The Guardian's Ewan Murray and Sky Sports Golf commentator Ewen Murray have been mistaken for each other for over 15 years, a confusion that has led to irate emails, social media abuse, and even threats of physical confrontation. The mix-up began in early 2011 when an angry fan from Arizona emailed Ewan, mistakenly blaming him for Ewen's on-air criticism of Tiger Woods spitting on a putting green in Dubai.
The Spitting Incident That Started It All
“Tiger spat on the green with three groups playing behind him,” Ewen recalls. “I remember my words. ‘For a person who is an inspiration, not just to golfers but to everyone, there are times when he is arrogant and disrespectful.’ I switched the mic off straight away. I knew there would be trouble. But if I don’t say anything, people close to me are going to ask why I didn’t comment.”
Ewen, a former professional golfer who competed in the Open, received an avalanche of criticism himself, but Ewan, then covering Scottish football, was the one who got the angry email. “There was no bigger supporter of Tiger than me but the email you got, I got an awful lot more of ‘Who the hell are you to tell …’ I wasn’t telling, I was only saying it wasn’t acceptable,” Ewen adds.
Social Media Confusion and the Birth of an Alter Ego
The confusion intensified when both Murrays joined Twitter in October 2010. Despite being nearly three decades apart in age and having different backgrounds – Ewen a seasoned professional, Ewan an erratic amateur – social media criticism intended for Sky's esteemed commentator frequently landed in Ewan's mentions. To cope, Ewan adopted an alter ego, responding to the “canteen commandos” with a pretentious, humorous tone that soon won Ewen's approval.
“I think if you don’t have humour in life; and let’s face it, there isn’t much nowadays … Laughter is the best medicine. I have found it all very funny and everyone I have spoken to about it is the same. What I should have been doing is answering some more of the messages meant for you but the trouble was the language was so bad. People just Google the name. ‘That’s him, there he is, Ewan Murray!’” Ewen says.
Famous Fans and Near Misses
The mix-up has had high-profile victims. Mick Fitzgerald, the famed jockey, praised Ewan's television commentary on a recent major. Rory McIlroy sought Ewan out mid-round at the 2018 Open after being tickled that a multiple world champion in another sport (who shall remain nameless) asserted, “you’re not Ewen Murray” when they first met.
One punter threatened to find Ewan in a pub near Hoylake after some Ewan/Ewen antics during the 2023 Open. “He was going to find me,” Ewen says. “If people don’t find it funny, if people take offence to that, I think they have a major problem. It’s actually quite lucky to have this because so many people are involved; the players, the fans, the press, the TV. Because it is funny.”
Ewen's Storied Career
This frivolity is a mere footnote on Ewen's rich career. Now 71, he combines commentary skill with an unrivalled, intense knowledge of golf and its courses. His broadcasting career began almost by accident in 1990 after an executive at Emirates airlines called a professional's shop in Sussex looking to offer Brian Barnes the gig at the second edition of the Desert Classic. “I said, ‘I’ll do it,’” Ewen says. “That was the start, a two-minute phone call. They sent me an air ticket and £500. I was lucky in that I had just finished playing so I knew all the players. I knew their strengths, their weaknesses and their characters. I still have the tapes.”
He had lost his European Tour card a year earlier, with his confidence, primarily on the greens, having left him. “Too much negativity,” he says of his mindset. “When I was a kid, it was the other way round. I would dream then about hitting shots and they were all good shots. As I got older, that changed. I could see the end coming; then there was a big problem. What do you do now?”
Life Lessons and Constructive Criticism
Ewen left home in Edinburgh at 18 for an assistant professional's job at Walton Heath. “I sat on the bed and thought ‘What the hell have I done?’ I had no car. My wage was £5 a week, my digs was £5 for the week.” Teaching, playing, commentating. A life in golf was colourful enough before online mischief-making. Not that all condemnation is swatted aside. “I ignore it unless I think they might be right,” Ewen says. “Constructive criticism is vital in life. I haven’t had it too bad, though. Nowhere near as bad as you.”
