Legendary golf announcer Ivor Robson dies at 83: A look at the voice of The Open

Ivor Robson, the 'voice of the Open' passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the age of 83. Robson was announced at the Open for 41 years, from 1975 until his retirement in 2015.

Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A, confirmed the passing away of Robson in the statement. Slumbers wrote that his voice was synonymous with the championship for players and millions of fans (as per R&A):

"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. On behalf of all of us at The R&A, I would like to convey our heartfelt condolences to his wife of 61 years, Lesley, and the Robson family."

Born in 1940 in England, Robson started his career as the announcer at the Open in 1975 at Carnoustie. In his 41-year career at the Open, he went on to say the famous line 'On the tee' for 18995 players, including the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Robson was so passionate about his work that he would avoid taking toilet breaks as much as possible. He attended every Open Championship for 41 years and never used to drink after 7 pm on the night before the Championship. He enjoyed playing golf at the local Moffat Golf Club.

After calling it quits at the Old Course in 2015, Robson was quoted as saying (via Sky Sports):

"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. It is just magnificent."

Moreover, Ivor Robson also acted as an announcer at the DP World Tour for 40 years until the 2015 season ended in Dubai in November that year.

"It has been a wonderful career,” the Moffat in Dumfriesshire resident said at the time of bidding adiu. “It's been a great honour. The way I have been treated by players, officials, sponsors … thank you all very much."

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"His iconic voice became a fixture of European golf." -tributes pour in for Ivor Robson

The DP World Tour's chief executive Keith Pelley remembered Ivor Robson as a legend of the game and noted that he was respected by everyone who had the pleasure of working with him.

He was quoted as sayin (via the DP World Tour):

"His (Robson's) iconic voice became a fixture of European golf. I know his passing is deeply felt by his former colleagues at the Tour and the many thousands of professional golfers who were warmly greeted by Ivor across five decades.

"Our condolences go to his wife Lesley and the whole Robson family at this difficult time."

The passing of the legendary Ivor Robson has saddened the entire golf fraternity. As a mark of respect, players will have a choice to wear black ribbons on their arms at the 2023 Andalucia Masters, this week's DP World Tour event.