Donald Barclay Howard (27 January 1953 – 19 May 2008) was a Scottish amateur

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

er. He was regarded as one of the finest golfers of his time and considered a folk-hero. He has had a lifetime relationship with Cochrane Castle Golf Club in Johnstone, Renfrewshire.

Life

Howard was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. He was married when he was 19, the marriage to Alexandra Lawson Brennan produced two daughters – Linda (b. 1972) and Lorraine (b. 1976). Howard first joined Clydesdale Bank and later switched to

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, where he was made redundant in 1993. After that he became a full-time amateur golfer, that and his previous success on the golf course led him to a job in customer relations with club-maker John Letters. Howard was a self-confessed alcoholic, leading to international exclusion in 1984. After having suffered and defeated leukemia, he died of pneumonia in 2008. Howard was a lifelong friend of Sam Torrance, who became a successful professional golfer.

Sporting career

Howard can probably be best described as a true amateur. Working a regular work week and playing golf in his spare time. He might have been a top professional. He was a leading figure in Scottish and British amateur golf. Over the years he has won more than a hundred amateur tournaments. Howard played on the Great Britain and Ireland team in the Walker Cup twice, winning in 1995 at Royal Portcawl. He has also played on the GB&I team in the

Eisenhower Trophy The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958 Eisenhower Trophy, 1958, it is nam ...

in 1996. He was the low amateur in the 1997 Open Championship. In his latter years, Howard was a leading figure in the Scottish Golf Union.

Autobiography

Howard published an autobiography (with Jonathan Russell) in 2001 called "Out of the rough"Out of the Rough: Booze, Birdies and a Driving Ambition, , Hard cover, 192 pages, Mainstream Publishing Company (not to be confused with Laura Baugh's book called "Out of the Rough" or John Daly's: "My life in and out of the rough") where he describes his personal battles (against alcohol) and his inner demons.

Amateur wins

''this list is incomplete'' *1994 St Andrews Links Trophy *1996 St Andrews Links Trophy *1997 Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship

Team appearances

Amateur * St Andrews Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1980 (winners), 1994 (winners), 1996 (winners) * Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1995 (winners), 1997 *

(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1996 * European Amateur Team Championship (representing Scotland): 1995 (winners), 1997

References

External links

Obituary
in The Herald
Cochrane Castle Golf Club website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Barclay Scottish male golfers Amateur golfers Golfers from Glasgow 1953 births 2008 deaths 20th-century Scottish sportsmen