No more "On the tee"

Forget Alliss, Longhurst, or the Colonel. McCord, Miller, and Feherty don’t get a look in either. No, Ivor “on the tee” Robson is the true voice of golf. Robson has been the European Tour starter for the past 37 years, and Open starter for 41.  And this weeks DP World Tour Championships is his final event. 

In all that time he’s never had a toilet break. He’s never left the tee. He doesn’t eat, and rarely drinks. It’s like someone came from the future and put a terminator in charge of the starting duties, he’s just relentless. 

“I arrive an hour before the first tee, check my microphone, check all the cards. You have to be careful drinking water or eating, if you stand on the tee for that long. I don’t have big dinners, or go to the bar in the evening. You can’t. It is too demanding a job. You wouldn’t last long if you did.” 

Robson is a former club pro, and first started out on tour by selling steel shafts to the players. He considers them all to be mates, even if he only spends a couple of minutes at a time with them

“We have had a lot of laughs over the years. At some events they have taken the Mickey out of me, but I don’t care - it’s just them relaxing. Some of them will stand in front of the clock, or pretend to clear their throat and say ‘Ok gentlemen, let’s go’, or poke you with their clubs. But it is all good fun, and the crowd enjoy it too. You don’t tend to get it so much at The Open though, because it is serious. People are just trying to get the ball on the tee without shaking.

“Trevino was always fooling around though. He liked being a clown, in the nicest possible way. He was a show man, but it was really to get him relaxing in his own way. All the players have their own mannerisms, and you have to get to know them. Some won’t get to the tee until the last minute, others don’t want to talk. I’ve had some laughs over the past 41 years, and I’ve seen a lot. I have some wonderful memories. It really has been a joy.”

Ivor you will be sorely missed, but in the meantime here’s some auditions for your old job…

From Mr "On the tee," to Mr Ryder Cup...