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Some of the biggest names in golf have joined in the tributes being paid to the iconic Scottish actor, Sir Sean Connery, who has passed away at the age of 90.

Connery, best known for playing James Bond in six official 007 capers on the big screen, died peacefully in his sleep at his home in the Bahamas having been unwell for some time.

In a career that spanned five decades, the Edinburgh-born Hollywood superstar’s body of work also included the likes of The Rock, The Hunt For Red October, Highlander, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade and The Untouchables. The latter earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1988.

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Away from the silver screen, Connery was a golf fanatic, who took up the game for a famous scene in Goldfinger in which Bond takes on the titular villain at Stoke Park Golf Club in Hertfordshire. He would go on to become a regular in celebrity events and pro-ams.

In his 2008 book ‘Being A Scot’, Connery detailed how he fell for the royal and ancient game.

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He wrote: “I never had a hankering to play golf, despite growing up in Scotland just down the road from Bruntsfield Links, which is one of the oldest golf courses in the world. It wasn’t until I was taught enough golf to look as though I could outwit the accomplished golfer Gert Frobe in Goldfinger that I got the bug.

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“I began to take lessons on a course near the Pinewood film studios, and was immediately hooked on the game. Soon it would nearly take over my life. I began to see golf as a metaphor for living, for in golf you are basically on your own, competing against yourself and always trying to do better. If you cheat, you will be the loser, because you are cheating yourself.”

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He added: “Over the years golf has taught me much, and its implicit codes of conduct have provided me with the nearest I have ever come to religion.” 

Since news of Connery’s passing broke, tributes have started to pour in from across the golf community.

More tributes will be posted here as and when they are published.


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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

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