VETERAN SCOT STANDING DOWN AS AGW PRESIDENT

(L-R) Renton Laidlaw, President of the Association of Golf Writers, is presented with a retirement gift by George O'Grady (R), Chief Executive of The European Tour at The European Tour Race to Dubai Golfer of the Year Luncheon (Getty Images)

RENTON LAIDLAW RECEIVES RETIREMENT GIFT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR 

EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE
Renton Laidlaw, President of the Association of Golf Writers, was presented with a retirement gift by George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, during this week’s European Tour Golfer of the Year luncheon at Wentworth.
Laidlaw’s career in golf began when he started out on the Edinburgh Evening News in 1957. After a spell in television, first with STV then Grampian TV and, finally, the BBC as its news anchor in Edinburgh, he returned to golf with the London Evening Standard from 1973 to 1998. During that time he also commentated for BBC Radio, ITV, TWI, Eurosport and Screensport.
A move to full-time broadcasting followed as he became an integral part of the European Tour Productions commentary team and these days Laidlaw’s dulcet tones can be heard on The Golf Channel.
Earlier this year Laidlaw became the first non-American to cover 40 Masters Tournaments, and he has now covered 16 Ryder Cups and more than 130 majors.
"We will get our own chance to say thank-you in due course to the man who has arguably done more for the Association of Golf Writers  over the years than any other in our long history. He’s certainly the only man to serve as secretary, chairman and, for the past decade, as President," said AGW chairman Derek Lawrenson.
. “Thank for your support of The European Tour, through European Tour Weekly and every form of broadcast we have had over the years. You have been a great friend to the Tour,” said O’Grady.
The presentation was made during the European Tour’s annual luncheon where O’Grady also paid tribute to golf writers and others within the golfing family who had passed away over the past 12 months including leading Scottish sportswriter Norman Mair, whose funeral was being held that day in Edinburgh, and Katrina Dawson, the daughter of former RandA Captain Sandy Dawson, so tragically killed in the Sydney hostage situation this week. 

Others remembered were Italian golf writer Maria Pia Gennaro, Scotland’s Ian Broadley, Andre Jean LaFaurie from France, Hilary Barnes, wife of Ryder Cup player Brian, Honorary Life Vice-President of the Tour Claude Roger Cartier, caddie Iain McGregor and the European Tour’s Gillian Oosterhuis.

COLIN FARQUHARSON, a member of the Association of Golf Writers since 1974, writes:

Renton Laidlaw, at his own request, will stand down as AGW President following the Open at St Andrews next July.

Goran Zachrisson has agreed to take on the role for a two-year term.

Goran will become the first Continental member to hold one of the AGW's senior posts of office

 ‘It’s the greatest honour I could get!’ he said. ‘I’ll just have to make sure I stay alive for the next two years.’

It’s 50 years since Zachrisson  joined Sweden’s leading golf magazine and next year will mark a half-century since he first became involved in television.