It takes either a special player or a special person to bring Scots around the world together in grief. In the case of Colin Gillies, who passed away this week at the age of 58, he did both a testament to the impact he had on the game and those who knew him.

When I first began covering the Tartan Tour, the circuit run by the PGA in Scotland, in the mid-1980s, the likes of Russell Weir, John Chillas, Craig Maltman, Iain Collins, Kevin Stables, and Alastair Webster were among the leading figures.

However, it quickly became clear that two young Scottish professionals were on the rise, ready to challenge the old guard. Before long, they did just that.

One of them was Colin Brooks. As a member of Glencorse, just outside Edinburgh, Brooks won the Scottish Amateur Championship before a certain Colin Montgomerie, defeating Ayr Belleisle’s Allan Thomson in the 1986 final at Monifieth.

After turning professional, Brooks claimed back-to-back Northern Open titles in 1989 and 1990 and also won the British Assistants’ Championship in 1989.

I recall being at Hillside for that event, and if my memory serves me correctly, Brooks emerged victorious in a thrilling duel with Englishman Paul Eales.

The other player who caught my eye was Gillies. A Falkirk member, he won the Scottish Boys’ Championship at Dunbar in 1983, overcoming West Kilbride’s Calum Innes in a dramatic 38-hole final.

Both Brooks and Gillies were slightly older than Paul Lawrie, who began making a name for himself in 1990 by winning the Scottish Assistants’ Championship and Scottish Under-25 Championship. The rest, as they say, is history for the Aberdonian.

In contrast, Brooks and Gillies had relatively modest European Tour careers. Yet, their contributions to golf prove that success in the sport isn’t solely measured by playing or winning at the highest level.

While Brooks transitioned into coaching and has spent the past two decades helping others improve, Gillies remained dedicated to playing—especially in his beloved Scotland.

Alan Tait once described Gillies as “arguably the best player to play in the PGA Scottish Region.” Excluding players like Lawrie, that statement might very well be true.

During a time when the Tartan Tour was both thriving and financially rewarding, Gillies was the dominant force.

He became the first player to surpass £500,000 in career earnings on the tour and remains its all-time leading money winner with £513,747 a record that, despite Paul O’Hara’s brilliance in recent years, is unlikely to be broken.

The overwhelming response to his passing speaks volumes. Almost everyone who has paid tribute has called Gillies a “great,” “fantastic,” or “incredible” player words that Scottish people don’t use lightly unless truly deserved.

Many have also described him as a “brilliant” and “good” man, and there is no doubt that tears have been shed while remembering him.

As I read through the countless tributes, my laptop constantly pinged with notifications—proof that Scots at home and abroad were united in mourning.

PGA professionals, including many who have long retired, shared their condolences on social media.

Messages poured in from all over the world from Gary Weir and Tony Marshall in the US to Stephen Dundas in Spain and Calum Innes, now based in Germany.

These days, the word “legend” is thrown around far too easily. But when it comes to the Tartan Tour, there is only one true legend.

Thank you for the memories, Colin Gillies. And if you can, say “hello” up there to Russell Weir and Jim Farmer.

Rory McIlroy has enjoyed an illustrious career, but one title continues to elude him the Masters.

Determined to claim the Green Jacket at Augusta, McIlroy has taken drastic steps to rebuild his game after his heartbreaking near-miss in 2024.

McIlroy’s Bold Approach to Rebuilding His Swing

The 35-year-old has literally locked himself away in an effort to construct a new swing, aiming to give himself the best chance to secure his first Masters title.

Over the past decade, McIlroy has won three of golf’s major championships, though his last victory came over a decade ago.

Despite his achievements, The Masters remains the one major title missing from his collection.

He famously led the tournament by four strokes in 2011, only to suffer a dramatic back-nine collapse and finish 10 shots behind the winner. He also came close in 2022, finishing second to Scottie Scheffler.

In total, McIlroy has won four major titles but has not claimed one of golf’s biggest prizes since his second PGA Championship victory in 2014. Since then, he has endured a series of agonizing near-misses.

Last year, it seemed like his long wait was finally coming to an end as he held a two-shot lead with four holes remaining at the U.S. Open.

However, three bogeys in his final four holes including two missed short putts on the 16th and 18th saw his chances slip away.

Inside McIlroy’s Radical Swing Experiment

Determined to put an end to his Masters and major drought, McIlroy has taken extraordinary measures by completely deconstructing and rebuilding his swing.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Chad Mumm, the executive producer of Netflix documentary Full Swing, revealed:

“I got to spend a little bit of time with Rory in the offseason. And it was interesting, because he was in the middle of a pretty rigorous reworking of his swing.”

