Fuelling the Open fires

Back in 1943, a Royal and Ancient employee by the name of Tam "Celtic" Melville was cleaning the two, 20-inch mowers which were kept in a hut on the New Course at St Andrews. Given that he happened to be a chain smoker and that the cleaning procedure involved petrol, there was a certain risk involved.

Melville, whose sobriquet stemmed from his fanatical affection for Celtic FC, normally let the cigarette burn between his lips until it began to hurt, then used it to light another. On this occasion, however, there was a slip twixt fag and lip, culminating in a pall of smoke from the hut.

By the time fellow links workers rushed to the scene, the damage was already done. The dropped cigarette caused an explosion and fire which destroyed both mowers, plus the shed. Observers also noted that "Celtic" had to make do without eyebrows and some of his hair, for quite a while afterwards. But in the pubs around the Auld Grey Toon, he could claim to be one of the few men who had burnt up St Andrews, albeit without golf clubs.