A huge honour falls on Bob Connor

By day he's the partner in an industrial doors business and an enthusiastic 18 handicapper, but at the Desert Classic Bob Connor stands in the spotlight as the event's chief starter.

It's a job the Englishman fell into by accident "I was the last man left in the club one year and there was no one else to ask" but one he describes as "an unimaginable privilege."

The 61-year-old Emirates Golf Club member has the heady responsibility of standing at the first tee and introducing each player to a world-wide live TV audience of millions as well as the packed gallery.

It also means he has the best seat in the house as the big names begin their day's work.

Despite the great potential for pitfalls, problematic incidents have been extremely rare over the years although there was a difficult moment on the second day of the current tournament.

"Colin Montgomerie told me on the tee that Greg Norman had withdrawn," said Connor. "I was straight on the phone to the tour office, checking what was going on.

"They told me just to announce the two players on the tee. So I mentioned that the playing order had changed and introduced Richard Green, the 1997 Desert Classic winner.

"And then I said 'now on the tee, from Scotland, is Colin Montgomerie'. I completely forgot to say that he had also been a winner here. It was just because my usual routine getting the playing card, stats and pin position ready had been messed up because of the Norman business, but he was none too pleased about that.

"So today when Monty arrived, he announced to the crowd 'if the starter doesn't mention that I was a winner here, I'll probably pick up the microphone and tell you myself!' And he would have done, he's a very serious person.

"Anyway, up he came and I made the announcement 'and the 1996 winner … ' and there was a huge cheer from the gallery. Even Monty started laughing then."

Connor is a natural raconteur so it's no surprise to learn that he never gets nervous. "I'm losing more sleep thinking about moving house next week," he quipped.

He also acts as the starter at around 20 local events a year but it's the Desert Classic which takes the proverbial biscuit. "It's just a huge honour," he said.