Tributes paid to legendary golf writer Macvicar

Tributes have been paid to Jock Macvicar, one of the best-known figures in Scottish golf through a long and distinguished career as a journalist, after his sudden death on Saturday at the age of 83.

Macvicar, who hailed from Southend on the Mull of Kintyre and went to school with seven-time Scottish Women’s champion Belle Robertson, was still working for the Scottish Daily Express up until his sad passing.

The proud Dunaverty member was honoured by both Scottish Golf and the PGA in Scotland in recent years for his services to the sport in the home of golf.

Macvicar, who lived in Glasgow for most of his life, was the current president of the Association of Golf Writers, having joined that organisation in 1964.

“Very sad to wake up to this news,” wrote 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie, one of Macvicar’s favourite players and a close friend, on Twitter. “Jock was a lovely man and a legend in the golf world. RIP Doyen.”

Eight-time European No 1 Colin Montgomerie also expressed his sadness on social media, writing: “I first met Jock when playing in the 1979 Scottish Boys Championship at Dunbar. He was always very supportive and knowledgeable. We spoke a few months ago and speaking to Jock was like talking to an old friend. He will be very sadly missed.”

That view was echoed by two other winning Ryder Cup captains, Paul Mcginley and Thomas Bjorn.

“Jock was a really nice man, popular with us all and a man of great integrity,” said Mcginley, who led Europe to victory at Gleneagles in 2014 while Bjorn, the triumphant skipper in Paris in 2018, said: “One of our family has passed. A true gentleman.”

Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour, said: “An authoritative voice on every aspect of our game, he enriched the lives of everyone he met and there is no question the entire golfing world is a sombre place today because of this sad news.”