Jock MacVicar: European Ryder Cup Captain Winning Trio Lead Tributes

3 years ago by Comments Off on Jock MacVicar: European Ryder Cup Captain Winning Trio Lead Tributes

The trio of Europen Ryder Cup winning captains trio of Colin Montgomerie, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn have led the tributes to the passing of legendary Scottish-born golf journalist Jock MacVicar.

Jock passed away on Saturday (April 3rd) following a fall earlier in the week in his Glasgow residence. 

He had been conveyed to hospital and seemed to have not sustained any major injuries and was in good spirits when visited on Friday but his condition worsened later that night and he died on Saturday.

Jock was never married nor did he have a family but his family was the golf world that he brought to the pages of the Scottish Express newspaper.

It is easily to describe someone as a legend but the 83-year old and long-time golf writer was a true legend and his passing sees the loss of someone with the ranks of the media who covered golf long before the invention of a tape recorded of the invention of the fax machine.

Jock MacVicar – 23rd April, 1937 – 3rd April, 2021 (Photo – Thank you to Kenny Smith)

Jock was born in the small village of Southend on the Mull of Kintyre and went to school with seven-time Scottish Women’s champion Belle Robertson.
 
He was a proud member of Dunaverty golf club to the south of Campbelltown and in 2012 was  honoured by both Scottish Golf with a ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award and also was formally recognised by the PGA in Scotland to his contribution to Scottish golf. Jock had joined the Association of Golf Writers in 1965 and three years after attending his first Open Championship and won that year by six strokes by golfing legend Arnold Palmer at Royal Troon.
 
In the intervening period he travelled the length and breadth of the UK reporting on junior, women’s and men’s golf while he attended US-based majors and the Ryder Cup.
 
And he was known on a first name basis throughout his career by those juniors who later turned professional along with professionals at all level plus the administrators of the game, caddies, spectators who recognised him at events and his many, many journalist colleagues.

Jock afforded Life Membership of the Association of Golf Writers (AGW) at the 2016 Open Championship with AGW Chairman Iain Carter (left) and AGW President Goran Zachrisson (r)

 
Leading the tributes are three of the biggest names in European Tour golf and a trio of winning European Ryder Cup captains.

Colin Montgomerie – Winning 2010 European Team captain

Very sad to hear Jock MacVicar has died. 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 speaking to Jock was like talking to an old friend. He will be very sadly missed

Paul McGinley – Winning 2014 European Team captain

So so sad to hear of this news . Jock was a really nice man, popular with us all and a man of great integrity #RIP

Thomas Bjorn – Winning 2018 European Team captain

One of our family has passed.. A true gentleman #RIP

Paul Lawrie – Winner 1999 Open Championship

Very sad to wake up to this news, Jock was a lovely man and a legend in the golf world. RIP Doyen.

Stephen Gallacher

So sad to hear the news that Jock MacVicar the Doyan has passed one of life’s good guys I’m proud to have been his friend RIP

Ken Brown

Sad news… Jock for so many years has been the heartbeat of golf writers on the @EuropeanTour No one supported us Scottish golfers more than Jock Macvicar. TY. We will miss you.

Gary Evans

Another sad day…Jock was a lovely fella and highly respected member of the golf press. RIP Jock

David & Vicky Drysdale

This is very sad news about “Poor Old Jock” as DD & I called him, Such a lovely man & what a character, He will be sadly missed by all who knew him especially from the golfing world #Sadnews #RIP

Dean Robertson

Jock was always one of the faces you looked forward to at golf events. The media centres won’t be the same without him. RIP Jock

Tony Johnstone

Sad to hear of the departure of a man who was liked by all. A true gentleman who loved the game and a thoroughbred journalist. RIP Jock.

Richie Ramsay

Really sorry to hear this. Jock was such a lovely guy from covering Scottish Boys to @EuropeanTour always enjoying chatting to him. Will be missed by many RIP The Doyen

And European Tour CEO Keith Pelley kindly added his own tribute on behalf of the Tour

“As well as the spiritual home of golf, Scotland is also home to many of the legendary writers and commentators on our sport and today we mourn the passing of one of the greatest in Jock MacVicar.

“An authoritative voice on every aspect of our game, everyone at the European Tour sends our deepest condolences to Jock’s family and his many friends. He enriched the lives of everyone he met and there is no question that the entire golfing world is a sombre place today because of this sad news.”

Scott Crockett, Communications Director of the European Tour, and who knew Jock for 35-years, said: “Today is a very sad day for our sport and for the wider media family. Jock was not only loved and respected in his native Scotland but across the world, and his loss is therefore deeply felt.

“Jock knew everything about golf and knew everybody in golf – he was not known as ‘The Doyen’ for nothing. But it was his gentlemanly and kind-hearted demeanour, his at-times wicked sense of humour and his ability to engage everyone as he found them, that most will remember fondly. You could be a Major Champion or a first round competitor in the Scottish Boys Championship; Jock treated them both the same.

“Personally, as a young golf reporter in Scotland in the 1980s, the generosity shown to me by Jock at that time –



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