It was golf's loss when tennis won over my boys, says Murray senior

THEY are young athletes who seemed predestined for success in the sporting arena. The only question was which discipline they would excel in.

The father of Andy and Jamie Murray yesterday insisted his sons could quite easily have been strolling the fairways of Valhalla this weekend, instead of competing for Great Britain in the Davis Cup.

Despite the success of his offspring in tennis, it was with a clear tinge of regret that Willie Murray revealed how Andy and Jamie might well have been representing Great Britain at golf.

Mr Murray revealed that his two sons excelled at the game during their formative years, and he actively encouraged them to pursue it as a career. Ultimately, however, the sports- mad Murray boys chose tennis.

The 53-year-old said Jamie, in particular, was "a natural" golf-er, finishing runner-up in a junior tournament.

While Jamie's younger sibling, Andy, also represented an excellent prospect, he became too easily bored with the sport, his father added.

"I'm very proud of what the boys have achieved in tennis," said Mr Murray. "They were both good at sports even as young boys. If Jamie wasn't a tennis player, he would probably be a golfer. I taught him everything I knew. I took him out on the golf course in Dunblane as often as possible, and he was a natural. He loved all sorts of sports, though."

So prolific was Jamie, now aged 22, that he took part in regular competition, finishing runner-up in Dunblane Golf Club's junior championship. By the time he reached 16, he could boast a handicap of three.

In the end, however, tennis took over, and regular, gruelling practice sessions meant he had little time for any other sports.

If the future had panned out differently, Jamie and his broth-er would not have been the first members of their family to succeed in the sport of golf. Their uncle, Keith Erskine, is a club professional who has made his living in the US over the past 12 years, working at the Tribute golf club near Dallas, Texas, which is rated one of America's best public courses.

Jamie, the Wimbledon mixed doubles winner, explained: "If I hadn't become a tennis player, I might have been a golfer. I got my handicap down to three, but I always wanted to be a tennis player, and the last few years I've managed to make that happen."

Mr Murray, who divorced the boys' mother Judy in 2005 after a nine-year separation, suggested his youngest son also had the ability to excel at golf.

He said: "Andy used to come golfing too, and he was also very good, but he got bored with it quite easily. There wasn't enough action in it for him. He preferred football, and tennis, of course."

Indeed, for a long time it looked as if tennis would play second fiddle to football in Andy's aspirations. Inspired by his grandfather, Roy Erskine, a former professional with Hibernian, the young Andy was an avid footballer. By the age of 13, he showed such promise with his local junior side that Rangers wanted to sign him up for one of their schools of excellence. He turned down their advances and, like Jamie, focused on his tennis. It has paid off handsomely.

Now, at 21, he is officially the world's fourth-best tennis player – and plays off a 17 handicap.

Mr Murray is certainly not disappointed, though. "They are both really looking forward to playing Austria in the Davis Cup, and I'm proud of that," he said.

BACKGROUND

THEY are two sports famed for their exclusivity, but history shows tennis players have a love for the game of golf.

Ellsworth Vines, an American who won Wimbledon in 1932, played in four US Opens during the 1940s, finishing twice in the top 15.

More recently, Scott Draper, the Australian who won the Australian Open mixed doubles three years ago, set a record for competing in a grand slam tennis championship and pro golf event on the same day.

Ivan Lendl, winner of eight grand slam titles, is also a fan – 14 years after retiring from tennis, he is making a comeback of sorts, given his attempt to qualify for the US Seniors Open golf tournament this year.

Other golf enthusiasts include Tim Henman, who plays off a handicap that has come down to around scratch since his retirement. Pete Sampras, meanwhile, displayed the same power on the fairways as he did on the courts, and regularly hits drives in excess of 330 yards.

Watch a video interview with Jamie Murray