It’s about time Tony Jacklin was knighted for his services to golf

As the clocks go back, the countdown to the end of 2018 is on. That means names will be being discussed for the New Year’s Honours Lists.

In golfing terms, some may want to put forward the likes of Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy or even Tommy Fleetwood for their heroics at the Ryder Cup.

But one name should be on the list, above all others.

It’s about time Tony Jacklin received a knighthood.

Throughout his golfing career, Tony has been a pioneer. His legacy to the game in this country is enormous.

Tony has always broken down barriers.

The first British winner of The Open for 18 years. The first Briton to win the US Open for 50 years. The first European to win on the PGA Tour for more than 40 years.

That victory at Royal Lytham in 1969 was huge. It was like when Sir Andy Murray won Wimbledon for the first time in 2013.

Before Tony, we thought that we were inferior players who couldn’t compete with the true stars, like Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus.

To follow that up with his US Open triumph less than 12 months later was incredible, and he did it by a whopping seven shots at Hazeltine.

Tony’s success paved the way for Sir Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam to follow. He was the player they could all emulate.

In the early 1970s, Tony was a superstar. He was more famous in his heyday than the British golfers of today.

Then, after his illustrious playing career, he broke the American dominance as Ryder Cup captain with our first win for 28 years at The Belfry in 1985.

Tony then followed that up by doing the unthinkable – leading the Europeans to victory on American soil for the first time ever, on Jack Nicklaus’ home turf at Muirfield Village, with Jack as the opposing captain.

When I saw the huge crowds at Le Golf National and the European celebrations, I thought of Tony.

Every European captain, including myself, has more or less followed the pattern that Tony established. Thomas Bjorn was no different. Before Tony took charge, the Ryder Cup was a very formal, stiff affair, with lots of dinners and official functions.

Tony could see that wasn’t working, and he wanted to give the players what they wanted.

He was the driving force behind first-class travel, and ensuring the players had their caddies and wives with them.

He wanted everyone to relax and kick back after play in their jeans and a T-shirt, watching a bit of TV and having a beer.

That is the essence of the team room, and it’s still going strong to this day.

As a person, Tony was so positive. That is exactly what Europe needed, because we had to break the stigma that we could not compete against the USA.

Look at our record now. Since 1985, we have won twice as many Ryder Cups as our opponents.

Yes, Tony is a close friend. But there is no good reason why he should not become Sir Tony Jacklin in 2019.