Kevin McAlpine, the son of Dundee United legend Hamish, has died suddenly at the age of 39.
Blairgowrie-born Kevin – a top caddie and former Scottish amateur champion – passed away in the US this week.
Dad Hamish told The Courier: “We can confirm that Kevin has passed away in America.
“We are completely in the dark about what has happened.
“It is true that he has been unwell but we believed he was on the mend.
“There is to be an autopsy and at the moment there is very little we can say.
“As a family we are completely devastated. You can imagine how we are feeling.”
Kevin – based out of Arizona – grew up in Alyth and learned to play at the local golf club with his Tangerines hero father.
After attending Menzieshill High School, he embarked on a golf scholarship at Colorado State University.
Becoming a champion
Arguably his finest moment as a golfer came in 2006 when he was crowned Scottish Amateur champion at Nairn, two years after shooting the Old Course amateur record of 62.
A torn anterior cruciate ligament ahead of his final season in the non-paid ranks derailed his progress and he faced a difficult start to life in the pros.
He initially juggled caddying with playing on the EuroPro Tour – the third tier of pro golf in Europe – before linking up with LPGA star Lexi Thompson.
Kevin also caddied for fellow Scot Martin Laird.
He was married to major winner Anna Nordqvist, whom he met when he was working for Thompson in 2017.
Life away from the course
They tied the knot four years later but in a social media post this summer Anna revealed they were divorcing, adding: “I please ask for continued respect and privacy while I’m managing this difficult time.”
Anna, 36, withdrew from the BMW Ladies Championship on Thursday prior to the second round.
In 2021, Kevin spoke to The Courier about watching his wife in action and his love of golf in his home country.
He said: “Apart maybe from Alyth, there’s no other better place to win a tournament than Carnoustie.”
Kevin – who had also worked as a sales rep for Scottish-based junior golf equipment company Golphin – added: “Playing on tour is hard, caddying is hard, and being away from home and apart [from Anna] makes it even worse.”
