Tour winners at Haggs Castle awarded honorary memberships

Three players who recorded European Tour victories at Haggs Castle have received honorary membership of the Glasgow club.

Bernhard Langer, pictured, Ken Brown and Howard Clark were all presented with the honour. Picture: Michael Gillen

Bernhard Langer, Ken Brown and Howard Clark were all presented with the honour during the Senior Open at Carnoustie, where they were either playing or commentating.

Langer’s win at Haggs Castle came in the 1983 Glasgow Golf Classic before Brown and Clark claimed the Glasgow Open title in 1984 and 1985 respectively.

David Feherty, who triumphed there in the 1986 Scottish Open, will have the same honour conferred upon him when the opportunity arises.

“As this is the 30th anniversary of the Scottish Open at Haggs Castle, the club’s council agreed to the proposal in April,” said general manager Jim Callaghan, who handed over framed membership certificates to Langer, Brown and Clark at Carnoustie.

“Bernhard joked about how long it had taken us before asking for me to pass his thanks on to the members, as did both Ken and Howard.”

Monifieth Links also used the Senior Open’s second visit to Carnoustie to mark Tom Watson’s first game in the UK there in 1975 by marking that with a new plaque on the first tee and also presenting him with honorary membership.

“I haven’t been back to Monifieth much, but the golf courses are part of the community here, the people love their golf courses and they play golf,” said the five-time Open winner of his return to the Angus club. “They have a passion for it and even the people who don’t play have an understanding of the passion of those who do.”