St Andrews Magazine Edition 01

£5.95 UK / $10 USA

Edition 01

2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

35

21 22

News

25

The Day Obama played the Old Course

27

Local Club’s Results

43 From the Swilcan Bridge to the Brooklyn Bridge, the men who took the game from the home of golf to America.

Matt Hooper delves into the history of how golf came to be popularized in the United States and the influence men from St Andrews had on its beginnings, evolution and governance.

Report on how Connor Syme made it to the quarter-finals of the US Amateur Championship at Riviera Country Club

2015 New Golf Club Champion 2016 R&A Local Clubs’ Gold Medal winner

55 63 2017 Preview including Rory McIlroy on St Andrews

71

2016: Sealed with a Kiss: Terrific Tyrrell Triumphs

75

Being a Dunhill Champion

85 The Launchpad: Local youngsters Dunhill experiences 89 Voluntary Service: Myerscough helps the Dunhill run smoothly

2017 Scottish Boys’ Amateur Champion 2016 Alfred Dunhill Schools Challenge winner

117

99 101

Drivers of 2017 by Jordan Thompson of Auchterlonies of St Andrews

119

The St Andrews Style: An introduction

108

Golfer’s Massage by Joanna Mowbray

121

Art around Town: Austen Gallery

111

Yoga for Golf by Sarah Maclaughlin of Hot House Yoga

125

The Beauty of Golf by Aileen Wallace-Edgar of Vintage Beauty Box

131

Vintage Beauty Box re-launch

137

155

139

Cambo: House and Gardens

157

Mammacita Review

144

The Kelpie Maquettes

160

The John Panton

149

The Lammas Fair

151

185

Tommy’s Honour Premiere and Cinema Listings

167 165

Ready. Steady. STAART.

175

St Andrews meets ‘The Hamptons’ by Tracy Smith

189

Blebo House

187

News from The World of Golf

203

ROLEX SERIES and Race to Dubai preview

227

Major Summer

237

LET’S GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION – plan to save the Ladies European Tour

So, forgive me but I need to begin by telling the story of how we came to be here. When I first dreamed up the idea for a project in St Andrews which drew on the various aspects of the golf industry to produce a regular publication, little did I know how hard it would be and how long it would take to reach this point. St Andrews Golf Magazine launched in November 2013 but last year the company reached a milestone moment where the very existence of the magazine was in doubt. When posed with the stark choice I had to make I decided to change the name from St Andrews Golf Magazine to St Andrews Magazine.

It was in many ways a sad moment as the name had begun to resonate and the brand had begun to grow, but over the last six months we have undergone a transition to where we are now. Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing the NEW St Andrews Magazine.

St Andrews Magazine is Golf.

When considering a new name for the magazine several were considered, all of which were either too longwinded or completely different from what we were. St Andrews Magazine is more than a golf magazine, it is your complete and comprehensive, unmatched and unrivalled, one stop shop for golf, lifestyle and more. It is the perfect companion to your St Andrews visit, or if you’re a local it is your window into the world of golf from a different perspective.

We have a section dedicated to Your Game, with instruction, fitness and therapy to improve your game, and equipment and apparel reviews. And The World of Golf has all the news and action from the worldwide professional game. Elizabeth Bethel of Pro Golf Now says “As a golf journalist I read St Andrews Magazine regularly. It provides me with a perspective on the game that's lacking in the major United States-based golf magazines such as Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine.�

This is a Golf magazine. We bring you a unique insight into amateur golf within St Andrews by covering all the local club competitions, the major amateur events such as the St Andrews Links Trophy and St Rule Trophy and features on the history of the game.

St Andrews Magazine is Lifestyle.

As a visiting or resident golfer you have needs and St Andrews Magazine is here to serve them. Your stay may be longer than just enough time for your round on the Old Course, so what can you do away from the golf course? We bring you restaurant reviews and ratings, along with that unique drink and where to get it. We bring you Fashion, Art and Beauty, with tips on how to stay looking good on the course and off it. Maybe your visit to St Andrews has convinced you to move here, St Andrews Life tells the story of the locals, brings you Property Features and much more.

St Andrews Magazine is More.

So welcome to the first ever edition of St Andrews Magazine, your first and only Golf and Lifestyle publication from the home of golf. We Want a day out away from the course? We have you covered, with will publish six times per year from 2018, with an annual Alfred features on day trips, museums, galleries, historic landmarks and Dunhill Links Special every September, and in early 2018 we will more. We cover launch events of new products and businesses in St relaunch our website standrewsmagazine.co.uk to bring you more of Andrews, and we showcase Student life within this amazing town. what you love day-in-day-out.

Away from St Andrews we feature some of the interesting activities I cannot finish without saying a massive thankyou to the following you can do in Fife and Tayside, along with reviews of golf courses people, and there are many more I cannot thank as we do not have across Scotland. space.

Mum, Dad, Steven and Jaclyn. Your support from afar over these last four years has been unwavering and invaluable, even if I don’t say it enough.

Anne. Your incredible business brain, knowledge, experience of photography and 100% belief in me has got me to the point I can now produce this publication and put it out there for the world to see.

Kevin. Your support from 2013 until now at various tournaments and events has been invaluable. Without your insight, knowledge and guidance I would never have been able to take the many photographs which illustrate this and future editions. We have shared some fun times traveling and working at events over the last four years, here’s to the next four and beyond.

Mark. Without my job at the New Golf Club of St Andrews the entire project would not have been possible, you have not stood in my way from taking time off to go to events over the years and have supported me along the way.

To the many contributors since 2013. Without you it would be the Matt Hooper magazine, which it was never intended to be and never will be. Your skill and knowledge, wit and wisdom make the magazine what it is. I look forward to expanding the team over the coming years.

To the Ladies European Tour, European Tour, USGA, Edinburgh Film Festival, Grey Pocket and Edinburgh Marathon Festival.

Thank you for allowing me access to cover your events. Events help us to tell the story of Golf, Lifestyle and More. I look forward to increasing the number and expanding the variety of the events we attend over the coming years.

To the Ladies European Tour, ROLEX, OMEGA, BMW-AG, Mercedes-Benz and Gabrielle Levey. Thank you for allowing me use of your images in the past, now and into the future. They are vital to illustrating the magazine.

And finally, to you, the READER. Without you there would be no point in pouring my heart and soul into producing this publication.

Thank you for your loyal support over the last four years.

Matt is the editor, founder and publisher of St Andrews Magazine. He began writing about golf in September 2012 and has a wealth of knowledge and experience across the golf industry. Matt first picked up a club in 1993 after seeing Nick Faldo make a hole-in-one at the 1993 Ryder Cup on television, and was a member of North Wilts Golf Club near Devizes, Wiltshire from 1996-2006. He attended the International Institution for Golf Education at Myerscough College (University of Central Lancashire) from 2003-2006, gaining a Foundation Degree in Golf Management.

He has worked as a caddie at Royal County Down and St Andrews Links, in retail at Gleneagles Hotel, in hospitality at the New Golf Club of St Andrews, where he is the current Clubhouse Supervisor. He is the chief features writer and lead journalist of St Andrews Magazine. He has also written for Pro Golf Now and All Square Golf, in addition to being a photographer for EPIC Golf Memories.

Photography Matt Hooper, Gabrielle Levey, Rolex, BMW, Getty, Flickr, LET/Tristan Jones

Design and production

John is a St Andrews Links caddie, owner of Caddie Golf Tours and is a regular contributor to St Andrews Magazine. His knowledge of the Old Course and the St Andrews golfing scene is a great insight for readers.

Aileen is the owner of Vintage Beauty Box in St Andrews and is St Andrews Magazine’s Beauty expert. Aileen is an enthusiastic golfer.

Tracy is the owner of Interiors by Tracy Smith in Cupar and is St Andrews Magazine’s property interior expert.

Jordan is the Manager at Auchterlonies of St Andrews, and is the golf equipment features contributor for St Andrews Magazine.

Sarah is the owner and lead instructor at Hot House Yoga, in St Andrews.

Joanna is a Therapist at Hepburns Nail Lounge in St Andrews who specialises in Massages and Facial Treatments. She has considerable experience of golfers and the industry through previous roles at the Old Course Hotel and the New Golf Club of St Andrews.

Joanna is appearing as a guest contributor.

Matt Hooper

Publisher Matt Hooper

Director Matt Hooper

©St Andrews Magazine Ltd. 2017

This publication may not be reproduced in part or whole without the expressed written permission of St Andrews Magazine Ltd.

Advertising enquiries Matt Hooper standrewsmagazine@gmail.com Mailing address: St Andrews Magazine Ltd. Chestney House, 149 Market Street, St Andrews, Fife Scotland KY16 9PF

NEWS

European Tour and R&A announce the four qualifying venues for 2018 SENIOR OPEN Presented by ROLEX at the Old Course next July

The iconic Old Course at St Andrews is set to become the centrepiece of the senior golf calendar in 2018 when the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex returns to Scotland, the Home of Golf, from July 26-29.

European Tour: It will be the first time in the 32-year history of the Senior Open that the Championship has been played over the majestic Old Course, creating a golden opportunity for the legends of the game to re-live past glories, or avenge near misses and disappointments over the world’s most famous golfing location.

Defending the title will be the remarkable Bernhard Langer, who won at Royal Porthcawl in tremendous style last month and is now exempt for a wonderful ‘double-header’ in Scotland - The 147th Open at Carnoustie from July 19-22 and the Senior Open at St Andrews the following week.

The four qualifying venues for the 2018 Championship have been announced by the event’s joint owners, The R&A and the European Senior Tour. Fairmont St Andrews, Ladybank, Lundin Links and the world’s 13th oldest golf club, Scotscraig, will each host an 18-hole qualifying competition on Monday, July 23.

This year, 398 hopefuls jostled for 42 places alongside the 102 exempt players who took part in the 2017 Senior Open Championship, and similar numbers are expected for the quartet of high quality venues in 2018.

Entry forms will be available shortly for the next edition of the Senior Open, which will become the eighth world-famous links course on The Open rota to host Europe’s Senior Major. The others are Turnberry, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Royal Birkdale, Royal Portrush, Muirfield, Royal Troon and Carnoustie.

Fairmont St Andrews, along with Ladybank and Scotscraig, hosted Final Qualifying for The Open in 2010.

It was the first time the Torrance course at Fairmont had been used for that purpose, but is well-known on the Senior Tour as the venue for the Scottish Senior Open between 2009 and 2014.

Ladybank has been a constant feature on The Open qualifying rota since 1978 and on six occasions subsequently. Lundin, which celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2018, hosted Final Qualifying six times between 1978 and 2005 with Scotscraig staging that event on six occasions between 1984 and 2010.

Langer, who joined Gary Player and Tom Watson as the only threetime winners of the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Royal Porthcawl last month, said: “I am looking forward to two very special weeks in Scotland next July. Firstly, I can play another Open Championship at Carnoustie, a links that I love and where I won my Senior Open in 2010.

“Then I can look forward to spending a week in St Andrews to defend my latest Senior Open title. It’s one of my most favourite places and a fantastic place to play golf with all the tradition and history attached to it.”

Images: Tom Watson (ROLEX/Chris Turvey), Fred Couples (ROLEX/Chris Turvey), Bernhard Langer (ROLEX/Chris Turvey), Fairmont St Andrews (Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine)

Bruce Mitchell begins term as new Royal and Ancient Golf Club Captain

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has announced that Bruce Mitchell will serve as Captain in 2017/18.

Mr Mitchell has been nominated as Captain by the past Captains of the Club and will become the first Canadian to hold the position. He will begin his year in office with the traditional driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course on Friday, 22 September 2017.

A renowned businessman, now based in Toronto, Mr Mitchell is the founder, owner and President of Permian Industries, a management and holding company with sole or significant shareholdings in two food companies and two computer software providers.

He has also been a major shareholder of companies in the automotive parts, oil and gas, advertising and water purification industries.

Mr Mitchell has served on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Montreal and a number of other public company, private corporation and not-for-profit Boards. He is currently Vice-Chair of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, on the Board of St Michael’s Hospital Foundation and a Trustee of the Ridley College Foundation.

A member of The Toronto Golf Club where he served as President in 1996 and 1997, Mr Mitchell is a past club champion of Windermere Golf and Country Club where he was a Trustee and then Co-Chair in 2007 and 2008.

He became a member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1988 and in 2001 won both The Queen Victoria Jubilee Vase and The Royal Sydney Plate (match play knockout competitions played during the Club’s Autumn Meeting). He currently plays to a handicap of 14.

Born and raised in western Canada, Mr Mitchell graduated from Queen’s University (BSc engineering) and Harvard University (MBA). Aged 71, he resides in Toronto with his wife, Vladka. He has four children and eight grandchildren. An avid skier, he and his wife enjoy adventure travel and biking trips.

Bruce Mitchell is the latest inductee to one of golf’s most elite fraternities – Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. A position first held in 1754 by W Landale, a Merchant from St Andrews, the importance of the role has increased over the years.

Until 1806 the captaincy of the club was awarded to the winner of the Challenge for the Silver Club, but since then it has been an honour bestowed upon an individual by the committee of the club.

Over the years several Royals have held the position including King Edward VII (held position as Edward, Prince of Wales) in 1863; King Edward VIII (held position as Edward, Prince of Wales) in 1922 and The Duke of York, Prince Andrew in 2004.

