‘Colossus of golfing media’ Laidlaw dies at age of 82
Commentator covered more than 160 majors leads sport’s tributes to ‘most trusted and fair’ Scot
‘He was admired by so many who grew up listening to him’
The R&A and Sir Nick Faldo have led the tributes to Renton Laidlaw, the revered golf commentator and writer who died yesterday aged 82.
Edinburgh-born Laidlaw, who lived in Fife with his sister, Jennifer, was admitted to hospital in Dundee on Saturday, having tested positive for Covid-19. His passing has been keenly felt by the world of golf, still reeling from the loss last December of Peter Alliss, another of its most distinctive voices.
Laidlaw reported on more than 160 majors, including 58 Opens, and in 2013 became the first non-american to clock up 40 Masters. The Scot was BBC golf correspondent for 15 years and also presented BBC Radio’s Sport on 2. He began his career with the Edinburgh Evening News in 1957 and later worked for the Evening Standard.
As Iain Carter, BBC Sport’s golf correspondent, said: “Renton was a colossus of the golfing media.”
That is an opinion shared by everyone in the sport, including at St Andrews HQ. “Renton’s knowledge, insight, wit and wonderfullydistinctive voice made him an immensely popular figure in golf and sport in general,” Martin Slumbers, the R&A chief executive, said.
“He was admired by so many of us who grew up listening to his commentary or reading his reports from the Open and the other major championships. Renton made a remarkable contribution to golf over a long and successful career.
“He will be greatly missed by players and fans throughout the world and by his many friends in the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.”
Laidlaw was admired by the playmy ers, who considered his reporting balanced and accurate. He became friends with many, including Severiano Ballesteros, with whom the 12-handicapper would share social rounds, and Ernie Els, the South African who rented his Sunningdale cottage as a young pro.
In his playing days, Faldo suffered a fraught relationship with the British press, but in Laidlaw he found an ally. “Renton documented whole career from the ’75 English Amateur onwards,” Faldo said. “He was the most trusted and fair. In the heat of finishing a bad round, if I said something daft he’d say, ‘Maybe you’d like to say that a different way!’ A very rare quality.”
Scottish golfers such as Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open champion, and Ryder Cup player Stephen Gallacher also offered their tributes, while Sky Sports commentator Ewen Murray detailed the huge influence Laidlaw had on his own career.
“I met Renton Laidlaw when I was seven,” Murray posted on Twitter. “He was 22 and came to my parents’ house every Friday for tea.
“He was my mentor at the start of my TV career. A gifted broadcaster, an exceptional man in every way. Many hearts are sore tonight.”
Laidlaw’s appeal was worldwide courtesy of his European Tour commentaries on the Golf Channel.
“He was the voice of the European Tour,” the American station said yesterday. “Laidlaw’s talents reached a broader, American audience as the fledgling channel showcased European Tour events upon its inception in 1995.”
Laidlaw also served as the secretary of Britain’s Association of Golf Writers and was later the editor of the popular Golfer’s Handbook, the venerable annual that began in 1899.
“To be able to work in all these mediums is quite something,” Laidlaw said in 2019.
“I’ve been able to somehow scratch my way through in papers, writing books, in radio and in television, which makes me a wee bit unusual.”