Sadly the great British sports journalist Ian Wooldridge OBE has died at the age of 75, after a long illness.
Though this blog is my vehicle to discuss golf related topics I feel it only appropriate to say a few words about a writer that transcended his specialist subjects of cricket and golf and wrote so eloquently about all sports.
Writing for the Daily Mail for over half a century, Ian Wooldridge was always a joy to read. In his time he covered 10 Olympics and won countless British newspaper awards.
For the record I will miss turning to the back pages, or in more recent times logging on, to see what this great writer had to say about the current sporting debate. I found myself reading about sports I would never have shown any interest in if it were not for his skill of touching on the human element of sport.
From the world of golf Colin Montgomerie paid this tribute:
“We have lost one of the real legends of sports journalism. He was damn good fun to be around.”
I recommend you read this great tribute by Jeff Powell in today’s Daily Mail and this portfolio of images featuring Wooldridge with some of the biggest names in sport.
He never retired and continued to write his regular Saturday column, often I learn from his hospital bed. I love the image Powell conjures up by saying:
“during the Ashes series in Australia, he defied exhaustion to watch through the night, snorting in exasperation and fortified by snorts of whisky”
He is survived by three sons from his first marriage to Verona, namely Kevin, Max and Simon.
Lastly my condolences go to Sarah his second wife, who I briefly knew while I worked at Mark McCormack’s IMG in Chiswick, London.