Captains since Andrew have held a less visible presence within the game of golf, only appearing at the presentation of The Open Championship, with the role of secretary becoming ever-more important as the R&A Limited devolved from the golf club itself.

THE DAY OBAMA PLAYED THE OLD COURSE 44th President of the United States’ visit evokes memories of Bobby Jones as thousands come out in the sun to witness history

Friday 26 May 2017 will be forever remembered in St Andrews. Firstly, for the unseasonably warm weather and glorious sunshine, and secondly for the first visit to Scotland by Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America.

On that day I was working at the New Golf Club and word quickly spread that someone special was in town.

Chaz, a delivery driver for local brewery and distillery Eden Mill, said that he had seen Barack Obama at the Old Course Hotel. Then when we looked out of the restaurant windows we could see him playing the first hole. A small gathering of people had quickly grown into a crowd and by the time he reached the second tee he was greeted by at least 500 curious spectators.

As he made his way up the second hole, on his first appearance at the Old Course, the crowd began to follow, and it was like a scene you would expect to see at The Open Championship.

Social media was abuzz with mentions of Obama’s round on the Old Course, and then it emerged my friend and colleague Kevin Kirk was official photographer for the day from St Andrews Links. The clubhouse was particularly quiet as several members joined the throng of excited spectators following his round.

Throughout his round the President was cordial and jovial with the many hundreds of locals which had turned up to watch him play, and he received a heroes reception when he holed out on the 18th before being whisked away by his team. His visit evoked memories of another icon playing the Old Course some 80 years ago.

Speculation began to overtake us as to when he would make it to the 18th, and the crowd behind the 18th green steadily got bigger. When the two-term President and avid golfer eventually reached the Home hole the crowd had extended the length of Links road to the 17th green. It truly was like a scene from The Dunhill, except this was a unique occasion.

6 years following Bobby Jones’ Amateur Championship win at the home of golf he made an impromptu return to St Andrews in 1936 for a social round on the Old Course. Word quickly spread and thousands gathered around the first tee to welcome Bobby back. Shops shut spontaneously and as many as 6,000 people followed his every shot around the links.

Once he reached the final hole myself, Claire and Julia from the office of the club decided to abandon ship, or so to speak, to join in on this once in a lifetime event.

The sun was beating down, probably the hottest day of the year, and the atmosphere was something that most had not experienced before.

Perhaps the only real difference for Obama’s visit was the presence of a large group of police, on foot, in vans, on the rooftops and with arms. This was in the aftermath of the Manchester Terrorist Attack and security was high across the UK.

NEW GOLF CLUB OF ST ANDREWS

MASTERFUL MICHAEL AT THE DOUBLE

SUMMER MEETING – 3 June 2017

MURRAY CUP Round 1

De Vries adds New Golf Club Championship to Tait Medal victory

Old Course, St Andrews Links

24 June 2017

St Andrews Magazine’s Male Golfer of the Year for 2016 stepped up his campaign for a second straight award with a stunning victory over defending champion Rhodri Price to win his first New Golf Club Championship. The winner of the 2016 FG Tait Memorial Medal and New Golf Club Order of Merit defeated the 2015 champion 4&3 on the Old Course.

1

Billy Jones

85

19c (19) 66

1

Gavin Thomson 79

7c (7)

2

Andrew Formanek 78

12c (12) 66

2

Syd Littleford

85

12c (12)

3

Edward Allen

77

9c (9)

68

3

Stewart Dillon

86

12c (12)

4

Thomas Noall

74

6c (6)

68

4

Brian Ewing

82

8c (8)

5

Jonnie Adamson 74

5c (5)

69

5

Kenny Lindsay

82

8c (8)

6

Dean Burger

82

13c (13) 69

6

Ronnie M Dinnie

88

14c (14)

7

Raymond Dunn

78

9c (9)

69

7

Peter Higgins

83

8c (8)

8

Leslie Patmore

80

11c (11)

69

8

Andrew Killean

81

6c (6)

9

Michael De Vries 68

-1c (-1) 69

9

Alec Ingram

81

6c (6)

10

David McGrory

6c (6)

10

Matt Hoover

82

6c (6)

76

70

Winner: Billy Jones Lowest Gross: Michael De Vries

MCANDREW MIXED FOURSOMES – 25 June 2017 SIZZLING SHANNLY MAKES IT THREE IN A ROW FOR NEW CLUB

Eden Course, St Andrews Links

Ed Shannly follows Dickson and Ireland into record books at R&A Local Clubs’ Gold Medal

1st

Colin Mavor & Marina Barclay - 40 points

2nd

Tom & Joan Dowie - 38 points

Ed Shannly shot rounds of 70 and 74 to win the title by a single stroke from the St Andrews Golf Club’s Scott Finlay on the Old Course.

3rd

Graham Clelland & Alison McDonald - 37 points

MURRAY CUP Round 3 20 July 2017

VICTORY CUP Round 1 22 July 2017

VICTORY CUP Round 2 3 August 2017

1

Gordon Irons

77

9c (9) 68

1

Angus Graham

77

10c (10)

1

Joe Myles

79

13c (13) 66

2

John Paterson

74

6c (6)

68

2

Graeme Bannerman

82

14c (14)

2

Cameron Akers

74

5c (5)

69

3

Kenny Lindsay

76

8c (8)

68

3

Andrew Stamm

72

3c (3)

3

Kenneth Hodge

81

11c (11)

70

4

William McCartney

73

4c (4)

69

4

Alastair Russell

77

7c (7)

4

Alastair Nicol

84

13c (13) 71

5

Robin Bell

73

3c (3)

70

5

Thomas Halpin

91

20c (20)

5

Kevin Weir

72

1c (1)

71

6

Peter Higgins

78

8c (8)

70

6

Joe Myles

84

13c (13)

6

Jonnie Adamson

76

5c (5)

71

7

Syd Littleford

82

12c (12) 70

7

Jonnie Adamson

76

5c (5)

7

Gordon Bannerman

81

9c (9)

72

8

Jason Thomson

73

3c (3)

70

8

Alistair Robinson

83

12c (12)

8

Gavin Thomson

78

6c (6)

72

9

Tang Sinclair

79

9c (9)

70

9

Gordon Irons

79

8c (8)

9

Tang Sinclair

81

9c (9)

72

10

Peter Bennet

77

7c (7)

70

10

Brett Murray

78

7c (7)

10

Brian McAuley

78

6c (6)

72

AUTUMN MEETING

19 August 2017

CAPTAIN & VICE CAPTAIN’S PRIZES

26 August 2017

1

Matthew Bubba

78

15c (15) 63

1

Pol Berge

68

3c (3) 65

2

Brett Murray

72

6c (6)

66

2

Ben Hunter

71

5c (5)

66

3

Malcolm Stout

73

5c (5)

68

3

Jim McArthur

71

3c (3)

68

4

David Forfar

75

6c (6)

69

4

Anthony Moores

76

7c (7)

69

5

Craig Mullen

81

12c (12) 69

5

Graeme Bannerman

81

12c (12) 69

6

Wayne Thompson

72

2c (2)

70

6

Paul Gourlay

75

6c (6)

69

7

Andrew Ley

81

10c (10) 71

7

Andrew Sturton

81

11c (11)

70

8

Richard Steven

82

10c (10) 72

8

Andrew Killean

75

5c (5)

70

9

Barrie Moran

82

10c (10) 72

9

Steven Kerr

76

6c (6)

70

10

Rew Godow

80

8c (8)

10

Jim Wilson

79

9c (9)

70

72

St Andrews Magazine presents the

AWARDS IN THE CATEGORIES OF ST ANDREWS MALE GOLFER OF THE YEAR

ST ANDREWS FEMALE GOLFER OF THE YEAR

ST ANDREWS YOUNG GOLFER OF THE YEAR ST ANDREWS MAGAZINE GOLF HALL OF FAME

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN GOLF THE BEST GOLF CLUB IN ST ANDREWS COMING IN THE NEXT EDITION

ST RULE CLUB

LUCY WATSON 65 VASE

17 July 2017

VETS TROPHY & STABLEFORD

24 July 2017

VICE CAPTAIN’S PRIZE

Winner of Lucy Watson 65 Vase - M. Todd 41pts,

Eden Course -Vets' Trophy - Winner: D. Kennedy 41 pts,

1st, A. White & F. MacLennan 56,

Stableford Competition

Stableford Winner: J. Graham 40pts (bih).

2nd A. Paterson & C. Craig 57.5,

1st E. Muller-Allan 44 pts (bih), 2nd H. Tate 44 pts (bih), 3rd B. Grounds 44 pts.

14 August 2017

3rd M. Seymour & L. Rollo 60.5, SG Medal & Isabel Ireland Trophy (CSS 72) - Eden Course - Silver

Nearest the Pin: 3rd Hole H. Tate, 6th Hole P Loudon, 8th Hole B. Moir, 13th Hole A. Lind, 16th Hole A. Gray

Division: 1st B. Brown (12) 70 2nd W. David (19) 71 (bih) 3rd J. Graham (7) 71 Bronze Division: 1st J. Dunn (23) 77, 2nd H. Wisdom (25) 79, 3rd M. Richardson (22) 80.

Isabel Ireland Trophy: Winner - B. Brown

CAPTAIN’S CHARITY PRIZE Winner - L. Sandford 40 pts, 2nd - B. Ewan 39 pts, 3rd - M. Richardson 38 pts (bih).

21 August 2017

ST REGULUS LADIES GOLF CLUB

INGLIS CUP ROUND 2 7th August 2017

AMERICAN TROPHY

1st Debbie Macaskill (14)

nett 78

1st Fiona Hill (8)

net 75

2nd Kathy McKay (21)

nett 79 (bih)

2nd B Malcolm (7)

net 76

3rd Janice Gay (18)

nett 79 (bih)

3rd A Wilson (11)

net 77

19th August 2017

SEPTEMBER MEDAL AND BREAKTHROUGH BROOCH

Inglis Cup 2017 (combined 2 rounds) 1st Dorothy Johnston

155

2nd Debbie Macaskill

156

3rd Susan Baldwin

160

AUGUST 9 HOLE MEDAL

14th August 2017

1st K Forrest (28)

20 points

2nd K Allan (30)

17 points

3rd L McLaren (22)

16 points

26th August 2017

MEDAL FINALS - OLD COURSE

Result: Silver Division

2nd September 2017

1 Fiona Hill (8)

70

1st Hannah Ham (12)

nett 68

2 Hannah Ham (12)

71

2nd Pauline Keith (26)

nett 77

3 Peggy Maher (17)

72 (bih)

3rd Fiona Hill (7)

nett 78 (bih)

Result: Bronze Division

MENZIES CUP (COMMITTEE & PAST CAPTAINS)

1 Pauline Keith (26)

71

2 Claire McIntyre (22)

72 (bih)

3 Pauline Rew (23)

72

MARIE NICOLL TROPHY (STABLEFORD)

SCOTT SALVER MIXED FOURSOMES

18th August 2017

27th August 2017

1. G Taylor (21)

41pts

1st Janice & Charlie Leleux

39pts

2. B Ritchie (20)

39 pts

2nd Sheila & John McLay

38pts (bih)

3. J Bauman (11)

38 pts (bih)

3rd Sheena & Jack Willoughby

38pts

3rd September 2017 Result: Bronze Division 1st Fiona McEwan (12)

nett 70

2nd Ann Robertson (18)

nett 72

3rd Brenda Francis (21)

nett 73

Drumoig’s Connor Syme continues path towards professional career with outstanding week at U.S. Amateur Story – Matt Hooper

Images – USGA/JD Cuban

Findlay Douglas is not a name which resonates in the golfing world today, but he is perhaps one of the most important exports Scotland has had in the world of golf. Born in St Andrews in 1874 Douglas took up golf as a young boy, and after studying at the University of St Andrews he emigrated to the United States in 1897. That year he qualified for the semi-finals of the US Amateur, and in 1898 he went two better and won the championship, just the fourth edition of the US Amateur.

The St Andrean defeated Walter B Smith 5&3 in the final and went on to make further finals in 1899 and 1900, losing both. Findlay Douglas went on to be an integral member of the USGA, serving as Vice President and be awarded the Bob Jones Award in 1958 for distinguished sportsmanship in golf. Despite not being widely known Douglas’ role within expanding the game of golf and his success in the US Amateur are recognized within St Andrews with the naming of a street after him.

120 years after Douglas emigrated to the United States, another local star looked to match his achievements in the 117th United States Amateur Championship. Connor Syme, based at Drumoig just six miles from St Andrews, teed it up alongside 300 plus other hopefuls at Riviera and Bel Air Country Clubs in Los Angeles this August.

Syme, winner of the 2016 Australian Amateur Championship, began with a round of 72 at Bel Air, including 2 birdies and 4 bogeys leaving him outside the top 64 but in with a chance of making the knockout rounds.

Then at Riviera 2 birdies and 2 bogeys saw him round in level par 70 to finish in a tie for 35th and ease through to the round of 64. The Scot began his quest for US Amateur success with a tough looking match against American Maverick McNealy, but produced some fine golf including three birdies in a row on the back nine to take the favourite down by the score of 2&1. In the round of 32 he dispatched Ricky Castillo with ease, in a round which featured 5 birdies, winning 4&3.

Now the weekend was in sight for the precocious 22-year-old.

