit between 1998 and 2004. In total he has seven wins on the tour, all of which came between 1989 and 1993.
Rafferty now plays few tournaments, and is involved in broadcasting, where he works as a commentator
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
and analyst, and golf course design. He regularly appeared on Setanta
Setanta
Setanta can mean:* The given name of the Irish mythological figure Cúchulainn* Setanta Sports, Ireland-based international television sports channel**Setanta Sports USA, defunct version of the above that broadcast in the US and Caribbean from 2005–2010...
Golf's coverage of the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
.
Amateur wins
- 1979 Boys Amateur ChampionshipBoys Amateur ChampionshipThe Boys Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. The competition is organised and run by The R&A-History:The Boy's Amateur Championship was first played at Royal Ascot in 1921...
- 1980 Brabazon TrophyBrabazon TrophyThe English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy is the national amateur stroke play golf championship in England . It has been played annually since 1947 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over 4 days...
(tie with Peter McEvoyPeter McEvoyPeter McEvoy OBE was a leading British amateur golfer for many years, and is now a golf course designer, golf administrator, and golf writer....
)
European Tour wins (7)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 May 1989 1989 European Tour The 1989 European Tour was the eighteenth official season of golf tournaments known as the PGA European Tour. It marked the tour's first visit to Asia, with the inaugural Karl Litten Desert Classic.... |
Lancia Italian Open | 1 stroke |  Sam TorranceSam Torrance Sam Torrance OBE is a 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, from 1981 to 1995 consecutively; he was... |
|
| 2 | 6 Aug 1989 | Scandinavian Enterprise Open Scandinavian Enterprise Open The Scandinavian Enterprise Open was a golf tournament on the European Tour that was played in Sweden until 1990, when it had a prize fund of £400,000, which was mid-range for the tour at that time.... |
2 strokes |  Michael AllenMichael Allen (golfer) Michael Louis Allen is an American professional golfer.Allen was born in San Mateo, California. He attended the University of Nevada and turned professional in 1984. He played on the European Tour 1986-89 and 1992, winning the 1989 Scottish Open. He played on the PGA Tour 1990-95, 2002, and 2004-09... |
|
| 3 | 29 Oct 1989 | Volvo Masters Volvo Masters The Volvo Masters was the concluding official money event of the European Tour season until 2009, when it was replaced by the Dubai World Championship... |
1 stroke |  Nick FaldoNick Faldo Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No... |
|
| 4 | 5 Aug 1990 1990 European Tour The 1990 European Tour was the nineteenth official season of golf tournaments known as the PGA European Tour.The Order of Merit was won by Wales' Ian Woosnam.-Schedule:... |
PLM Open PLM Open The PLM Open was a golf tournament that was played in Sweden until 1990. Founded in 1983, it was a European Tour event from 1986, and in its final year it had a prize fund of £356,930, which was mid-range for a European Tour event at that time... |
4 strokes |  Vijay SinghVijay Singh Vijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008... |
|
| 5 | 2 Sep 1990 | Ebel European Masters Swiss Open | 2 strokes |  John BlandJohn Bland John Louis Bland is a South African professional golfer who has won more than thirty professional tournaments around the world.... |
|
| 6 | 22 Mar 1992 1992 European Tour The 1992 European Tour was the 21st official season of golf tournaments known as the PGA European Tour.The Order of Merit was won by England's Nick Faldo.-Schedule:... |
Portuguese Open Portuguese Open The Portuguese Open, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Estoril Open de Portugal, is an annual tournament on men's golf's European Tour. It has been played since 1953, with a few skipped years, and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since 1973... |
1 stroke |  Anders ForsbrandAnders Forsbrand Anders Forsbrand was one of the first Swedish professional golfers to make a major impact on the European Tour.Forsbrand was born in Filipstad, Sweden, and turned professional in 1981. He first played on the European Tour in 1982, and has been a member since... |
|
| 7 | 15 Aug 1993 1993 European Tour The 1993 European Tour was the 22nd official season of golf tournaments known as the PGA European Tour.The Order of Merit was won by Scotland's Colin Montgomerie.-Schedule:... |
Hohe Brucke Austrian Open | Playoff |  Anders Sørensen |
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (5)
- 1987 West End South Australian Open, Nissan/Mobil New Zealand OpenNew Zealand OpenThe BMW New Zealand Open is the leading men's golf tournament in New Zealand. In 2011, it will be hosted by The Clearwater Resort in Christchurch from 1–4 December. The tournament is being promoted by New Zealand Golf...
- 1988 Australian Match Play Championship
- 1990 Coca-Cola Classic
- 1992 Daikyo Palm Meadows Cup
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T14 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 63 | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T61 | T9 | T44 | T21 | CUT | T38 | T61 | T31 | DNP | T39 | DNP | T11 | CUT |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | WD | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = Withdrew
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
Amateur- Eisenhower TrophyEisenhower TrophyThe Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. It is named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States when the tournament was first played, who was a keen amateur golfer. Recent tournaments have...
(representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1980 - Walker CupWalker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
(representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1981
Professional
- Ryder CupRyder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
(representing Europe): 1989- Record: 3 matches, 1 point (33% Point Percentage)
- All Formats (W-L-H): 1–2–0 = 1 pt
- Singles: 1–0–0 = 1pt
- Foursomes: 0–2–0 = 0pts
- Fourballs: 0-0-0 = 0pts
- Alfred Dunhill CupAlfred Dunhill CupThe Alfred Dunhill Cup was a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000. It was for three man teams of professional golfers, one team representing each country, and was promoted as the "World Team Championship". It was a "special approved event" on the European Tour, which means that it was...
(representing Ireland): 1986, 1987, 1988 (winners), 1989, 1990 (winners), 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995 - WGC-World CupWGC-World CupThe World Cup is a men's golf tournament contested by teams of two representing their country. Only one team is allowed from each country. The players are selected on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking, although not all of the first choice players choose to compete...
: (representing Ireland): 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 - Four Tours World Championship: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 (winners)