'It feels like he's come home' - reaction to new Old Tom Morris statue in St Andrews

Sculpted by David Annand, the magnificent statue sits on Bow Butts, which is located behind The Royal & Ancient Golf Golf Clubhouse, with four-time Open champion Morris looking towards the Old Course.

The statue was unveiled by Sheila Walker, Old Tom’s great, great granddaughter, who lives above the famous shop nearby that once bore his name.

Lyle, the 1985 Open champion, attended as part of the platform party while a large crowd who turned up to witness the unveiling included Peter Dawson, the former chief executive of The R&A.

“The main reason I’m here is for Tom Morris, who was a remarkable man, and this statue is going to be here for hundreds of years’ time, so it was nice to be part of it,” said Lyle.

“Even if I wasn’t an Open champion, knowing what he did in the game of golf - like a Jack Nicklaus - I’d like to have been here and it is probably long overdue.”

Ronald Sandord, chairman of the Old Tom Statue Project, admitted the unveiling of the newest must-see landmark in St Andrews had been an emotional occasion after he’d been the driving force behind it.

“It has taken nine years, but everything has just fitted into place,” he said. As for the funding, he added: “We are nearly there. We have raised over £70,000 and we probably need another £30,000.”

Though definitely in the perfect spot, it wasn’t the first option considered by Sandford and his eight fellow group members.

“In discussion with the Links Trust, we came up with a variety of sites,” he said. “For example, the south-west corner of the Himalayas, which would have been close to the first tee on the New looking across to the Old, while the other mound we looked at was at the Caddy Shack but it was going to be a health hazard due to it being close to the Swilcan Burn.

“Then it was clear that we didn’t want to impinge golfers or spectators on walkways, so that’s why we opted for here. It’s accessible, has visibility, a toilet within 50 metres and a cup of tea and coffee as well.”

St Andrews-based historian Roger McStravick said of the statue: “It is wonderful. It fits. It feels like he’s come home.”

Heaping praise on Sandford, he added: “It was all Ronald. Honestly, it’s that Royal Navy Commodore spirit. He faced many obstacles along the way, but he just rode over them. There were a million petty things as he was determined to make this happen. He was wonderful and got us over the line.”

“I think simply long overdue is the best to describe today. It was something that was bound to happen; it was just a matter of finding the right man to take on the project.

“It is difficult to get things through in St Andrews because there are so many different organisations and they have different interests, but Ronald got it done and David Annand is a wonderful artist.”