Henry Renton Laidlaw (6 July 1939 – 12 October 2021) was a British golf broadcaster and journalist.
Biography
Laidlaw was born in
Morningside,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
in July 1939.
He started working as a copytaker, compiling sports results. Laidlaw then moved to the
Edinburgh Evening News
The ''Edinburgh Evening News'' is a daily newspaper and website based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded by John Wilson (1844–1909) and first published in 1873. It is printed daily, except on Sundays. It is owned by JPIMedia, which also ...
, working for five years as a junior reporter, before becoming a golf writer in 1962. He then moved into television and radio, becoming one of the best recognised commentators in the sport. He also presented ''
Sport on 2'' and ''
Sports Report'' between 1985 and 1987.
Laidlaw retired in 2015 and latterly lived in Drumoig, near
Pickletillum,
Fife with his sister.
He died in
Ninewells Hospital
Ninewells Hospital is a large teaching hospital, based on the western edge of Dundee, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland ...
,
Dundee on 12 October 2021, at the age of 82. Two days before his death, Laidlaw had tested positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
amid the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
References
External links
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1939 births
2021 deaths
BBC sports presenters and reporters
British sports broadcasters
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
Entertainers from Edinburgh
Golf writers and broadcasters
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