Ivor Robson, whose familiar Scottish accent became as synonymous with The Open as the Claret Jug and the deep heather of the links courses, has died, the R&A announced Tuesday. He was 83.
Robson introduced 18,995 players, including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, on the first tee as the official starter at The Open from 1975 to 2015. Fans flocked to the No. 1 tee box at Open Championship venues to hear his famous “On the tee …” introductions.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of Ivor’s passing,” R&A CEO Martin Slumbers said in a statement. “As [the] official starter at The Open for over 40 years, his voice was instantly recognizable and synonymous with the Championship for players and millions of golf fans worldwide. 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.”
Robson, from Moffat, Scotland, started his career at The Open at Carnoustie in Scotland in 1975. He retired after The Open at St. Andrews in Scotland in 2015. He also worked for the DP World Tour and at Ryder Cups.