Earlier this week, Scottish police launched a frantic search for well-known Lanarkshire golf coach Stuart Kerr. The 53-year-old PGA pro had gone missing in Strathaven earlier this week. However, the search has now ended, with officers sharing welcome news after a two-day effort.

“We can confirm that Stuart Kerr, 53, who was reported missing from Strathaven, has been traced,” Police Scotland said in an official statement. “Thank you to everyone who shared our earlier appeals.” Kerr, who is currently the operations manager at Strathclyde Park Family Golf Centre, was reported missing on Wednesday morning. The officials took quick action and asked for community support as they shared the appeals online.

The news took the local community by surprise. “It is out of character for Stuart not to be in contact with his family, and as time passes concerns are growing,” Inspector Caroline Brennan was quoted as saying by the Daily Record. She also appealed to the community to share any CCTV footage or dashcam footage with the police. The police and his friends searched around Strathaven, Chapleton, and East Kilbride. The Scotsman reported that the search lasted from 6:30 a.m. Wednesday until 2 a.m. Thursday. They searched on foot in fields, outhouses, and bothies to find their friend.

“People from all over Scotland and the north of England as well were willing to close their shops, give up their time, cancel lessons, and get in their cars and come and help us search,” Derek Watters, the head PGA professional at Gourock Golf Club, was quoted by Scotsman as saying.

Watters’s son Calum also traveled over 200 miles to join the search party. As reported by The Scotsman, in an update on Thursday morning, Kerr was seen on Glasgow Road leaving Chapelton and heading toward Strathaven on foot. As appeals were raised in the community, friends and family shared the posts as much as possible. Derek Watters, the PGA professional at Gourock Golf Club, posted a video on social media before the coach was found, thanking the community for their efforts in the search.

Kerr has spent decades building a name for himself in Scottish golf. He had worked as head professional at Strathaven Golf Club for 18 years before shifting into a business development role. He now coaches at Strathclyde Park. He has mentored several players who went on to become PGA professionals themselves. He was a well-known face among the golf circles in Scotland, and quite naturally, the entire golf community joined in the search for him.

Friends, family, and supporters spent hours sharing a plea across social media in the hope of helping locate Kerr. They finally breathed a sigh of relief as police confirmed the news that Kerr had been found safe.

Jason Boyd, the PGA pro at Montrose Links and current chair of the PGA in Scotland committee, also shared his relief on social media. “Such a relief to have found Stuart safe.” His family and friends are relieved to have him back home.