Ian Woosnam's huge net worth, Barbados and Jersey life with wife, nightmare that cost £220K

Wales Online

17-05-2025

Ian Woosnam's huge net worth, Barbados and Jersey life with wife, nightmare that cost £220K
With the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow at its midway point, here's a look at the life of Welsh golfing legend and former Masters champion Ian Woosnam
Ian Woosnam is a regular visitor to Barbados, where he owes a property and hosts a golf tournament
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Ian Woosnam remains the only Welshman to ever win a golf major.
His crowning achievement came when he famously won the Masters at Augusta in 1991, the year he also reached top spot in the world rankings. Overall, Woosnam spent 50 weeks at the top of the tree, with only four players holding the coveted position for a longer period.
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While the Masters proved to be his only major title, 'Woosie' won a staggering 52 pro tournaments. He also enjoyed great success in team golf, winning the World Cup for Wales on two occasions, while he played in eight consecutive European Ryder Cup teams between 1983 and 1997.
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He then captained Europe to one of their most dominant victories over Team USA, who were crushed 18.5-9.5 at the K Club in Ireland in 2006. Here's the lowdown about Woosnam's life away from the course, his savvy investments and the error that cost him £220,000…
What is Ian Woosnam's net worth?
Woosnam, 67, boasts an estimated net worth of around £22million. That wealth hasn't just been garnered from the golfing career but also from an array of savvy property deals and investments dating back to the early days of his pro career.
In 1982, he bought a London flat for £16,000 and sold it for £10,000 more less than a year later. On his approach to his fiscal affairs, he revealed to the Telegraph last year that he makes 'millions a year' in investments.
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Woosnam after winning the 1991 Masters
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'It's great when you're earning money, but it's not going to last forever,' he said. 'Despite the occasional splurge on treats, I'm actually quite cautious because of what dad instilled in me.
'There were plenty of others on the tour spending three times as much as me. Back in my heyday, the prize money wasn't the obscene amounts they get now on one of the tours, so you had to be smart and invest it properly. I have a financial adviser who looks after my investments, and I make several million a year.'
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Barbados and Jersey life
As he racked up the trophies and winners' cheques in the late 1980s and early 90s, Woosnam bought a plane, which a friend flew him around Europe in, and made plans to move to the tax haven of Jersey.
He explained: 'That's why Jersey has been my official home for the last 30 years. I moved to save tax and to make a better life for my young family.'
While Jersey is his permanent home with wife Glendryth, he enjoys regular trips to Barbados. He said: 'My three children [two daughters and a son] are all very sensible with money, as I didn't overindulge them growing up.
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Woosnam has been sensible with his impressive wealth
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'They all live within half a mile of me here in Jersey and I get to see my grandchildren all the time. Every other year, I treat them to Christmas in Barbados.'
Woosnam has close ties to the Caribbean island, where he has a property and hosts a legends tournament. He is an ambassador for Apes Hill complex that hosts the event.
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Open error that cost £220K
However, he saw a chunk of money slip through his fingers at The Open in 2001 following an embarrassing error by his caddie, Mile Byrne. When Woosam was found to have too many clubs in his bag at the second hole, he was docked two shots by officials and fell out of victory contention at Royal Lytham.
Woosnam couldn't hide his frustration after being docked two shots at The Open in 2001
(Image: Andrew Redington/ALLSPORT )
While he went on to finish in a tie for third, had he not lost those two shots, he would have finished second, which would have netted him an extra £220,000 in prize money, as David Duval took the title. Woosnam was left furious by the error, hurling a club across the teebox in anger and ranting at his bagman.
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However, he continued to work with Byrne, saying: 'Miles and I will continue to work together and we will both have learned a lot from the experience.'
Bryne added: 'I am obviously distraught about what my mistake has cost Ian and will regret not double-checking the bag for as long as I live."