Connor Syme won the Australian Amateur Championship in 2016 Image: Golf Australia

The Round of 16 was perhaps the most entertaining match of Syme’s week at the US Amateur.

Playing against Norwegian Kristoffer Ventura, the pair put on a show with only five holes halved during a round which included a total of 8 birdies and 6 bogeys.

The first four holes saw the pair trade victories, with Syme claiming the first and third holes with birdies, and Ventura winning the second and fourth holes with two pars. Syme then took a 2-up lead with wins at the 6th and 7th holes including a birdie at the par three sixth, but Ventura bounced back with a birdie at the 8th before giving it straight back with a bogey at the 9th. The see-saw battle continued on the back nine as the Norwegian won the 10th and 11th with a par and birdie to tie the game up with 7 holes to play.

It seemed like the Drumoig star had taken a decisive advantage at the 15th with a par taking him 1-up, but Ventura struck at the 16th with a birdie to tie the game up with two holes play. A pair of pars at the 17 th saw them go to 18 all-square. Then Syme produced a dramatic moment, chipping in for birdie to put the pressure squarely on Ventura, he couldn’t match the spectacular efforts of the Scot, and Syme was through to the quarter-finals on his debut in the championship.

With the weekend now in sight Syme had the realistic chance to etch his name alongside Findlay Douglas and Richie Ramsay as Scots which had triumphed in the world’s most prestigious amateur championship.

However, the quarter-finals proved one step too far.

The Scot was ousted 2&1 by American Doug Ghim.

Syme said after his defeat: ““I just didn’t quite have my best stuff today. I was grinding away as much as I could. I felt like I still drove it quite well, but didn’t quite have my best golf to put so much pressure on Doug.

“Any time you get to the quarter-finals in a field like this it’s going to be a good week. It’s just a little early just now, so it’s obviously very sore because I was looking to win. Obviously it was a good championship, but I’m obviously disappointed to lose today.”

Ghim then reached the final, where he lost narrowly to Doc Redman on the 37th hole.

In the following week Syme achieved his primary goal for 2017, and was selected for the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team to take on the United States at Los Angeles Country Club in September.

10 years ago, the Walker Cup spawned one of the greatest generations of young golfers of all-time with Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Danny Willett and Webb Simpson going on to claim a combined seven major titles, and McIlroy and Johnson holding the world number one ranking for a total of 123 weeks. Rickie Fowler, David Horsey, Billy Horschel, Kyle Stanley, Colt Knost, Chris Kirk and John Parry have since won many tournaments across the tours of the world.

Syme has already stated he is no rush to turn professional, a decision which may be wise. He has shown great promise in his play at the highest level of the amateur game, with wins in the Australian Amateur in 2016 and the Battle Trophy, at Crail in 2017. But turning professional and taking that form out onto the world stage is quite a different prospect. Bradley Neil won the 2014 Amateur Championship, and had success across the world, but has struggled since turning professional, and three years later is yet to win. Richie Ramsay won the 2006 US Amateur but in ten years as a professional he has won just three European Tour titles, illustrating just how difficult the transition to professional golf can be.

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Its more Beckham than Ballesteros! (Although Seve is our favourite all time legend!)

An Original feature by Matt Hooper

FROM THE SWILCAN BRIDGE TO THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, THE MEN WHO TOOK GOLF FROM ITS HOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ST ANDREWS, FIFE SCOTLAND THE HOME OF GOLF WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

St Andrews was once a place of pilgrimage for thousands of religious pilgrims to the town for many years until the reformation. Nowadays thousands of golfing pilgrims make the journey to East Fife to play the Old Course. It is actually difficult to find a reason, bar the weather, to leave this beautiful and historic town. But St Andrews does have many famous emigrants to other parts of the world.

Old Tom Morris made his name as the keeper of the green and course designer at Prestwick in the 1860’s; Pop star K.T. Tunstall was born here in 1975 and has been nominated for the Mercury Prize in her nearly 30 year career.

Arguably the greatest collection of St Andrews emigrants are the golf professionals which made their own pilgrimage to the United States and North America in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. They played a pivotal role in establishing the game in the United States and educating Americans on how to swing their golf clubs.

Perhaps the most important of these individuals were John Reid and Robert Lockhart, who were from Dunfermline, a town 35 miles South West of St Andrews. Reid was born in 1840 and emigrated from Scotland to the United States as a teenager and when returning to Scotland he was inspired by talks given by Old Tom Morris outside his shop by the 18th green of the Old Course. Reid’s friend, Robert Lockhart, who was also from Dunfermline, bought six clubs and 12 gutta percha balls and took them to the US. Reid borrowed the clubs and tried to show friends how the game was played, over time this evolved into something more formal and eventually in 1888 a club was formed. Reid and Lockhart were joined by Henry O Tallmadge, Harry Holbrook, Kingman H Putnam and Alexander PW Kinman in playing the game at an Apple Orchard in Yonkers, New York.

At the end of their competitions the six used to share a ‘Wee dram’ of Scotch Whisky by one of the Apple Trees, and they quickly became known as the ‘Apple Tree Gang’. The club was formally established as the Saint Andrews Golf Club in Yonkers, New York. The club has been on its current site since 1897 and in 1983 the course was redesigned by Jack Nicklaus.

The Saint Andrews Golf Club was one of the clubs which founded the United States Golf Association in 1895 along with Newport Golf Club, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, The Country Club and Chicago Golf Club.

One of the very first St Andreans to find their way to the other side of the Atlantic was James Beveridge. Born in 1872 he became the professional at the former Royal Isle of Wight Golf Club in 1888 and departed the role in 1894 and immigrated to Southampton, New York. There he became the professional at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

Beveridge passed away in 1899, cutting his time as professional on Long Island short.

SOUTHAMPTON, NEW YORK

WHEATON, ILLINOIS

Beveridge was followed by a flock of professionals from one family, namely the Herds. Fred Herd was born in St Andrews in 1874 and in 1898 he emigrated from the east coast of Scotland to the north east of the United States, specifically to the industrial city of Chicago.

He served his apprenticeship with Forgan and Son, along with William Yeoman. The two would later go on to set up a club making and golf retail business, as I discuss later in this piece. Herd became the club professional at South Shore Country Club on the shores of Lake Michigan in that same year.

He went on to win the 1898 US Open representing South Shore. His tenure at the club lasted until 1920.

Fred was one of five golfing brothers from the home of golf and his older brother David joined him at South Shore in 1919.

Another golfing family from St Andrews was the Foulis’s and in 1895 James Foulis became the head professional at Chicago Golf Club after an offer from CB Macdonald. 12 months later Foulis won the US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

After ten years at the helm James was succeeded by his brother David. He stayed at the Wheaton, Illinois club until 1916.

Another golfing family from St Andrews is of course the Auchterlonies and in 1899 Laurence Auchterlonie came to America as the professional at the St Andrews Golf Club in Yonkers, New York. Laurence had three spells at the club as professional as well as making his way down to Bellevue Country Club in Florida in 1908 and to Ravisloe Country Club near Chicago in 1913. He won the 1902 US Open at Garden City in New York, he is listed as representing Chicago Golf Club although there seems to be no record of him holding the professional’s position at the club.

David Cuthbert was born in St Andrews in 1885 and was a caddie on the links, he became the professional at Huntingdon Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania in 1915.

There were many other Scots who made the journey to the United States, along with the men from the home of golf, St Andrews. Travel to America 100 years ago was an arduous process by boat, usually from Southampton on the south coast of England.

The journey would take anywhere between 7 and 12 days across the Atlantic Ocean and ships did not have the luxurious accommodation and facilities of the later 20 th and early 21st century.

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, NEW YORK

Within a dozen years of the game being introduced to the United States there were over 1,000 golf courses across the country. The game was booming, and with the role of the club professional becoming even more important and the demand for equipment spiralling, many sporting goods stores began selling golf equipment to the masses. Fred Herd and William Yeoman set up onE of, if not the first, golf club manufacturing and retail store in the United States in 1910 in Chicago. There were many others in the industrial North and North East United States too, with the likes of Allied Golf Corp. Chicago and ATCO in New York selling golf equipment in their sporting goods stores.

Jack Jolly, from St Andrews, was a pioneer of golf equipment manufacture in the United States. Jolly was a sailor who had stayed in New York after catching Malaria. He was put in charge of the New Jersey affiliate to the St Mungo Company and after meeting James Smart, also from St Andrews, in a Manhattan store, took up the role as professional at Forest Hill Golf Club in New Jersey.

IN the 1920’s and 1930’s two of America’s most prominent department and clothing stores Abercrombie & Fitch and R.H. Macy and Co. sold golf equipment.

It was in MANY department stores across America and Canada that Harry Vardon performed exhibitions in 1900, helping to popularize the game among the American people.

With club makers and club professional’s role growing in importance and evolving it was clear that an association or union for these many thousands of professionals was needed by the mid 1910’s.

Barnes prevailed 3&1 but Hutchison would go on to win the 1920 Championship and on his return to his native St Andrews, as a naturalized American, won the 1921 Open Championship – he was the first US citizen to win the claret jug and remains the last man from St Andrews to win The Open.

And it was another department store which played the pivotal role in making this association into a reality.

Despite that inaugural win by an Englishman, it was only apt that a man from St Andrews, would take his place in the first final of the PGA Championship.

John Wanamaker opened his store, Wanamaker’s, in 1876 and the store was the first department store in Philadelphia.

In 1863 John Wanamaker and his wife Mary Erringer Brown had a child called Lewis Rodman Wanamaker. Rodman joined his father’s business at the age of 23 after studying at Princeton University. In 1889 he went to Paris to manage the Wanamaker Store in the French capital. When his father purchased the former Alexander Turney Stewart business in New York Rodman returned and made it a success.

With his father ageing Rodman took on a more prominent role. He had a passion for golf and on January 17, 1916 he invited a group of 35 golf club professionals and industry representatives to a luncheon in New York at the Taplow Club in the now Radisson Hotel Martinique on Broadway.

After further meetings the Professional Golfers’ Association of America was formally established on April 10, 1916 and the inaugural PGA Championship was contested at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York from 10 to 14 October.

32 professionals contested 36-hole matches over five days with England’s Jim Barnes and St Andrews’ Jock Hutchison reaching the final.

Jock Hutchison was born in St. Andrews, in 1884. He immigrated to the US in the early 1900s, settling in Pittsburgh at the Allegheny Country Club. By 1918, he was at Glen View Club in the Village of Golf, Illinois. In 1919, he became a PGA professional. The PGA and the PGA Championship was off and running. Just as St Andrews played a crucial role in the development of the game and spread of it, they did so in the establishment of what is now the largest operating sports organization in the world.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK USA WHERE GOLF WAS INTRODUCED TO AMERICA

Owner at The Vintage Beauty Box

A greenkeeper tends to the second green at the Old Course prior to the start of play at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Image: ŠMatt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine

The Madras College Pipe Band at the traditional closing ceremony of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Image: ŠMatt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine

Sunrise at the Old Course Image: ŠMatt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine

2017 PREVIEW

RORY RETURNS Story – Matt Hooper

Images – Getty/Alfred Dunhill Links

The 2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has been given a huge boost by the announcement that Rory McIlroy will play in this year’s championship.

Rory last played in the championship in 2014 and has finished as runner-up on three occasions. McIlroy, a 4time major champion, first played in The Dunhill in 2007 where he sensationally secured his European Tour card with a third-place finish, behind Justin Rose and champion Nick Dougherty.

The Northern Irishman has had a stop-start season hampered by a rib injury, and is yet to win a tournament around the world. Following the championship, he will take three months out of the game to rest and improve his body, getting himself ready for the 2018 season.

Rory will play alongside his father Gerry, as they look to win the team championship for the first time.

In addition to his injury problems, the former world number one also split from his long-term caddie, JP Fitzgerald following The Open Championship in July.

Rory spoke to Matt Hooper about his affinity with St Andrews, playing the Old Course and his desire to win at the home of golf.

(Interview May 2015)

When did you first play golf in St Andrews and on the Old Course?

moment for McIlroy and give him something positive to hold onto from a frustrating 2017 season.

“I first played the Old Course in 2005. I was 16, and playing in the St. Andrews Links Trophy. I certainly didn’t think then that it was the best course I’d ever played.

You tend to play well on the Old, how can you explain this and how does the course suit you?

What are the keys to playing well around there?

I just stood up on every tee and wondered what all the fascination was about. But the more you play it and the more you learn about the golf course - the little nuances and subtleties – you definitely come to appreciate it all the more. Now, it's right up there with my favourite courses in the world.”

The 2005 St Andrews Links Trophy featured many of the ‘golden generation’ of British and Irish amateur golfers, which Rory was a part of, and the tournament was won by Lloyd Saltman. Saltman was tipped for success as a professional, as were others, but it is McIlroy who has stood head and shoulders above his peers.

His record on the Old Course shows that he is comfortable playing at the most historic venue in the game. He finished third at the 2010 Open, and has finished in the top ten of every Dunhill Links he has played in.

To finally win the tournament which essentially launched his professional career would be a sweet

“Yes, I do tend to play well on the Old Course. I think the best way I can explain that is to say that many of the holes suit my game. It’s one of the courses where I find it quite easy to see shots.

That makes standing over the ball so much more comfortable, and I’m then confident that the result will be what I want. And, for me, the only way to play the Old Course is to do so patiently.”

