Sam Torrance awarded honorary life membership by European Tour

Former Ryder Cup winning captain Sam Torrance has been handed Honorary Life Membership on the European Tour, while Henrik Stenson has been presented with the inaugural Seve Ballesteros Award.

Torrance has been recognised for his record-breaking European Tour career, which saw him win 21 times in 706 events and make eight consecutive Ryder Cup appearances for Europe between 1981 and 1995.

He then captained Europe to a 15.5-12.5 victory in 2002 and has been a vice-captain three times, with the Scot also a three-time winner of the European Senior Tour's Order of Merit.

"It's fantastic," Torrance said. "It's been my whole life. I should really be honouring the European Tour for giving me such an arena to play golf. What a life.

"It has been so rewarding - the people I've met, the places, I've been. What a journey. It's very special to receive this honour. The European Tour has always made me feel very special though."

Torrance received the accolade on Tuesday night at the Championship Reception ahead of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, while Stenson was presented on Tuesday with the award he won last season.

The Swede claimed his maiden major title on his way to ending 2016 as Race to Dubai champion and winner of the annual Players' Player of the Year Award, which was renamed to recognise Ballesteros' legacy in the sport.

Stenson was handed the trophy by European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley and Javier Ballesteros, Seve's eldest child.

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