Ex-champion Colin Gillies retires after 27 seasons

IN the year he became the first Tartan Tour player to break through the £500,000 mark in career earnings, Colin Gillies has announced his retirement following 27 seasons on the Scottish circuit.

The 45-year-old revealed his decision after tying for 33rd in the Scottish PGA Championship, an event he won in both 1995 and 1998.

“Due to all the aches and pains I have now, I just can’t do what I used to do anymore and the frustration has got to me,” said Gillies, who is currently attached to Kingsfield Golf Range near Linlithgow.

“My game has deteriorated over the past couple of years and I just don’t have the same armoury of shots that I used to have. I was going to finish a couple of years ago but getting through the £500,000 mark in earnings kind of kept me going.

“I don’t think I’ve missed a cut in a 72-holer on the Tartan Tour since 1988. It’s a bit easier these days but there used to be six or seven a year.”

Gillies turned professional in 1984, the year after he won the Scottish Boys at Dunbar, and enjoyed a remarkable success rate, winning 125 times in total on the Scottish circuit. Eleven of those victories came in Order of Merit events and he was Tartan Tour No 1 in 2001.

“I’ve lost my exemption now and I always said that if I had to pre-qualify for events then that would be it,” he added. “I’ve got a lot of opportunities away from the golf course and it’s time to progress down a different avenue in my career.”