AS Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson battled it out for the famous Claret Jug at Royal Troon on Sunday, the thoughts of two Cochrane Castle Golf Club members were with an old friend who brought the golfing world to a standstill 19 years ago.

Mickelson was pipped by the sensational Swede at the 145th Open Championship, Stenson finishing three shots ahead of Lefty, the pair produced scintillating final rounds and were neck-and-neck for most of Sunday.

But 19 years ago it was a Johnstone man who caused the golfing world to stand up and take notice at Royal Troon. In 1997, Barclay Howard produced the performance of his life to win the Silver Medal for top amateur at the Open, he briefly led the field in the first round and finished tied with Jack Nicklaus, and the champion Justin Leonard congratulated Howard in his acceptance speech.

The performance from the then 44-year-old Howard surprised many, but not his caddy at the Open Ian McCosh or long time friend Bobby Blackwood.

Both had seen Howard rededicate himself to the sport after a long battle with alcoholism, which seen him hit bottom when he was banned from Cochrane Castle and unable to play the sport he loved.

McCosh said: “He was four under after five, so it was a great start. It was great to see his name up among the leaders.

“A few fellow county players were taking photos of it. He handled it in a friendly way as well when dealing with all the attention.

“I was so proud of him to be rubbing shoulders with the best in the game.

“I remember the Saturday morning practice, beside him was Davis Love, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, Barclay and Bernhard Langer.

“I just thought at last he is in the company he deserves.

“Ernie Els and Vijay Singh went out their way to congratulate him.

Blackwood said: “At the time of the Open he was very good because he had rededicated himself to the game and we were expecting him to do very well.

“When he pre-qualified at Bogside he was in the top three.

“When he decided to sort himself he went from his lowest point to total dedication. It was tremendous to see him have the success he had.

“At the Open, when people were shouting out his name he must have felt absolutely magnificent.”

Howard met his second wife in the early 1990s, Letitia, an AA counsellor, and began spending all his spare time on the golf course.

The improvement in his game was stark. He played in the Walker Cup twice in 1995 and 1997. The 1995 Great Britain and Ireland team included Padraig Harrington, David Howell and Stephen Gallacher and defeated a strong US team which featured Tiger Woods.

However just when he was at the peak of his powers fate turned against Howard. Six weeks after his Open heroics he was diagnosed with leukaemia, aged just 44. Howard battled the disease valiantly but his strength never fully recovered and he passed away from pneumonia in 2008.

Blackwood and McCosh’s voices tinge with regret as they discuss what might have been for Howard, in a room at Cochrane Castle adorned with memorabilia from their old friend’s career, and soon to be renamed Barclay’s cabin in his honour.

Indeed, Blackwood is in no doubt that Howard could have made a good career in the professional ranks if he wasn’t faced with bigger battles off the course.

He said: “I have no doubt that if he could’ve changed his lifestyle 15 years before that he would’ve been collecting a lot of money.

“As an amateur he was breaking course records regularly.

“He handled the big crowd and everything else really well at Troon. He was teeing it up with the best in the world there and he coped with the pressure.”