THE Open golf championship begins today at Turnberry, in Ayrshire, and for one of the best-known, and most decorated, sportswriters in Scotland it marks the end of a glittering career.
Mike Aitken joined The Scotsman as a graduate trainee in 1973 and has since covered 25 Opens for the paper.
Although he officially retires at the end of the month, this is his last big event he will be reporting from.
Golf and Heart of Midlothian FC are his twin sporting passions and the sporting moments that he most enjoyed reporting are from golf and football.
He says: “Italy 3 Brazil 2 at the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain was the best football match I ever saw and Tiger Woods’ first Masters victory, in 1997, was epic.
“And I didn’t mind Hearts winning the Scottish Cup in 1998.”
