Ewen Murray pays his respects to Tommy Horton, one of golf's pioneers
Friday 8 December 2017 16:58, UK
Following the sudden passing of Tommy Horton, Ewen Murray reflects on the life and career of a golfing pioneer who was admired and respected by all who knew him...
It is with great sadness that myself and many of my peers heard of the passing of Tommy Horton, MBE at the age of 76.
Tommy's record in golf speaks for itself and whereas I admired him for his shot-making skills and his sporting achievements, it's the gentleman he was that will live in my memory.
So many from my era have so much to thank him for. His great quality, if I were to single out one, was the time he had for everyone. Tommy loved helping young players and was happy to pass on his experience whenever it was asked of him.
At times, he didn't need to be asked. If he saw a youngster could improve with his help and words, he would offer them.
His manners were impeccable, and the way he treated people was exceptional. Little wonder he was respected by all who were privileged to have met him.
Tommy's work during the birth of the European Tour with Ken Schofield and John Jacobs was immense. He and John would take time out of their family lives to prepare aspiring professionals for their career ahead by spending several days with them in Spain at the start of the season.
This involved all aspects of a tournament professional's life, and the grounding the youngsters received during these times stood them in good stead throughout their time on Tour and beyond.
I first met Tommy just after I turned pro in 1971. Ahead of the Safari Tour which took in Kenya, Zambia and Nigeria, I was too young to travel alone and therefore, by law, I needed a chaperone - or guardian, as it was called then.
Dai Rees was given the job, but it was Tommy who I spent most of the time with. He would teach me about the grain in the African greens, we would stay with members of the various courses we visited and nearly every practice round was with him.
We played exhibition matches in the Zambian Copperbelt, Chingola and Chilalabombwe, Ndola and Nchanga. We would play golf with the Zambian President, Dr Kenneth Kaunda and be guests of his and his cabinet at the State House in Lusaka. Later, we played together in the golfing outposts of Sierra Leone and Gambia.
During those tender years, as a wet-behind-the-ears 18-year-old, Tommy taught me right from wrong. His manners were impeccable, and the way he treated people was exceptional. Little wonder he was respected by all who were privileged to have met him.
He will be remembered for his work throughout the golfing world, particularly his diligence in setting up the European Seniors Tour where he finished No 1 on the Order of Merit no fewer that five times. His record of 23 senior victories stood for some time until another of his close friends, Carl Mason, surpassed that remarkable feat.
In 1977, during that famous "Duel in the Sun" featuring Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, Tommy was just behind them securing one of four top-10 finishes in The Open.
Tommy Horton was a pioneer, a great friend to many, a proud husband to Helen and a wonderful father to Justin and Georgina. My thoughts are with them.
