Why did players wear black ribbons at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2023?
The display of solidarity in sports is always very moving. One such moment occurred at the recently concluded Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2023.
All the participating golfers wore black ribbons to pay tribute to popular English golfer Barry Lane, who recently passed away. Lane was a well-liked name on the Old World circuit and has left behind a brilliant legacy to his name.
He represented Europe in the 1993 Ryder Cup at The Belfry. Over the course of his 40-year-long career has made 693 starts, which is the fourth most on what was then the European Tour (now changed to DP World Tour).
Lane was also an eight-time winner of the Legends Tour, which is the European equivalent of the PGA Tour Champions.
Barry Lane beat then-Masters champion Sandy Lyle to bag the 1988 Scottish Open. He won the Scottish Senior Open almost three decades later. The predecessor of the WGC-Match Play event was the Anderson Consulting World Championship of Golf. Lane won the first edition of the tournament in 1995.
Known for his incredible ball-striking, he represented England four times at the Dunhill Cup and twice at the World Championship. His absence will be missed by the entire golfing community as was seen by the black ribbons at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2023.
After Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2023, players to repeat the black ribbons at the Dubai Desert Classic
Barry Lane passed away in December 2022 following a short illness. Although not in his best condition, he and his wife Camilla attended the Legends Tour season-ending MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius in November last year.
Not only was he able to say one final goodbye to his friends and contemporaries but also present the Rookie of the Year award, renamed in his honor, to Brazilian golfer Adilson Da Silva.
The entire golfing fraternity was deeply saddened by the loss. DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley paid tribute to Barry Lane's career and character on behalf of the league.
"We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Barry Lane. To have seen such a level of success across both the European Tour and the now Legends Tour shows his dedication to the game of golf and he was a much-loved figure on both tours. The renaming of the Legends Tour’s Rookie of the Year Trophy in his honor is a fitting tribute, and I’m delighted he had the opportunity to present it in December."
The golfers wearing black ribbons to pay their respects to Barry Lane at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2023 was indeed an emotional moment for every golf fan. The players will repeat it at the upcoming Dubai Desert Classic from January 26 to 29 2023.
It is certainly a beautiful moment that shows that no matter the competition, sports at the end of the day is a celebration of solidarity, unity and oneness.