It’s easy to become a little over-confident because you’ve got an early score going, but that can be dangerous. I’d say to take your chances when they present themselves but be aware that the closing holes, if treated too casually, can completely ruin any scorecard.”

In 2011 McIlroy finished runner-up to fellow Northern Irishman Michael Hoey, despite getting off to a stunning start in the final round. The winner of 22 tournaments worldwide was in a vein of form which perhaps only he can be, making a birdie at the 2nd before pitching his second to the 3rd in for an eagle.

Four more birdies ensued and he was 7-under-par

through the first 12 holes, and chasing his fellow countryman home for the title. However he would miss further opportunities on the homeward stretch and came up two shots shy of Hoey.

Injury denied him the chance to claim a second Claret Jug when The Open returned to St Andrews in 2015, and a win in St Andrews would undoubtedly be a great way to cap a stunning decade of golf from Northern Ireland’s greatest ever.

The Dunhill Links has a genuinely unique atmosphere, with the tourists making their last trips to St Andrews before the winter, and the students arriving for the start of the new year. You will certainly see some of the biggest names in golf mingling with the locals during the week. Rory is a fan of the town and has been known to enjoy its charms.

Away from the course, what else is it that attracts you to St Andrews and where are your favourite places to hangout?

“St Andrews has a very special atmosphere. It might the history, architecture, student population or maybe just a mix of it all that works so well. And when I get the chance to hang out, there are just so many great cafes, bars and restaurants. I can’t name them all – just come and experience the town for yourself…”

USGA

A memory that leaves Lee dreaming of another victory It was one of the greatest shots ever seen in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. It gave Ryder Cup star Lee Westwood a lead which he never lost and which 24 hours later gave him one of the biggest victories in his career. “It’s 14 years since I had that albatross two at the Kingsbarns’ 9th and went on to win the tournament – be nice to do that again,” said Westwood.

Westwood has confirmed that he will be playing in this year’s Championship, which takes place over The Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, from October 5-8. “I’m really looking forward to playing in the Alfred Dunhill Links again. It’s always fun playing with the amateurs and of course it’s one of our biggest European Tour events,” he added.

The miracle strike in 2003 – he hit his four iron second shot 218yds into the hole on the 558-yards par five 9th for his first ever albatross – put him on the way to a Kingsbarns course record 62 in the third round, and ultimately victory, ahead of Ernie Els, who had birdied the last two holes in a dramatic attempt to catch him. Courtesy Alfred Dunhill Links

History-maker Grace plays in Alfred Dunhill Links South Africa’s Branden Grace, who made golfing history this year by becoming the first man to shoot 62 in a Major Championship, will play in the Alfred Dunhill Links at St Andrews in October.

Grace said: “It’s been a historic year for me with the record 62 in The Open. Now I’m looking forward to being back at the Alfred Dunhill Links which I won in 2012 – an event I love, played over three great courses.”

Currently ranked 33 in the world, he shot the eight-under-par round at Birkdale in July. There had previously been 31 rounds of 63 in Major Championships.

In 2012, Grace led the Alfred Dunhill Links from start to finish to become the youngest winner of the event at 24 years and 140 days. His two shot victory, ahead of Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen, included a spectacular first round 60 at Kingsbarns. Courtesy Alfred Dunhill Links

Image Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine

USGA

Brian McFadden wants to be on song for Carnoustie

Jamie Dornan returns for third appearance

Brian McFadden has revealed his game plan for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship this year – practise long and hard at Carnoustie. The former Westlife singer, who played for the first time last year with professional Robert Rock, is relishing returning to St Andrews, but says he has learned from his mistakes after the pair agonisingly missed the cut on countback.

The new female students of St Andrews will no doubt be swooning over the Fifty Shades of Grey Actor Jamie Dornan, when the Northern Irishman returns to play in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship for a third time this autumn.

He says: “We shot 9-under at St Andrews, 12-under at Kingsbarns, but at Carnoustie we were lucky to finish one-over. I hit the ball out of bounds on two par fives. If I’d made a bogey on one of those two holes for a net par, we’d have made the cut. The mistake was not practising at Carnoustie. This year I’ll definitely be having a couple of practice rounds.” He also plans a rather different personal approach to the event. “As Rocky doesn’t drink I decided to go off the drinks as well. To be honest, as an Irishman, I play my best golf if I’ve had a few pints of Guinness the night before, but I decided not to drink the whole week.

Dornan is delighted to be back, “I love it. The chance to play a few of the best courses in the world alongside some of the best players in the world can’t be sniffed at” he said speaking to Alfred Dunhill Links.

Jamie spoke to Matt Hooper for St Andrews Magazine at the 2016 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: Who inspired you to take up the game of golf, and how did you play today?

"I don't think anyone really inspired me to take up golf, in Ireland golf is a very accessible sport and I grew up next to a golf course, so in the summer when I was meant to be doing training for other sports I just spent my time golfing."

"I love the game but I’m shite!"

"I nearly hit it out of bounds at the first and I hit two spectators, it's so alien to us playing in front of people and grandstands and stuff."

Are you working on any projects right now?

“After Carnoustie, which was on the Friday, I said right, we’re out of it now, so I went to the local Jigger Inn with Ronan Keating and had a late night. Next day we shot 12-under at Kingsbarns! So this year, I’m going out every night.”.

"I'm about to start a little movie called Untogether at the end of October and then start a new Italian Robin Hood in January

Courtesy Alfred Dunhill Links Image Gabrielle Levey/St Andrews Magazine

"Just the Jigger, I get too much bother if I go into the town so I stay away."

Where's your favourite place to hang out in St Andrews?

Alfred Dunhill Links Champions

Pietersen hopes he won’t be stumped this time Kevin Pietersen, one of England’s greatest ever cricketers, will be playing in his third Alfred Dunhill Links Championship next month, hoping to make the cut and reach the final round on the Old Course for the first time.

He says: “All the amateurs are desperate to play on the Sunday. First year I was a rabbit in the headlights. I didn’t play good golf at all. I was pretty much in awe of the whole event. Year Two, I knew what to expect, but I got hardly any shots so it was quite hard and my pro Matty Guyatt and I missed the cut as a team.

“I’m off six and playing decent golf at the moment, so this time I’m hopeful.

Making the cut would give me loads of credits for all the games I play against my mates over the next 12 months.”

Pietersen played 104 Test matches for England, scoring 8,181 runs. Always popular with the fans for his powerful hitting and aggressive style, he has just returned to play for Surrey in this summer’s T20 Blast competition.

Courtesy Alfred Dunhill Links Image Gabrielle Levey/St Andrews Magazine

2016

Tyrrell Hatton

Danny Willett & Jonathan Smart

2015

Thorbjorn Olesen

Florian Fritsch & Michael Ballack

2014

Oliver Wilson

Peter Lawrie & Kieran McManus

2013

David Howell

Thomas Levet & David Sayer

2012

Branden Grace

Alexander Noren & Ernesto Bertarelli

2011

Michael Hoey

Nick Dougherty & Chris Evans

2010

Martin Kaymer

Robert Karlsson & Dermot Desmond

2009

Simon Dyson

Soren Hansen & Kieran McManus

2008

Robert Karlsson

John Bickerton & Bruce Watson

2007

Nick Dougherty

Scott Strange & Robert Coe

2006

Padraig Harrington

Padraig Harrington & JP McManus

2005

Colin Montgomerie

Henrik Stenson & Rurik Gobel

2004

Stephen Gallacher

Fred Couples & Craig Heatley

2003

Lee Westwood

Sam Torrance & Daniel Torrance

2002

Padraig Harrington

Padraig Harrington & JP McManus

2001

Paul Lawrie

Brett Rumford & Chris Peacock

FLASHBACK TO 2016: SEALED WITH A KISS – Terrific Tyrrell Triumphs

Story and Images: Matt Hooper

Tyrrell Hatton took the drama out of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by dominating the championship in a fashion we have never seen before, and may never see again. A Sunday round of 66 to add to his Saturday stunner of 62 was enough to give him a comfortable four stroke victory over a resurgent Richard Sterne and Ross Fisher, it may have not been the usual thrills and spills of a Sunday at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but it was the birth of a new star in British golf.

Hatton said: “It feels amazing. I've wanted this moment since I was a six-year-old. It’s a dream come true and to do it here at the Home of Golf is fantastic. I’m just happy I got over the line. It’s been a fantastic week, I had my girlfriend Emily with me and my management team. And to come away with a trophy, just makes it even more special. I was pretty nervous going out there, but I'm really happy with how I dealt with that, and my caddie, Chris Rice, was a big influence. He just told me to try and stay patient. He’s done a fantastic job this week and this year.”

It was Hatton’s first win on the European Tour and his score of 23-under-par tied the lowest total in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, achieved by David Howell and Peter Uihlein in 2013. His win secured him US$800,000 and moved the golfer from High Wycombe up to fourth in the Race to Dubai.

Sunday at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is always unlike most days in the golfing calendar, the atmosphere changes from fun tournament to a serious championship and with Old Course playing host to the entire field it usually provides unrivalled drama. From the final Monday putt from the Valley of Sin by Paul Lawrie in the fog, to the stunning Lee Westwood win in 2003 and playoff between Stephen Gallacher and Graeme McDowell in 2004.

The championship has provided many memories since its inception in 2001, as its predecessor, the Alfred Dunhill Cup did from 1985 to 2000. Whilst Hatton has a comfortable lead, should any of the chasing pack get off to a hot start we could be in for a sensational Sunday shootout in St Andrews yet again.

Hatton began with a lead of three shots, but any lead can be caught on a front nine which offers numerous birdie opportunities and a back nine which has many opportunities for disaster.

Richard Sterne’s return to form continued with a faultless final round of 66 to finish at 19-under-par and tie for second place with Ross Fisher. The South African made birdies at the fourth, sixth, ninth, eleventh, fourteenth and seventeenth to record his fifth top ten of the season. In a career which has been hampered by injury the 35-year-old from Stellenbosch

earned the largest cheque of his career at the home of golf.

England’s Ross Fisher was denied victory in the recent Porsche European Open when he was defeated by Alexandre Levy in Germany, and for large periods of the week he looked like adding to his five European Tour wins.

Beginning the day some five shots adrift of Hatton the big-hitting former Ryder Cup star carded a faultless final round of 67 to move into a tie for second place with Richard Sterne. Birdies at the sixth, seventh, tenth, fifteenth and eighteenth saw him move into the top twenty of the Race to Dubai.

The 24-year-old showed no signs of letting anyone back in front of him, hitting accurate drives and laserlike irons, and demonstrating a killer touch on the greens. In a near faultless round in calm conditions, Hatton had seven birdies, the only bogey coming at the tricky 17th Road Hole. But by then he was home and dry and none of the chasing pack was able to eat into his lead. Sterne also managed a 66 and Fisher a 67, but there was an inevitability to Hatton’s victory.

Two solid pars at the first and second proved to be a platform for a spectacular final round with a sole blemish at the Road Hole, 17. Birdies at the third, fourth and fifth took all of the energy out of the chasing pack and led to a flat atmosphere around the Old Course.

He was simply running away with it.

Further birdies at the twelfth, fourteenth and fifteenth, the latter set up by a stunning approach to a foot, sealed the deal, making the final three holes a coronation of the new champion.

After sinking the final putt on the eighteenth he was warmly hugged by his amateur playing partner, Jamie Dornan, and showered with champagne by his girlfriend Emily and his entourage. The win continued an excellent year for him in which he has tied for fifth place in the Open Championship and recorded a top ten finish at Oakmont in the U.S. Open.

Hatton now seems likely to go on and become a significant force in British golf, but he refuses to get carried away. He said: “Time will tell. I'll keep trying to do my thing and play as good as I can. One of my goals was to get inside the top 50 in the world. I think I was 53rd coming into this week, and I am looking forward to Monday morning, when the world rankings come out and see what position I am.”

Hatton has been tipped for the top since turning professional in 2011 but despite much promise and a number of high finishes the man from Buckinghamshire, who will celebrate his 25th birthday next week, he had not won on the European Tour. Now having done so it would seem the perfect launching pad for a bid to reach the upper echelons of the game.

BEING A DUNHILL CHAMPION: The emotion, the glory and the place in history for winning at the home of golf

Kevin Kirk/Recounter DAVID HOWELL 2013 After 7 long years without a win on the European Tour David Howell claimed a thrilling victory in a playoff against rising American star, Peter Uihlein. The Englishman from Swindon in Wiltshire birdied the second extra hole to add the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship to BMW PGA Championship, BMW International Open, HSBC Champions, OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic and Australian PGA Championship successes.

Kevin Kirk/Recounter

"I've never played an Open Championship here and that's still a dream, but to win a tournament here at the home of golf is amazing�

"It's been a long, long road back from the depths of despair. I have had a lot of support from people around me and this is as much for them as it is for me."

Getty Images

Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine OLIVER WILSON 2014 Oliver Wilson was once a European Ryder Cup player and after 9 runner-up finishes on the European Tour he finally collected the first win of his career with a one stroke victory over Tommy Fleetwood, Richie Ramsay and Rory McIlroy. A final round of 70 was enough to hold off the chasing pack, with three birdies on the back nine sealing the victory.

"So many people had written me off and that hurt, but I kept believing," "A lot of people had a part in this and I can't thank them enough. This is pretty special.

