Lessons must be learned from caddie tragedy

“The European Tour must introduce a firm rule about what to do if this ever happens again.”

The decision to play on in Madeira last Sunday after the tragic death of a caddie has been condemned. But in a perverse way, I fully understand why they carried on.

It’s eight months since I had my issue in Aberdeen, and I still often think that I ruined people’s evening.

It may sound silly, but I don’t like the idea that seeing me stand up to speak, and then moments later being taken away in an ambulance, was traumatising for anyone.

It’s hard to explain, it’s just how I feel. I didn’t know Iain McGregor, but from what I have heard, he was the life and soul of the caddie’s tent.

He was an adventurer-type, who had come over from Zimbabwe many years ago and he was doing a job he loved.

Alastair Forsyth and his playing partners, Adam Gee and Tano Goya, were placed in an invidious position about whether to carry on or not.

Alastair will have been torn over what to do, but knowing Iain as he did, he must have felt his caddie would have wanted him to play on. I don’t think it was in any way motivated by money.

The decision to carry on has been roundly criticised all week, which is grossly unfair. I know Alastair is a caring and compassionate guy.

He wrote me a lovely letter when I was in hospital last summer, and he said very kind things about me in his newspaper column. However, it was wrong that he was put in this situation in the first place.

The Tournament Director should have made the decision for him. The important thing now is to learn lessons from this tragic episode.

The European Tour must introduce a firm rule about what to do if this ever happens again, so everyone knows.

That could include suspending all play at a tournament as a mark of respect. That seems to have been the mood this week.

It’s maybe also a good chance for other caddies to have a medical and make sure they are in the right condition for such a demanding job.

None of us should take our health for granted. We now have another opportunity to get the message across about defibrillators, too.

I don’t know the ins and outs in Madeira, but this simple piece of equipment saved my life. There’s no reason why the Tour can’t have these at all tournaments.

The rules officials, who walk round the course, could be given basic training in how to use them. The introduction of these machines could be a positive step from a tragic incident.