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Iconic British Open First-Tee Announcer Ivor Robson Dies at 83

Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler and others shared messages about the legendary “Voice of the Open” on Tuesday.
Gabrielle Herzig|
Iconic British Open First-Tee Announcer Ivor Robson Dies at 83
Iconic British Open First-Tee Announcer Ivor Robson Dies at 83

Ivor Robson, whose iconic first-tee announcements defined the British Open for 41 consecutive years, has died at age 83. 

Known as the “Voice of the Open,” Robson introduced the legends of the game to golf fans across globe, including the likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Arnold Palmer. 

Over his career Robson announced 18,995 players, and was known to work for nine straight hours each day of the Open without a break. 

Upon stepping away from the revered role after the 2015 Open Championship at St. Andrews, Robson said, “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. I’ve had some nice ones, but this is special, St. Andrews.” Robson also served at the DP World Tour’s official starter for more than 40 years.

The R&A released a statement to share Robson’s passing, with a message from CEO Martin Slumbers. 

“We are deeply saddened to hear of Ivor’s passing,” he said. “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.” 

The news was met with an outpour of condolences from the golf community, and many current and former professionals took to social media to share a few words about the renowned starter.  Woods, Ian Poulter, Rickie Fowler, and Graeme McDowell were just a few of the players who spoke out. 

“Thank you Ivor for making each one of my Open starts so memorable,” Woods wrote. 

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Gabrielle Herzig
GABRIELLE HERZIG

Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. Previously, she worked as a Golf Digest Contributing Editor, an NBC Sports Digital Editorial Intern, and a Production Runner for FOX Sports at the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Gabrielle graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team. In her junior year, Gabrielle studied abroad in Scotland for three months, where she explored the Home of Golf by joining the Edinburgh University Golf Club.

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