Ewan and Ewen Murray Discuss Case of Mistaken Identity

Guardian journalist Ewan Murray and Sky Sports golf commentator Ewen Murray were recently embroiled in a case of mistaken identity that sparked a brief but intense backlash from fans. The confusion began when an angry email circulated in early 2011 from a disgruntled Arizona fan who wrote, “I don’t know what it is like in your country, sir. But here in America we SPIT!!!” The message was mistakenly addressed to the Guardian’s Ewan Murray, but it was actually intended for the Sky Sports commentator. The misdirected rant was amplified when the commentator’s live commentary on a Tiger Woods incident in Dubai—where Woods was seen emptying his mouth on a putting surface—was taken as criticism of the Guardian journalist.

The mix‑up led to a wave of frustration from “canteen commandos” and other fans who believed they were confronting the wrong Murray. Social media threads and online forums quickly filled with calls for clarification, and the Guardian’s editorial team issued a brief statement confirming that the two individuals are unrelated and that the email had been misdirected. The incident underscores the importance of accurate attribution in the age of rapid online communication, especially when two professionals share a name and operate in overlapping media circles.