"I could be drunk for a while - it's been a long time coming and I have a lot of champagne on hold. It's going to be a good party."

Getty Images

Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine THORBJORN OLESEN 2015 Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen shot a final round 71 to win for the third time on the European Tour. Olesen had a rollercoaster front nine on Sunday with three birdies, a double bogey and a bogey in the first five holes. A birdie at the 15 th gave him a two shot advantage over Brooks Koepka and Chris Stroud.

"To win it on St Andrews, it is something you dream of when you are a little kid," "All the hours I have put in this year has paid off."

Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine

Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine TYRRELL HATTON 2016 Tyrrell Hatton broke through for his first European Tour win at last year’s Alfred Dunhill Links, with a dominant display. The Englishman won by four strokes from Ross Fisher and Richard Sterne, the second largest winning margin in the history of the championship.

"It's a dream come true," "To do it here is fantastic.�

Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine

THE LAUNCHPAD: The Dunhill should be a platform for young St Andrews golfers to launch a run at a professional career; tournament has the power to grow the game

Over the last two editions of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship three young St Andrews golfers have been given the opportunity to experience playing in the annual European Tour event on their doorsteps. Chloe Goadby and Keith Bowman were given invitations to play as an amateur in 2015 and John Paterson, winner of the Alfred Dunhill Schools Challenge, stepped in for Hugh Grant in the third round of last year’s championship.

This was a wonderful chance for three of our most talented youngsters to experience golf at the highest level and it is something every young golfer in St Andrews should be able to aspire to doing – every year. The carrot of being able to play in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship would surely inspire more young people to take up golf and stick at it through the cold winter months in a bid to qualify for the championship. 2 spaces could be made available to both boys and girls over the age of 16 with a series of qualifying tournaments played across the seven courses of St Andrews Links. The Junior Club Championships of each St Andrews club could also count towards an order of merit which determines the male and female qualifiers for The Dunhill.

John Paterson, Chloe Goadby and Keith Bowman each shared their experiences of playing in the championship exclusively to St Andrews Magazine:

Keith Bowman (New Golf Club) said: “I was thrilled (to receive the invite), and really excited and nervous but I am over that now. I am really proud to represent the clubs, and to have all my friends and family in the crowd supporting me” Chloe Goadby (St Regulus Ladies Golf Club) said: “The Dunhill was honestly the most enjoyable week of my life. I grew up in St Andrews watching the Dunhill, desperate to get autographs from professionals and celebrities, and suddenly I had the opportunity to play in the event myself.

From the practice days, to tournament days, to the range; just being around so many great players was so beneficial for my game. When you are practicing putting to the same hole as Martin Kaymer or on the range next to Luke Donald, as an amateur, it did make me feel a little out of place, but I was up for the challenge and embraced the fact that I was amongst such talent.

Luke Donald has always been one of my favourite golfers, so when he was warming up next to me on the range at Kingsbarns, it felt a bit surreal! I was paired with Frenchman Thomas Levet, the former Ryder Cup player and six-time European Tour winner. I had a lot of fun paired with him and what amazed me was his willingness to help me. I learnt

a lot from him and it was interesting to hear him talk about his game and share his knowledge.

I can’t thank Scottish Golf, the Alfred Dunhill Links and Johann Rupert enough for the opportunity and amazing experience I had that week. Every part of the experience was incredible.”

John Paterson (New Golf Club) said: "I got the call at 9 O'clock this morning and I missed it! So, I called the guy back at 9.30, I was still in bed at 9 O'clock!"

"It was pretty good, apart from 17 where I got stuck on the road, and obviously 18 was amazing. I made 7 birdies and they were all pretty good. I can't explain how nervous I was on the first tee."

In his moment in front of the Sky cameras and the hundreds of fans around the 18th hole of the Old Course, Paterson did not shy away. A drive over Granny Clark's Wynd left him with a wedge to the back left flag and he duly dispatched it to around 15 feet.

Then, with 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman watching on he confidently rapped the ball into the back of the hole, drawing a large applause from the watching gallery. It was a thrilling conclusion to a wonderful day for the latest emerging amateur talent in St Andrews.

"I won't forget that putt on the last."

VOLUNTARY SERVICE: Myerscough College help the Dunhill run smoothly

I began my journey to a career in golf at Myerscough College in 2003, and I can safely say that I would not be the owner, editor and chief writer of St Andrews Magazine, or the Clubhouse Supervisor at the New Golf Club without the three years I spent in Lancashire.

The support and opportunities which the college give every student is second-to-none, and now some 14 years later they have become the biggest and best college for golf in the United Kingdom. From SportsTurf to Golf Management and Golf Coaching, the land-based college, some 6 miles from Preston, is the master of golf education provision.

In 2004, I was part of the first group of students from the college to volunteer at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, 13 years on, the college continues to bring students to the event, performing a vital role in the operation of the event across all three courses.

Around 40 students make the trip from Preston to St Andrews each October, and take up a variety of roles at the tournament. These include Scoreboard operating, carrying portable scoreboards, marking GPS positions for television, assisting camera operators and assisting television scorers.

Volunteering at events such as the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is part of the valuable experiences students gain whilst studying for a degree which sets them up for a role in the industry.

One of the key aims of me setting up St Andrews Magazine was to give back to the college which set me on the road to a life in golf. In 2014 I gave a student the opportunity to work alongside me at the tournament in the media centre. Alex Fleming could assist in creating content, uploading posts to social media and undertaking interviews near the range and at the 18th hole.

This gave him a taste of what it was like to be a golf journalist in the modern world, and see the tournament from a different perspective. It is an opportunity I hope to give further students in the future.

Course leader, Rick Daniels, tells more about the college: Myerscough is a partner college of UClan, because it has the facilities to be able to run the Golf Programme. “The golf programme at Myerscough began in 1994, the first year the golf management programme was combined with Leisure Management. There was only 4 or 5 students that did it and me being one of them.

Golf Coaching is another course is running now.

Every year we sit down with what is called a technical advisory board which includes people from the golf industry whether it is manufacturers, Chubby Chandler, employers

(DeVere, Marriott, European Tour) and we say this is what we offer, what do you think? Is there anything that we are missing? And with the way that the industry has gone over the last 8 to 10 years in particular, with an emphasis on coaching and performance we started the golf coaching programme in 2008.

It runs alongside a PGA qualification without a PGA stamp, it isn’t a prerequisite that you are a fantastic golfer to become a golf coach.

Performance, looking at the Biomechanics, nutrition, fitness and psychology side of golf, started 3 years ago as a niche market, which no one else does.

And those courses run alongside the management programme which for 20 years had provided a generic view of the golf industry. You get a sample of different areas, but some do now a Masters in Event Management, some go into Player Management and we have students across the world. Mainland Europe now provides many of our students, we have students from Estonia, Slovakia, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, France, Portugal, Germany and many more.

If you type in Google now we come up first in regard to Golf Education, we have been going the

longest alongside Merrist Wood and there is a reason for that.

At the moment, we have over 220 students, every year 200 students go through the system. We would love to take more. But due to staff and space we can’t. We like to think we provide quality rather than quantity. Those who do the 16-18 programme who perhaps aren’t academically fantastic can go through the programme.

We are here at the Dunhill this week, we will be working at the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, we always do the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, we have opportunity to work at the Portugal Masters. We are luckily supported by Eventful Temps for the events in the UK. Students do leave the golf industry but they have been given transferrable skills, they do marketing, event management, finance, human resources, and these are all exaamples of modules that you study so that if you left the golf industry you would always use those skills.”

Partnership

Callaway Epic The key new technology is called Jailbreak, which comprises two metal bars behind the face that connect the sole and crown together allowing the face to take more of the load at impact and spring more powerfully.

There are two versions of the driver. The standard Great Big Bertha Epic and the GGB Epic Sub Zero. The GBB Epic is aimed at a wider spectrum of players and features a 17gram sliding weight in the rear of the sole to alter shot shape while the Sub Zero model has two adjustable sole weights so golfers can choose both high or low launch and spin.

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Callaway Epic Staff

Michelle Wie Tom Watson Henrik Stenson Patrick Reed Matteo Manassero Phil Mickelson Thomas Pieters Danny Willett Branden Grace Sandra Gal Morgan Pressel Colin Montgomerie

Taylormade M1 The 2017 TaylorMade M1 driver, keeps the name of the original M1 Driver which was a great success in 2016. Much of what has changed is hidden from the human eye, the weight distribution inside the clubhead is now much more efficient but there is still some new technology for everyone to see. The 2017 M1 Driver shines above its predecessor in the category of forgiveness and customisation and more adjustability means more swing speeds and golfers will be catered for, while all abilities of golfer will appreciate the extra forgiveness on off-centre hits.

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TaylorMade M1 Players Dustin Johnson Jason Day

Taylormade M2 The original TaylorMade M2 driver was released a few months after the original M1 but for 2017, both updates to TaylorMade’s drivers are coming at the same time.

Strangely enough, despite the M1 being the company’s showpiece, premium driver, it is the M2 that is gaining the most traction out on tour, including the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.

The new M2, like the M1, has a larger address profile, inspiring a touch more confidence over the ball. It feels light and effortless to swing powerfully, and the improved acoustics from the ‘Geocoustic’ construction contribute to a more muted, authoritative sound at impact.

There’s no sole adjustability to tinker with here, hence the lower price of £369, with golfers needing to optimize their launch through the 4-degree adjustable loft and the plethora of no-upcharge shaft options during a fitting.

Partnership

Custom fitting is available on the Great Big Bertha Epic Driver either in our Fitting Suite, or at the Callaway Performance Centre, if this is something you would be interested in please call us on 01334 473253.

Custom Fitting is available on the new M1 and M2 Driver in our Fitting suite, if this is something you would be interested in please call us on 01334 473253.

TaylorMade M2 Players

Rory McIlroy Sergio Garcia

Auchterlonies of St Andrews started as clubmakers in 1885, and now they are the leading retailer of golf equipment in St Andrews. Pop in to their store at 2-4 Golf Place. Contact: 01334 473253

For a sport with a reputation as a slow, gentile game, Golf can be stressful. Missing a short putt or hitting a ball out bounds can send the blood pressure skywards! However, most golfers give little thought to the stresses and strains the game puts on their bodies. Walking long distances with a heavy bag on their shoulders, walking on uneven ground and swinging the club over 80 times during the round can do unseen damage and put pressure on the joints and muscles.

Regular stretching before and after the round is one way of remedying pain and discomfort caused by golf. But one of the best ways of ensuring you’re at your best on the golf course is to get a Golfer’s Massage.

THERAPIST, HEPBURNS NAIL LOUNGE

Joanna Mowbray is a massage therapist and beautician with 3 years’ experience of giving golfers massages in St Andrews and recently she performed the Golfer’s Massage on me.

As I said, golf can be a stressful game. It can turn mildmannered men and women into raving lunatics in the space of a few hours, and massage can help emotionally as well as physically. Massage helps to relieve stress, anxiety and aid a good sleep as it helps to relax the mind.

Massage calms aggressive behaviours, which fortunately I don’t usually suffer from, but from time to time on the golf course? Oh yeah, maybe!

Massage decreases depression and helps to promote a healthy mind, which is perfect for getting rid of the memory of that double-bogey on the Road Hole! A blend of calming background music, witty chat, specialist oils and the motion of the massage assists in relaxing the golfer after their exertions on the golf course.

In addition to the emotional impact of a massage for a golfer, a massage can have notable health benefits including increasing white blood cells to improve immunity, aiding recovery from surgery and alleviating age-related disorders, sleep disorders and decreases illness-related fatigue.

However, it is the physical benefits which are perhaps the most important element of getting a Golfer’s Massage.

Golfer’s Massage specifically targets the muscle groups used within golf and so can improve play and range of movement within the hips and shoulders. This in turn can improve the golfers swing and prevent straining and pulling of the muscles.

However, it cannot turn you in to Rory McIlroy overnight!

The Golfer’s Massage, as with any massage, is performed on a specialised massage table, usually around 6 feet in length in a specific massage room. The massage includes a shoulder, back and neck massage where the therapist works the muscles in your shoulders, the top and bottom of your back and stretches your arms. The massage helps to loosen any knots caused by stress on the body.

The therapist then goes on to perform a number of stretches on specific parts of the body impacted by golf, such as the knees, calves and hips. The Gluteals (the muscles which make up your butt, to me and you!) and Hamstrings are worked because they usually have an impact upon lower back pain, which golfers especially can suffer from.

A variety of stretches are then performed on the leg, all within the ability of the golfer.

The calves are then stretched by bending the leg to 90 degrees, and the therapist works the Soleus, a powerful muscle within the calf. With the knee still bent the leg is lifted off the table, I must confess at this point I thought I was going to fall off! The leg is then swung gently back and forth to stretch psoas and hip flexors.

The Golfer’s Massage then concludes by stretching the quads by bringing the ankle towards the gluteals. The massage usually lasts between 50 and 70 minutes and believe me, when I next played golf the difference was remarkable. I felt looser and was able to make a much freer swing each time.

Massage has long been used in professional sports, including golfers on tour, but at an affordable cost, the Golfer’s Massage is something every avid golfer should get with regularity.

Joanna’s experience of attending to golfers makes her a must visit for any golfer visiting St Andrews this summer!