Mumm further explained McIlroy’s unique approach:

“The month that we were filming Happy Gilmore in New Jersey, he was not watching his ball flight, which I thought was really fascinating.”

“Actually, I invited him out to play golf on one of the off days of filming, and a couple of the other players had come out. But he said, ‘Look, I’m rebuilding my swing. I’d love to come, but I’m literally locking myself in a simulator at night, turning the simulator off, filming my swing from behind, and just looking at the motion. If I see my ball flying through the air, I’ll start going back to the old ways.’”

“So he took a month to rebuild it, and he came back, and all of a sudden, here he is … seemingly in total control of his game.”

McIlroy himself has already opened up about his swing transformation, particularly his efforts to add more power. Speaking in November last year, he shared details of his approach:

“The only way I was going to make a change, or at least move in the right direction, with my swing was to lock myself in a studio and not see the ball flight for a bit and just focus entirely on the movement.”

He added:

“It’s something just to make my golf swing more efficient. And then if it is more efficient, it means it’s not going to break down as much under pressure. If I look at my year, the one thing that I would criticize myself on is the fact that I’ve had these chances to win.”

It appears that McIlroy’s hard work behind the scenes is already paying off. Currently ranked World No. 2, he has already won the Players Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this season.

With renewed confidence and a refined swing, McIlroy is hoping his latest experiment will finally help him conquer Augusta and secure the Masters title he has long been chasing.

The inaugural TGL season wrapped up in dramatic fashion, solidifying its place in the golfing world.

Despite initial skepticism surrounding the arena-based simulator tournament, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods pushed forward with their vision.

The format, backed by the PGA Tour, has now won over fans if the excitement of Tuesday’s finale is any indication.

After winning Monday night’s opener, Atlanta Drive GC staged an incredible comeback to take Match 2 of the final series, securing a 4-3 victory over New York Golf Club and claiming a 2-0 series win.

With the victory, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Justin Thomas, and Lucas Glover split the $9 million prize, becoming the first-ever TGL champions.

A viral moment from the final saw Horschel sinking a crucial putt before celebrating with an X-rated club toss, sparking widespread reaction online.

Mickelson’s Surprising Take on TGL’s Success

Golf podcaster Dan Rapaport shared a clip of Horschel’s celebration along with his thoughts on the tournament’s impact.

“TGL a huge success in Year 1. Plain and simple,” he posted on X. “So many viral moments.

“Additive to the current landscape without taking anything away. Enjoyed it way more than I thought I would and I think a tonnnnn of people feel the same way.”

One of the unexpected voices in agreement was Phil Mickelson, who was barred from participating due to his move to LIV Golf.

“That’s great news! It would be great for golf if this were to succeed,” Mickelson commented.

“The golf fan is the most loyal fan in sports. Buy a ticket, walk miles and see a fraction of the action, but this could allow the golf fan to buy a ticket, sit down and watch the action just like other sports.

“It could really be good for the game if it’s compelling.”

With speculation growing, fans have expressed hope that Mickelson, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau could participate in future editions.

This may become possible if discussions aimed at uniting the PGA Tour and LIV Golf prove successful.

Atlanta Drive’s Dramatic Comeback

After losing 6-5 in the opener, New York Golf Club seemed poised to force a decider as Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, and Cameron Young raced to a 3-0 lead.

However, Atlanta Drive responded, winning back-to-back holes before Horschel delivered a game-changing moment.

On the penultimate hole, he activated the hammer, doubling the available points, before draining a brilliant 18-foot birdie to put his team ahead.

New York’s four-man squad, which included Matt Fitzpatrick, took home $4.5 million for finishing second.

The decisive moment came when Cantlay chipped his ball to three feet, matching Young’s birdie and sealing Atlanta’s championship victory.

Reflecting on the tournament, Horschel shared his excitement.

“I think we all have had a lot of fun,” he said.

“Obviously, it is a little bit of a challenge with everything we’ve got going through the year with our own schedules, but I don’t think anyone has ever walked away and said this felt like a burden.

“It’s just something new and exciting and we all enjoyed it. To walk away as champions with these guys is pretty cool.”

Schauffele also praised Horschel’s energy and clutch performance.

“I figured Billy Ho [Horschel] has got a lot of energy, but anyone running around that much is going to run out of steam,” he joked.

“Billy is a dog. He made some really big putts when he needed to.”

With TGL’s first season proving to be a success, the future looks promising for the innovative tournament format.