Paul McGinley and European Tour stars salute caddie 'Edinburgh Jimmy' Rae

Tributes have been pouring in from the golfing world on social media for legendary European Tour caddie Ian James "Edinburgh Jimmy" Rae, who died on Thursday aged 64.

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Rae caddied for numerous high-profile players over a career spanning over 30 years on the European Tour and Ladies European Tour.

Sky Sports pundits Paul McGinley, Robert Lee and Mark Roe were among the players to have worked with Rae, who was also on the bag for Ian Poulter during his early years in the professional game.

McGinley said: "I have lost not just my longtime caddie but a great friend too. He started to work for me in 1992 and never once did he ever turn up unshaven, not freshly clothed or in bad humour.

"Above all I witnessed the trait of eternal loyalty from him - always in your corner even if he would never admit it! He had a wisecrack for everybody and was an important part of our player/caddie dynamic inside the team room at the Ryder Cup in Gleneagles, as he kept the mood light and fun for all of us."

Speaking about Rae in his 2014 autobiography, No Limits, Poulter said: "He was the most hard-nosed Scot I'd ever met. He didn't care what he said or who he said it to.

"He was utterly ruthless when he was taking people down with his quips. I've seen famous golfers wince when they realised they were going to have to walk past Edinburgh Jimmy.

"You have to like your caddy [sic], and I liked Jimmy. He was on the bag for my first three years on the European Tour and he is probably the most generous, kind-hearted person I have ever met.

"He'd give you his last ten pounds. That's why people love him. Jimmy's one of those guys they'll write a book about one day. People laugh about his sayings all the time."

McGinley and Poulter both shared the news of Rae's death via Twitter on Thursday evening, with Ryder Cup-winning captain Thomas Bjorn and former Masters champion Trevor Immelman just two of the players to pay their respects.

Here's how social media reacted to "Edinburgh Jimmy's" passing…