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St Andrews’ only hot yoga studio opened its doors in August 2015. Hot yoga is a set sequence of yoga postures practiced in a heated room. Hot yoga is a cardiovascular workout that strengthens, tones and stretches your muscles while calming the mind and reducing stress. The heat allows you to stretch deeper into your tissues, tendons and ligaments, safely leading to improved flexibility, strength and blood circulation.

BY SARAH MCLAUGHLIN

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY AJPHOTOGRAPHY.VISION

2 During a golf swing some parts of the body are in great tension, continuous tension can lead to injury. General stiffness in certain areas of the body can also lead to injury. The most common injury is injury to the back; because of the shear force placed on the spine during the golf swing it is there that we typically see most injuries. So, through the practice of yoga we are able to alleviate some of these potential injuries. A couple of examples are below how yoga can help: Wrists- Help control the club more effectively.

Spine- Increased rotation through the back swing.

Legs – Good grounding over the ball.

Yoga is great for everyone as it helps to keep your body fit and your mind calm.

Across the next two pages we show you yoga stretches you can do on the course while playing golf. The stretches will relieve tension in the shoulders, back and neck.

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For more information on yoga or to organise a private class contact Sarah www.hothouseyogastandrews.com info@hothouseyogastandrews.com Telephone – 07762 281159

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1 - Side Stretch 2 - Shoulder and triceps Stretch 3 - Hamstring Stretch 4 - Shoulder Twist

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“As a golf journalist, I read St Andrews Magazine regularly. It provides me with a perspective on the game that's lacking in the major United Statesbased golf magazines such as Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine” Elizabeth Bethel, Editor Pro Golf Now (FanSided/Time, Inc. on-line publication) “Honestly crafted and beautifully written. It’s a fine magazine.”

Ewen Murray, Sky Sports Golf

standrewsmagazine@gmail.com for further information St Andrews Magazine is available online and we will soon launch a print edition to be available by subscription, in selected stores, the golf clubs of St Andrews and selected venues around St Andrews.

St Andrews Magazine will also be available at selected destinations across the United States.

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THE ST ANDREWS STYLE An Introduction

St Andrews is truly a melting pot of people, cultures and styles from across the world, with visitors from every corner of the globe and individuals from over 100 nations attending the University, it is hard to define ‘The St Andrews Style’. However, this is what makes it unique, The St Andrews Style is whatever you choose to make it.

THE ST ANDREWS STYLE St Andrews Magazine is looking for models Male and Female

Obviously being right next to the sea and being in Scotland the clothing you wear is heavily weather dependent, but just because you may be covered up in layer upon layer of woolly jumpers and coats it doesn’t mean that you don’t fit with The St Andrews Style.

The St Andrews Style is also not age dependent, or background or dependent upon economic wealth, St Andrews has possibly the most diverse demographic of any town of a similar size in the world and therefore it has some of the biggest socio-economic divides in the world. The poorest people do not stay inside because they are afraid of what people will think of what they are wearing, they too fit with The St Andrews Style.

They are The St Andrews Style, as are you and as am I. Because in this town nobody is out of place, you can wear what you want and it looks great, and in FAB St Andrews we will bring you features on The St Andrews Style, reviews and prices of clothing and where to get them from.

Any age over 18

Any size Select what you would wear when you’re being lazy, when you’re in the house, when you’re out for dinner and when you’re out on the town

We’ll photograph you around St Andrews and tell the story behind your fashion choices This is The St Andrews Style A showcase for what people wear in St Andrews standrewsmagaazine@gmail.com

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ART AROUND TOWN The Austen Gallery

Art Around Town In FAB St Andrews, we aim to showcase pieces of Art, Galleries and local artists, from large to small, contemporary to classic and standard to unique. St Andrews’ art is not limited to golf, the area has outstanding landscapes, and the town is in many ways a blank canvas for artists to flourish. Many of the pieces of art on display around the town are not of St Andrews at all, and we get behind the reasons why people like to display their art in St Andrews.

The Austen Gallery We begin with The Austen Gallery, inside the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel.

The Gallery contains a permanent collection of oil painted portraits of golf's greatest champions, past and present, painted by Joe Austen, one of the world's foremost golf artists, who is currently creating a new series of portraits and prints of golf's greatest living champions, to be added to the Honorees of the Gallery, paying enduring tribute to the greats of golf in the heart of the Home of Golf.

The portraits in The Gallery of Champions include Old Tom Morris, Young Tom Morris, Allan Robertson, Willie Auchterlonie, Harry Vardon, James Braid, J H Taylor, Bobby Jones, Henry Cotton, Sam Snead, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Peter Thomson, Gene Sarazan, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Tony Jacklin, Sandy Lyle, Gary Player, Johnny Miller, Tom Weiskopf, Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan and other champions. Joe Austen is a writer, artist, producer and director who has created an extensive portfolio of paintings, artwork, books, television series, scripts, stories, poems, characters and concepts for publishing, television and other media, including The Magic House,The Story Store, Atoz, Bud, The Opperros Archives and many other creative properties.

The Ryder Cup Collection To celebrate the Ryder Cup returning to Scotland in 2014 Tony Jacklin, the greatest European Ryder Cup Captain of all time, made a personal selection of the golfers who have made the greatest contribution to The Ryder Cup throughout its history. The Collection consists of oil painted portraits by world-renowned golf artist Joe Austen.

Joe Austen, Tony Jacklin Ryder Cup Collection artist, said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with Tony to bring the Tony Jacklin Ryder Cup Collection to fruition. As the person who has done the most to transform the Ryder Cup into the spectacle it has become, Tony Jacklin is best placed to select the golfing greats who are included in his Collection.

“The Austen Gallery of Champions is also an ideal location to showcase this Collection at Macdonald Rusacks Hotel due to its position by the 18th fairway of The Old Course in the Home of Golf.”

“Macdonald Rusacks Hotel is very proud to be chosen to display Joe Austen’s paintings of Tony Jacklin’s collection of European and US Ryder Cup greats within what is one of the world’s most iconic golfing hotels.

“With the acclaimed Rocca Bar & Grill restaurant and many of our bedrooms overlooking the 18th fairway of the Old Course, Macdonald Rusacks Hotel attracts golfers from around the world. The decision by such a world-renowned artist to place the Ryder Cup Collection permanently within our hotel is a tremendous honour and I am sure will prove highly popular with our guests and visitors alike.”

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THE BEAUTY OF GOLF

By Aileen Wallace-Edgar

Images: Carly Booth (Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine), Paige Spiranac (LET/Tristan Jones), Carly Booth (LET/Tristan Jones), Blair O’Neal (Flickr), Charley Hull (Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine), Maria Verchenova (Supplied)

Reader The Dunhill has arrived and the students have returned and with it we see the continued rise of the social media golfer, those who help to promote the game through use of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Whilst Tiger Woods brought fitness to the forefront in his reign we now see the likes of Carly Booth, Blair O’Neal and Paige Spiranac making women's golf a bit more glam. In every social media picture, women in golf are looking groomed and pretty much flawless even after 18 holes of golf!

As a golf enthusiast and beauty specialist it is great to see golfers of both genders embracing a healthy approach to skin, nutrition and fitness.

No more is golf an ‘old man’s sport’ but more a sport for all.

Paige Spiranac

Partnership As a skincare specialist, I would recommend both men and women need to get back to basics with their routine to ensure healthy, protected skin. Starting with cleansers. Being outside in all weathers, let’s face it Scotland can have 4 seasons in one day, can dramatically dry out the skin. Add in sand from bunker shots and you have a skin that needs deep cleansing.

No longer is soap and water going to cut it. Face wipes, while a quick fix, can actually cause more problems including further dehydration and an impaired protective layer. My choice would be Cleanse Off Mitt

by The Skin Nerd. A soft, reusable mitt designed to cut through grime, dirt and, for women, make-up while maintaining the protective layer of the skin. With no added chemicals, it won’t dry or damage the skin.

After cleansing it’s important to use a moisturiser that not only hydrates but gives the essential vitamins it loses everyday through exposure to the sun, wind, rain, pollution. My go to product for this is Environ AVST 1-5.

A progressive step up system, developed by plastic surgeon Dr Des Fernandes, it delivers Vitamin A, C and E plus antioxidants. This wonder moisturiser fully supports skin health to ensure a flawless skin full of the nutrients it requires to protect from damage by the environment.

Carly Booth

Reader Our final skincare step for golfers has to be sun protection. I see so many golfers who have issues like irritation, sensitivity, premature ageing and flaking of their skin caused by too much exposure to UVA and UVB. UVA is what causes ageing and UVB causes sunburn. Lets clear up a few things regarding that magic SPF number on bottles of sun protection.

The number only relates to the protection you get from burning! Not the protection from the most damaging ray UVA. While in Scotland we have very little need to protect from burning during the months Oct-April we do still need to protect from ageing. UVA penetrates through cloud cover and damages the skin causing premature ageing. The only way to protect from this is to use a broad-spectrum protection every day of the year. Go for a product that has a high (PA++) UVA protection and an SPF of around 15-20 like Environ Rad SPF 15 or Jane Iredale Powder Me SPF. Both offer amazing protection from UVA and are easy to top up during the round.

Blair O’Neal

Partnership

Charley Hull

To support the skin fully it is vital to use quality nutritional support in the form of supplements. It turbo boosts what you are doing topically to ensure every layer of the skin is treated. While many supermarket supplements are full of sugars and bulking agents which can block absorption those from skin clinics and salons are designed to give maximum absorption, resulting in better skin.

The essential golfer nutrients have to be Omega 3 & 6 for skin hydration and joint lubrication, Vitamin A to repair cell damage, Vitamin C to promote collagen and boost natural sun protection, plus Antioxidents like Lycopene (reduces sunburn by 33%), Green Tea (protects from pollution) and Vitamin E (creates a protective barrier around the skin cells).

It is also worth noting that the collagen in our skin is depleted by exposure to UV and free radicals so a collagen boosting drink such as Skinade is a must have for golfers. Scientifically proven to repair collagen depletion and protect the hydration levels of the skin, Skinade is the perfect antidote to damaged skin caused by outdoor pursuits.

Reader So with skincare covered, what about haircare? Jenna Barr, head stylist at Sophie Butler Hairdressing, recommends a similar protective approach to maintain lush locks for both male and female golfers. Using a range like the Solar range by System Professional will give the hair protection from those drying, damaging UV rays, help to remove build up and can even reduce flyaway and frizz reduction caused by exposure to sun and salt. Its a must have for Links golf!

For many women make-up is as essential as a moisturiser, I know I wont leave the house without a little on. My three areas to work with while golfing are brows, eyes and lips. For the brows I recommend Jane Iredale Brow Pencil in Brunette followed by a sweep of clear brow gel, I love NYX Control Freak Brow Gel. I keep it simple on the eyes with just a sweep of black mascara to add definition, water resistant is essential for golfing in Scotland and for the lips I am all about adding a bit of moisture and colour so use Jane Iredale Lip Drink in Flirt. A soft pink in tone it has UVA and UVB protection plus with Avocado and Shea Butter its super hydrating.

Maria Verchenova

YOU LITTLE BEAUTY! Aileen, Mhairi and Sophie celebrate re-launch of Vintage Beauty Box

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On Saturday 19 August Vintage Beauty Box, in Sophie Butler Hairdressing on South Street, celebrated their re-launch with a party open to all to show off the new facilities available on site. Over 50 locals attended the event along with local media such as St Andrews In Focus and St Andrews Magazine.

Vintage Beauty Box is owned and operated by Aileen Wallace-Edgar and she told St Andrews Magazine the story of how the business grew to a point where significant expansion was required:

“I started The Vintage Beauty Box on Jan 2015, working from one room at Sophie Butler Hairdressing offering a range of treatments including massage, facials and waxing. As my client list grew so did my space and eventually I had a small nail bar in the waiting area of the salon installed and went from offering treatment 4 days a week to 5 days per week. This however still meant clients were turned away so in Dec 2016 I spoke with Sophie about developing the back area of the salon to make a second treatment room plus a bespoke spray tan room.

We also wanted to offer a more luxurious nail treatment area and specialist makeup stations.

This extra space meant I could have a self-employed therapist come on board and open 6 days, matching the hair salon. Mhairi began working one day a week (my day off) and has already increased her availability to 1 full day and 2 half days including our late-night Thursday.

We now offer new treatments including an organic, nontoxic spray tan by Vita Liberata. This tan is a luxury tan created specifically for Celtic skin by an Irish company and is used by A list celebrities; Calgel nail extensions: the Calgel and Izabelle Hammond brands ensure safe nail treatments which don't damage the natural nail.

Both these brands fit with our other brands and philosophy of always offering treatments which enhance beauty in a natural way. We can cater for those with allergies and vegans with our brands. We are also cruelty free.�

Guests at the launch were given tours by Aileen and Mhairi to show them the new spaces such as the additional treatment room and the new spray tan room, they were also treated to prosecco, nibbles and a selection of beers from St Andrews Brewing Company. The relaunch of Vintage Beauty Box is a stylish and elegant addition to what is the classiest salon in St Andrews, in a marketplace which is becoming ever-more competitive with Hepburns Nail Lounge also expanding and diversifying the services it offers. Vintage Beauty Box and Sophie Butler Hairdressing have shown they have what it takes to stay ahead of the competition.

