Graham Lowson's death at 53 stuns Scottish golf

Scottish golf has been left stunned by the sudden death of Graham Lowson, a former national men's champion, on the eve of his 54th birthday.

SGU president Lindsay Stewart, left, and Graham Lowson at the 1991 Scottish Amateur Championship at Downfield

The Auchterarder man represented Scotland in the Home Internationals four times between 1989 and 1997 but enjoyed his finest hour in the 1991 Scottish Amateur Championship at Downfield.

After beating one of the title favourites, Garry Hay from Hilton Park, in the semi-finals, he found himself up against host club member Len Salariya in the final but capped a terrific match-play display with a 4&3 victory.

Tributes have been flooding in on social media from many of Lowson’s former team-mates, including three-time European Tour winner Stephen Gallacher, who succceeded him as Scottish Amateur 
champion.

Referring to how Lowson was affectionately known, Gallacher said on Twitter: “Golf lost one of the good guys yesterday in my pal Lumpy. Quality golfer and also a great bloke.”

Former Scottish Golfer of the Year Scott Knowles added of his first international foursomes partner at Conwy in 1990: “Great golfer, great guy and will be sadly missed.”

Lowson spent most of his working life as an asset finance specialist and was never tempted to follow the likes of Gallacher and 1993 Scottish Amateur champion Dean Robertson into the professional ranks.

“He was a true career ‘amateur’ golfer among full-time amateurs of the day, myself included,” said Robertson, a former Italian Open winner who is now in charge of the successful golf programme at the University of Stirling.

“Him winning the Scottish Amateur was an outstanding achievement and I was proud to have partnered him for Scotland on many occasions!”

Tributes to Lowson, who was also a great servant to Perth & Kinross, were also paid by golfers now based in Germany and Canada.

“I have very fond memories of Graham, going back to the Scottish Boys at West Kilbride in ’79, rooming with him and sharing stories and jokes all night at Inverclyde. Wonderful character,” said Calum Innes, who has been working and living in Hamburg for more than 20 years.

Former Pitreavie player Dean Spriddle, who now lives in Canada, added: “I played a lot with Graham – a gritty player, good guy and didn’t really take life too seriously.”

Former Carnoustie course-record holder Alan Tait described Lowson as a “larger than life character” while David Patrick, who played in the 1999 Walker Cup at Nairn, said he had been “one of the best career amateurs of the 90s”.