Torrance says captaining the Ryder Cup side was his proudest moment

True, but as Sam Torrance reveals in his autobiography, he is much more than just a cardboard golfer.

In a career spanning 32 years on the European Tour, culminating in captaining Europe to Ryder Cup success in 2002, Torrance has become one of the game's most well-loved characters.

In his book, Torrance charts his introduction to the game in Lancashire and his move back to Largs in Scotland when his father - the golf coach Bob Torrance - landed a professional's job back in his hometown.

Torrance reveals how he developed a taste for gambling at a young age, playing golf with the local priests for money and hustling for cash in the snooker hall.

He reached scratch at 13 and talks of his rise into the professional ranks with a job as a 17-year-old apprentice at Sunningdale.

And he goes on to lift the lid on some of the wilder days on the early European Tour.

Above all he writes with affection for the friendships he has made in the game.

Proud

But Torrance saves the bulk of the book to discuss his lifelong passion - the Ryder Cup.

He sank the winning putt for Europe at The Belfry in 1985 to end America's 28-year winning streak in the trans-Atlantic event.

Torrance holed the winning putt in the 1985 Ryder Cup

And he divulges his role in the messy aftermath of Brookline in 1999.

But he saves the most detail for the 2002 event, which he describes as his "proudest moment".

He admits he was deeply honoured to be given the responsibility of the captaincy, after developing a reputation as one of the Tour's free spirits.

Genial

Torrance, after all, describes himself as "no saint" and refuses to disguise his love of a good party.

He reveals one knees-up in the Swiss alps, which almost led to him missing the historic 1985 Ryder Cup.

His long-time habit of sleep-walking also got him into trouble on occasion, and another incident (this time sober) nearly sidelined him from the 1993 Ryder Cup.

Above all, Torrance comes across as a genial mix of friend, devoted father, loving husband and leader, whose emotions are never far from the surface.

And his book - not just another list of tournament results - provides an illuminating romp through 30 years in professional golf.

Sam. The Autobiography of Sam Torrance.
BBC Consumer Publishing. ISBN: 0563 487 402.