St Andrews Magazine presents the

AWARDS IN THE CATEGORIES OF BEST ST ANDREWS BEAUTY EXPERIENCE ST ANDREWS’ MOST STYLISH MAN

ST ANDREWS’ MOST STYLISH WOMAN

BEST LOCAL ARTIST COMING IN THE NEXT EDITION

CAMBO

THE KELPIE MAQUETTES

TOMMY’S HONOUR

LAMMAS

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CAMBO: HOUSE & GARDENS

Cambo House

Just six miles south of St Andrews on the magnificent Cambo Estate lies a grand country house which is a must visit attraction whilst in the area. The current house was built in 1881 after a fire destroyed the original two years earlier, and is still home to the Erskine’s who have been resident on the Estate since the late 1670’s.

Cambo House is a family home but also a country house hotel, offering accommodation year-round with a variety of suites.

The House is available to be rent for weddings and has a perfectly romantic setting for your big day.

Cambo café, situated in the Cambo Courtyard, is open from 10-5 (last orders 4.30pm) daily and serves a selection of teas, coffee and juices. They serve delicious cakes, filled rolls and soup, often made from veg grown in the walled garden. There is also a selection of alcoholic beverages, including wine and local ales.

The Walled Garden

The Walled Garden at Cambo is a truly spectacular wonderland of flowers, plants & vegetables, and is now considered one of the finest in Scotland. It is an oasis of calm and the colours are beautiful.

The striking statues of children doing cartwheels evoke images of what this place must have been like for children growing up on the estate many years ago.

Cambo House and its adjoining Gardens play host to a number of events throughout the year including, for the first time last year, the DON’T WALK CHARITY FASHION SHOW. Other events include Winter Cambolicious, Christmas Food and Craft Fair, Cambolicious, the Snowdrop Festival and the Rose Festival, and for the first time in 2018, St Andrews Magazine will be at each of these to bring you a flavour of what the outlying area around St Andrews has to offer.

Coming St Andrews Magazine Edition 02 – A St Andrews Christmas: The Cambo Christmas Food and Craft Fair

Cambo House and Gardens is open to the public with entry by donation

St Andrews Magazine presents the

AWARDS IN THE CATEGORIES OF BEST ST ANDREWS AREA VISITOR ATTRACTION BEST DAY OUT IN THE ST ANDREWS AREA ST ANDREWS’ HIDDEN GEM COMING IN THE NEXT EDITION

Half way through July two visitors rode into town and have stayed here for the whole summer. The Kelpie Maquettes, miniature versions of the Kelpies in Falkirk, have been a unique backdrop to golf on the Old Course and have provided a focal point for the area around the Scores and Golf Place. They were installed on 24 July and even before the official unveiling on 30 July they generated great interest among locals and tourists in the area. Selfie’s galore were taken and the St Andrews Photo Corner on Facebook was overrun by images of the equine visitors.

The site of these fantastic sculptures will certainly be missed when they depart the town shortly, they have added a great deal to the skyline of St Andrews and provided an additional visitor attraction to our town.

THE KELPIE MAQUETTES ENGAGE & AMAZE LOCALS AND TOURISTS In addition to their presence providing a tourist attraction, Tourism St Andrews, the Museum of the University of St Andrews, the British Golf Museum and the Old Course Hotel collaborated on a series of social and educational initiatives to coincide with the Kelpie Maquettes being in St Andrews.

The three-metre-high sculptures were hand crafted by renowned Scottish sculptor Andy Scott, and were used as models to create the world’s largest equine sculpture, The Kelpies, situated in Falkirk. The Kelpie Maquettes tour the world helping to promote Scotland and the Falkirk area as visitor destinations.

St Andrews is just the latest destination for the Kelpie Maquettes, and they have been caught horsing around in New York, at the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, Chicago, the Grand National, the Scottish Cup Final and the Kirkcudbright Arts and Crafts Trail.

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ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR: Lammas Market returns

There are several festivals held throughout the year in St Andrews such as STANZA, St Andrews Photography Festival, St Andrews Voices, On The Rocks, Byre in the Botanics and the Harbour Festival, but the oldest of them all happened in August, with the Lammas Market still going strong after over 100 years.

This medieval street fair and continental market took over Market Street and South Street from Friday 11 to Tuesday 15 August, Market Street and the West Port end of South Street played host to the continental market, with several stall holders from across Scotland and Europe selling a variety of foods, accessories, clothing and hardware.

From the Blackfriar’s Chapel to Jannetta’s at the Cathedral end of South Street the highly popular Fun Fair took place with numerous rides and attractions. The Lammas Market annually attracts thousands of visitors to the town.

TOMMY’S HONOUR PREMIERE:

New Picture House takes centre stage

Over 12 months after its launch at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and after a highly successful US launch, TOMMY’S HONOUR was given its UK Premiere at the New Picture House on North Street in St Andrews.

The New Picture House, Old Course Hotel and GREY POCKET collaborated on an event to give the movie maximum exposure to the St Andrews public, with several different ticket categories for the general population and many special guests invited to watch the movie for the first time.

Jack Lowden, Thereze Bradley and Jason Connery joined Producer Jim Kreutzer at the NPH for a screening of the film and a question and answer session in the elegant 1930’s cinema.

NPH contains three cinema screens, the largest of which contains a row of special "VIP" seats consisting of electronic black recliners and has both a ground level and balcony seating area. There is also a lounge area available for rental by members of the public, with the option to view a licensed DVD digitally projected at a canvas screen.

St Andrews Magazine was one of only two media organisations present at the Premiere, the other being THE COURIER, and Matt spoke to Jack Lowden and Jason Connery ahead of the movie starting.

Matt: What were your initial thoughts when you were approached to do the movie?

Jack: I thought it was a fantastic story, I didn’t know about it so I thought that was a good reason to make it.

Matt: Were you a golfer before the movie?

Jack: Not in the slightest Matt: Are you, in your personality, a bit like Tommy Morris?

Jack: Yeah, I am quite driven with a decent sense of humour.

Matt: What do you like about playing the role?

Jack: I love the character and the kind of guy he was, Matt: What was it like to work with Jason?

Jack: It was great, he’s one of the nicest blokes in the world.

Matt: Are you working on anything coming up?

Jack: Yes, so I am going to do Mary Queen of Scots in August.

“It’s great to be here, in St Andrews, for the UK Premiere of the movie” Jack Lowden

Matt: What were the challenges involved with shooting this film?

Jason: I think the biggest challenge was creating the golf courses to appear much less manicured than they do now, the logistics of looking at golf courses from that time when courses were maintained by sheep which is very different from now. St Andrews now looks like a beautiful green carpet, so it’s very different.

Matt: Were there any worries about doing a golfing/sporting movie?

Jason: Yeah, it’s the beginning of the game, it’s very different, the problem with sport is the thing which makes it exciting is it’s live. So I wanted the drama of the characters to be the main focus.

Matt: What will viewers be surprised by?

Jason: I what they will be surprised by is the layers of the story, because you have the class system, the father-son relationship, relationships, the church and hope they will be surprised by how full the story is in many different ways.

Matt: How exciting is it to have the UK Premiere in St Andrews?

Jason: It’s great, this is where Old Tom was head greenkeeper for many years, and it’s the perfect venue to do it.

MOVIES OUT THIS AUTUMN PADDINGTON 2

JIGSAW

SPIDERMAN 2

MISSION POSSIBLE

INGRID GOES WEST

POKEMON THE MOVIE: I CHOOOSE YOU!

FOR A FULL LISTING OF MOVIES ON AT THE NEW PICTURE HOUSE ST ANDREWS, CHECK nphcinemastandrews.co.uk

LISTEN TO US ON SOUNDCLOUD

MAMMACITA

JOHN PANTON

St Andrews Magazine presents the

AWARDS IN THE CATEGORIES OF BEST ST ANDREWS RESTAURANT BEST BAR IN ST ANDREWS

BEST NEW ST ANDREWS RESTAURANT

BEST ST ANDREWS AFTER DARK EXPERIENCE

COMING IN THE NEXT EDITION

ONE HOT MAMMA!

Magnificent Mexican Mammacita sizzles

Review by Matt Hooper, with Claire Campbell

It’s time to get out the Sombrero and head for a little slice of Mexicana in the heart of St Andrews which is so authentic you could almost feel like you’re in Cancun!

I am someone whose staple diet is as British as you can get, and I rarely venture away from that, but there was something tempting me to try Mammacita. Most of the restaurants I have reviewed before have had a very Scottish theme and, like me, don’t really stray away from the norm. So why did I select Mammacita for a review?

Was it the thought of seeing the transformation from the Grill House? To be honest no, but my goodness what a job they have done with it. In the autumn of 2016 G1 Group closed the Grill House to rebrand and re-fit the restaurant, Mammacita opened in December, as a Mexican Cantina, Tequila and Mezcal Bar. The transformation is stunning.

I was a regular visitor to the Grill House when I was resident at the Tourist Hostel, which is located above the restaurant. The décor was very similar to the hostel lounge, which never filled me with inspiration or encouraged me to stay longer than the usually rapid time it takes me to eat my meal. The food was decent enough but as far as being a genuine Mexican Cantina, it left a lot to be desired.

So, when the boards went up outside the restaurant last autumn I waited with interest to see what was coming in its place. For those of you who don’t know where Mammacita is located, it sits on St Mary’s Place opposite the students’ union building, and as such is now the first restaurant which visitors to the town centre will encounter when venturing up from the golf course.

You are welcomed by music, mainly traditional Mexican/Spanish/Latin in theme, and once you pass through the entrance you are met by an attentive waiter who shows you to your table. The first thing I noticed was the interior, myself and my companion for the evening, Claire Campbell, sat in the area pictured opposite. The features on the wall really are eyecatching, particularly the mirror which is fitted to look like a window, it helped to make an otherwise small area feel more spacious.

Claire was, of course, at the bar before I arrived, Cabernet Sauvignon in hand, but we weren’t there for the wine, more for the Margarita’s. One of the traditions which has survived the transformation from the Grill House to Mammacita, is the Margarita’s.

Claire had the Classic Margarita (Olmeca Tequila, Triple Sec & fresh lime juice) and I had the Peach Passion Margarita (El Jimador Tequila, Passoa passion fruit liqueur, peach puree & fresh lime). This was

already a venture into the unknown for me, but this is a place which does that to you, it tempts you into making decisions you wouldn’t normally. The taste was phenomenal and it got the evening off to a kick!

Mammacita places an emphasis on sharing, so if you are looking to have your own meal, with a knife and fork then this probably isn’t the place for you.

I wasn’t sure if it was going to be the place for me, but how wrong could I be. The food was served when it was ready, they don’t wait for you to finish one course and move onto the next, which because of the portion sizes is a fun way to eat a meal for two.

We began with the 6 CHIPOTLE HONEY CHICKEN WINGS and CEVICHE (Salmon cured in lime, amarillo chile & coriander, green chile crema), and had TINGA TACOS (Slow cooked chicken, tomato, smoked jalapeño, diced onion, coriander, charred lime) and QUESADILLA (Large soft tortilla stuffed with Sweet Potato, Feta, Salsa Roja) as the main. The highlight of this devilishly delightful culinary experience was the dessert. Of all the things which could be unexpectedly brilliant, it was the Sweet Nachos. They look like Nachos, so you expect a savoury taste, but my goodness, I could have eaten those all night, accompanied by vanilla sorbet.

Mammacita truly is experiencia especial única

THE JOHN PANTON ICE ANGOSTURA BITTERS LIME

GINGER BEER

A refreshing post-round drink on a hot summers day

WHO WAS JOHN PANTON? John Panton is one of the unsung heroes and greatest PGA Professionals Scotland has ever produced. He won the Scottish PGA Championship on a record EIGHT occasions, represented Great Britain at THREE Ryder Cups and Scotland at THIRTEEN World Cups. He was the Honorary Professional at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews between 1988 and 2006.

He is an Honorary Member of the European Tour.

Allegedly this cocktail was his favourite drink, and so was named after him.

Infamously the former Bar Steward at the New Golf Club once mistakenly added Diet Coke rather than Ginger Beer, and the drink is known as a McGarry, after the late Brian McGarry.

St Andrews Magazine presents the

AWARDS IN THE CATEGORIES OF ST ANDREWS COMMUNITY GROUP OF THE YEAR

ST ANDREWS LOCAL HERO

COMING IN THE NEXT EDITION

STAART

INTERIORS BY TRACY SMITH

BLEBO HOUSE

We were proud to sponsor

as she ran the Edinburgh Half Marathon 2017, raising money for JDRF - Improving Lives, Curing Type 1 Diabetes.

READY. STEADY. STAART. The stars and stories of St Andrews Adventure Running Team Story by Matt Hooper

If you are out and about in St Andrews this autumn, three things you are sure to see are Students, Golfers and, yes, Runners. Bloody runners, in their lycra, making it look sooo easy. I used to think, “what the bloody hell is fun in running”?

At the end of last year I made a promise to myself to get fitter and lose weight. I started by joining a gym, but the gym just didn’t do it for me. The stationary equipment, self-absorbed individuals and air-conditioned building did nothing to motivate me. Then two work colleagues inspired me to join STAART. STAART is short for ST ANDREWS ADVENTURE RUNNING TEAM, prior to joining it was an adventure just going for a walk! I must confess that prior to the first evening I attended I genuinely thought I would last one session, how wrong could I be?!

