My Life In Golf Mark Austin

The award-winning broadcaster discusses his putting demons, his love of Fife’s links courses, a morning with Seve and his Augusta challenge…

- Michael Catling

He’s perhaps best known for anchoring News at 10 or the ITV Evening News, but Mark Austin’s career is taking a new direction. After a career spanning three decades, the 58-year-old read his last bulletin for ITV at the end of last year to pursue new projects. He remains tight-lipped as to what those are, but the left-hander wants it put on record that he’ll be playing plenty of golf before he makes his return to our TV screens…

I love golf, but I can’t seem to get very good at it. I’ve spent thousands of pounds on lessons and I’m still off 16. I got down to 12 when I was living in South Africa and covering Nelson Mandela’s presidency in the 1990s. I came back to England, put some cards in, and my handicap went up to 16. Unfortunately it has stayed that way ever since.