In 1982, Way turned professional and quickly found success on the European Tour, winning that year's KLM Dutch Open.
For a few years, Way was one of Europe's most promising young golfers, and he represented Europe in the Ryder Cup in 1983, when he became the second youngest Ryder Cup player up to that time after Nick Faldo, and again in 1985, when Europe captured the trophy which had been in American hands for twenty-eight years. He had an outstanding Ryder Cup record of six wins, two losses and one halved match.
Way did not sustain his early success. His last top 100 finish on the Order of Merit was in 1993 and after 1997 he played little tournament golf. He began playing on the European Senior Tour after turning 50 in March 2013.