ANDY MCFEE SHARES A FEW THOUGHTS ON HIS CAREER What was your first ruling?

I remember driving along thinking, “I hope this is simple!” It was for Jenny Lee Smith and she said, “Is this GUR or a burrowing animal?” I said, “No.” She said, “Thank you very much” and we moved on! That was my first ever ruling in, probably, 1980.

Do some players ‘lean’ on you? Yes, some have tried that over the years and then it’s just down to the character of the referee. You’ve just got to stand your ground and say, “I know I’m right on this.” The referee who is really valuable to me is the one who’s prepared to say no. It’s easy to say yes, but you’ve got to protect the interests of the other 155 players.

Is confidence crucial?

Yes, you’ve got to be decisive. Sometimes you’ve got to be bold because a referee is no good at all if he or she is not going to make a decision! If you don’t know the answer, you get on the radio. You don’t guess, because somebody on our network will know. That’s our job as referees – to clear up the situation and get it right.

What are the best and worst aspects of the job?

It’s a lot of time away from home, but when you have an opportunity to be with some of the world’s best players on some of the world’s best golf courses at close quarters, that’s a real privilege.