Dunne pays tribue to late Ivor Robson
Ivor Robson shakes hands with Peter Dawson as Paul Dunne tees off in the final round of the 2015 Open at St Andrews
Paul Dunne was one of the first to pay tribute to the man who announced him on the tee as he bid to become the first amateur to win The Open since Bobby Jones in 1930.
Ivor Robson, whose death aged 83 was announced yesterday, said goodbye after 41 years in the role of official starter at The Open at St Andrews in 2015, where Dunne held a share of the 54-hole lead.
“I grew up dreaming of it and it became my proudest moment, hearing my name announced by Ivor,” Dunne (30) said on X, formerly Twitter, yesterday. “A sad day for golf losing a legend. RIP”
“On the tee from Ireland, Paul Dunne,” was Robson’s last announcement at The Open that Monday morning.
Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A, said: "We are deeply saddened to hear of Ivor's passing. As official starter at The Open for over 40 years, his voice was instantly recognisable and synonymous with the Championship for players and millions of golf fans worldwide.
So surreal watching this. A great man and a legend on golf. Rest in Peace Ivor and thanks for giving me a moment I’ll never forget.
— Paul Dunne (@dunners11) October 17, 2023
"He was popular and well respected among all golfers who played in The Open and I know that they will share in our sadness at this news.”
He also acted for over 40 years as the DP World Tour's official starter.
“Ivor was a legend of the game and greatly respected by all those who had the pleasure to work alongside him,” added Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour. “His iconic voice became a fixture of European golf.
“I know his passing is deeply felt by his former colleagues at the Tour and the many thousands of professional golfers who were warmly greeted by Ivor across five decades.”
Born in England but a resident of Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway, Robson began his remarkable career at The Open at Carnoustie in 1975.
He didn't miss a championship or a tee time until his retirement and was well known for avoiding a toilet break as much as he could between matches teeing off.
"I feel you can't go on forever and if you're going to step off there's no better place to do it than here," he said at the Old Course in 2015.
Meanwhile, Irish amateurs Matthew McClean, Alex Maguire and Liam Nolan begin their bids to bring Ireland a first medal since 2016 when they tee it up in the first round of the World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy over the National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club today.
They will be bidding to follow in the footsteps of Stuart Grehan, Jack Hume and Paul McBride, who won bronze in Mexico in 2016, just a week after Leona Maguire, Olivia Mehaffey and Annabel Wilson won bronze in the Espirito Santo Trophy, which is scheduled for next week with Beth Coulter, Sara Byrne and Áine Donegan flying the flag at the UAE venue.
McBride (28) tees it up today in the Alps Tour Grand Final at Asolo Golf Club in Treviso in Italy, where he is joined by Order of Merit leader Ronan Mullarney from Galway and Rosslare’s Paul Murphy.