That night there was a cooling breeze off the sea, but it was beautiful sunshine, and I joined the Walk-Jog group to start, we headed out under the guidance of the leader of STAART – Neil Stewart. The task was to walk for two minutes and jog for one, out along the gravel path on the Old Course. I quickly realized that I was enjoying this, I was feeling good, once we reached the fifth hole of the Old Course Neil challenged us to see if we could jog continuously back to the Links Clubhouse. I felt good so I said yes without hesitation, and as the pace picked up I just kept going, all the way to the finish.

I felt ecstatic about how well I had done. Two weeks later I moved up to the Jogging group, and I have stayed there since. Unfortunately work commitments have meant I haven’t been able to keep it up as regularly as I would have hoped, but I will return for sure.

STAART began in 2014 and is a Jog Scotland registered running group, and has over 100 members, between 60 and 80 of which attend the regular meetings on a Monday and Wednesday evening, and some attend the Friday Morning ‘FriAMs’ at 05.55am!

Neil Stewart explains more about the St Andrews Adventure Running Team:

“STAART has been running for just over 3 years. St Andrews Adventure Running Team. The adventure bit is about it being a ‘journey of self-discovery’ rather than us doing anything dangerous etc. I also called it a team as at the outset I wanted everyone involved to be part of something rather than a group of individuals taking part in just running. It’s all about coming together to work towards whatever goal people set themselves.

The group started accidentally as myself and a few others got together to prepare for a Tough Mudder event. First night at training there were 6 bodies and as word got around the town 1 or 2 joined us every week until there were 30 or so folk out training twice a week. It got so big I had to formalise the group and become affiliated to Jog Scotland. This gave us insurance cover and allowed us to set up committee and bank account etc.

Last year we were nominated and shortlisted by Scottish Athletics and Jog Scotland as group of the year. We sadly didn’t win but it was a real honour to sit alongside legends such as Laura Muir at the awards.

STAART caters for people who just want to get out and walk to those preparing for ultramarathons and everything in between. I run it in various ability groups with people free to move up and down to a group which best suits their needs, fitness levels and goals. We meet twice weekly and information can be found on the Jog Scotland website.”

The best part of STAART is that there are different categories of group, and each group has a sizeable number of people, all with different goals and with different outlooks, but it is tremendously enjoyable, having someone else alongside you, having a chat and enjoying a jog, run or walk. Each group is led by a Jog Leader.

“All jog leaders are selected for their personal qualities and commitment to the team rather than being about running ability although some are also exceptional athletes. They are qualified through the Scottish Athletics Jog leaders course and give up their free time to help, encourage and support others to be the best walker, jogger or runner they can be through progressive and supportive running programmes. The success of the group is down to them and would not function without their dedication. I’m exceptionally lucky and privileged to have them by my side” says Neil, who is known as Nez. Neil is a PE teacher at Levenmouth Academy. He oversees all things regarding the group and coordinates training, committee and events. “It’s a massive task but one I thrive in and hope to do for years to come” he says.

STAART are simply the most inclusive, most supportive, most positive club I have ever come across, led by an amazing, caring and selfless leader in Neil. My story is only one of so many positive and life-changing stories experienced within our STAART family.

After a years long illness, which culminated in a cure which left me almost completely bedridden for a year, my muscles had atrophied and I had no strength or stamina. I wanted my health back, but hardly knew where to start. My wife had joined STAART the previous year and running with the club had really helped her to cope with our situation over that last year of my illness. The annual STAART get-together came around at about this time and I went along to it with Valerie. I talked to members and I couldn't believe the warmth of their welcome. I talked to a couple of jog leaders and learned about the fantastic ethos of the club, which was one of 'health and improvement through group acceptance and support'. It was such a refreshing message and I was bowled over by the fact that it was genuinely shared across this group. I talked to many of the members, the jog leaders and the group leader all of whom encouraged me to come along and join.

I took the STAART club at its word and a couple of months later, when I had some strength back, I joined up. STAART had four ability groups at the time (now up to 6), starting with walkers and working up to the fastest runners group. I joined walkers, but was not able to keep up with the main group. I thought I shouild leave, but the team, the amazing jog leaders and the STAART leader Neil Stuart said 'no'. They told me that they would get me through it and build me up again. Week after week a jog leader was assigned by Neil to walk well at the back with me and support me. It worked! The patience and support of this amazing group brought me back to strength and it continues to support me as I enjoy this new lease of life.

STAART gave me a precious gift and it continues bestow these gifts right across the group.

I see improvements in physical and mental health every week. People are achieving goals they never thought that they could even set before they joined us. We are all a part of a very special family.

The STAART ethos has created very strong bonds within the group and the ethos continues to be one of staying positive, inclusive and supportive. Neil leads by example and dedicates a huge amount of time, energy and care to STAART. We are so lucky to have him and his team of fully committed jog leaders.

The Incredible story of Eric Moran

Thank you, Neil, and thank you STAART!

STAART DOES THE

The Edinburgh Marathon Festival took place over the last weekend in May and many members of STAART took part in the various races across the Saturday and Sunday.

The Edinburgh Marathon Festival began in 2004 and has since added a Half Marathon, 10k, 5k, Team Relay, Junior 5k, Junior 2k and Junior 1.5k with a Kids Kilometre all held over the two days at various locations in and around Edinburgh. The festival attracts over 30,000 entrants annually and is Scotland’s largest running festival. The Edinburgh Marathon Festival is just one of many races and events which members of STAART attend each year including Monikie 10k, Dundee Half Marathon, Tough Mudder, Edinburgh Great Run, Glasgow Half Marathon, London Marathon, Loch Ness Marathon and more. Many members of the group also take part in the weekly ParkRun at Craigtoun Park on the edge of St Andrews.

The Edinburgh Marathon and Half Marathon took place on the Sunday and several members of STAART took part, some in their second, third or fourth, but for many it was their first.

Four of which were Joanna Mowbray (pictured), Heather Nicoll, James Woodcock and Willie Donaldson, all were running to raise money for JDRF – Improving Lives, curing Type 1 Diabetes. Heather’s son, Rhys, has the disease and it was a cause close to all of their hearts. St Andrews Magazine sponsored them and they each wore our name on their shirts for their Half Marathon, The weather conditions were particularly difficult, starting off clear and sunny but it soon became cloud, very warm and humid. The route began in the heart of the Capital in London and Regent Road before passing by the historic Holyrood Palace, which has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots since the 16th century. Opposite the palace you will see the Scottish Parliament Building at Holyrood within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Central Edinburgh. It then runs through Holyrood Park in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano.

It races by Meadowbank Sports Stadium, scene of former Commonwealth Games in 1970 & 1986 and glory for runners such as Lachie Stewart and Liz McColgan. It then turns north, along Lochend Road and Leith Links before reaching Portobello Promenade for some cooling seaside air where runners can enjoy spectacular views of East Lothian and across the to the Kingdom of Fife. The route then stretches along Musselburgh Road before reaching Musselburgh Racecourse. It goes a couple of miles further up Ravenheugh Road beyond the Prestongrange Mining Museum before looping around and heading back past Musselburgh Links, the famous golf course officially recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest golf course in the world. The half marathon finishes in playing fields at Pinkie St Peter’s Primary School.

We were proud to sponsor as they ran the Edinburgh Half Marathon 2017, raising money for JDRF Improving Lives, Curing Type 1 Diabetes.

Joanna was first over the line with a time of 2 hours, 3 minutes and 47 seconds, which for a first half marathon is an outstanding effort. Exhaustion took its toll though and shortly after finishing she was rescued by another runner who helped her after she collapsed. Soon though it was on to the celebratory Prosecco and Skittles, the fuel of champions apparently!

James completed the race in a creditable 2 hrs 30mins 42 seconds, and proving that running is for everyone, Heather finished in 3 hrs 22 mins 10 seconds alongside Willie. STAART isn’t just about the competition though and it’s the bond which the regular sessions foster between people that helps them to pull each other along in a race. Jillian Herd, Stuart McIntyre, Mark Bayne, Michelle Bayne, Sandra Gardener, Alan Gardener, Iain Donaldson, Evelyn McConnell, Danny Rooney, Alex Bain, Julie Stewart and Julie Ferguson also took part in the Marathon/Half Marathon, with several other STAART members taking part in the Relay and 10k.

The community spirit which STAART encourages has seen many members of the group enter events as a team of people from St Andrews and the surrounding areas, and make a day out of it, with Monikie proving to be one of the best of the year.

I always used to think “what are people thinking when they see a slightly overweight person running” and think that they were looking and laughing. As a part of STAART there is nothing like that, everyone is in the same boat and they are all there to do different things with different goals. Whether it is to socialise and improve self-esteem, or improve fitness or lose weight, or to train to do a Half Marathon or Marathon, STAART has something for everyone.

So if you are on the golf course one evening during the spring or early summer and you see a group of heads bobbing up and down along the gravel path between the New and Old Courses, you know who they are. Ordinary people led by extraordinary volunteers, who motivate, inspire and drive everyone on to get the best out of what is one of the best examples of a community group anywhere.

We were proud to sponsor

as she ran the Edinburgh Half Marathon 2017, raising money for JDRF - Improving Lives, Curing Type 1 Diabetes.

Nez & all the jog leaders do a fab job & their enthusiasm is infectious. They give up so much of their time to bring such a large group of people together with all fitness levels, it's fantastic! & not forgetting the new friendships made. It has brought my running on loads especially the hills! #loveStaart

I started with Nez a few years ago with maybe half a dozen people. I love my time at STAART as Have met and become good friends with a great crowd of ladies. Long may STAART continue Sandra Browne

Julie Stewart STAART is full of people with inspirational stories to tell so he can probably point you in the right people's direction.

It's one of the thing's about this group, full of people with great stories to tell but more often than not they have no idea just how many people they have helped along the way by just being themselves.

Stuart McIntyre STAART has truly changed many of our lives. St Andrews is so lucky for Nez giving us this opportunity and the rest of the jog leaders too Joanna Mowbray

Partnership

INTERIOR DESIGN St Andrews meets ‘The Hamptons’

By Tracy Smith

In October 2016, Interiors by Tracy Smith were approached by a client who had just purchased a new apartment at Abbey Walk being built Robertson Homes. The client lived abroad so would not be around for the build or handover of the keys but would be visiting at Easter so the apartment was to be ready for then.

From the initial consultation, it was clear that the design scheme was to reflect a home in the Hamptons meets Scotland. This was a fantastic opportunity for us to create a home from start to finish. With every new home you make all the kitchen and bathroom choices as well as flooring.

Partnership

We decided that the kitchen, living and hall way flooring should all be real wood in a washed oak with wide boards.

This allows the space to flow freely. ‘Hamptons’ style uses mainly blue and white and we felt that the living space should reflect this. We wanted a modern feel to the room also so we had a Bespoke Wall Unit built along one wall to accommodate the television and audio visual equipment but also be used to display books and accessories.

The dining area has a bay window and originally when we were working off plan we thought that we could also build a window seat but once we saw the apartment we thought that this would be too much for the room and a lovely oak and cream dining table and chairs would sit better in the space.

We also chose a lighting design piece for over the dining table. The Foscarani Spokes 2 light produces light from the bottom of the lamp and draws your eye to that space.

Because you are able to see through the spokes it allows light to flow through that area.

We decided to keep the window dressings simple in this room and opted for Roman blinds with pelmets in a light sand colour, that way we were able to bring all the colour in this room from the sofa, chairs and cushions and throws and layer the room up.

The art work in the house is a combination of the clients own work which we had reframed to tie in with the rest of the house and some new prints which are from the New Yorker newspaper which give the home a beach feel.

Partnership

Moving onto the bedrooms, the clients have a young son and he wanted his bedroom to be blue, so we painted it in Farrow and Ball Parma Grey which is actually blue. We also had to bring in some Scottish elements to this room so we had a bespoke headboard made in a Johnstons of Elgin fabric along with blinds and curtains to ensure plenty of black out.

We kept the furniture in the bedrooms simple and opted for some Farrow and Ball painted furniture from Dormy House.

The hallway has to be welcoming in any home but especially in a holiday home where after a long journey you want to open the door and immediately feel that you are home. We wanted the clients to have somewhere to hang their jackets and take of their shoes so we opted for a storage unit with seat, again we used Bronte by Moon cushions to bring the look together. We also put some plank wallpaper on one wall in the hall but hung it horizontally to make it more interesting.

With the master bedroom we wanted it to feel relaxed and the client did not want to feel like they were staying in an hotel. So we went with another Farrow and Ball colour on the walls along with painted furniture in a matching tone from Dormy House. The curtains again are from Johnstons of Elgin and are a beautiful herringbone grey and cream fabric.

Other than original mood boards the client did not want to see any progress photographs. We talked regularly on Skype for a general update but the client wanted their ‘TV moment’. So at Easter they all walked into the apartment with their eyes closed and were delighted when they opened them.

We felt that it was important to have some family photos in this home so had some photos taken by the clients printed onto wood to give a beach feel. The headboard in this room is from Abraham Moon and the throws to match are from the Bronte by Moon range.

For more details please go to our website www.interiorsbytracysmith.co.uk, the apartment is available to rent through Fife Cottages.

BRILLIANT BLEBO The Perfect Golfing Retreat Story by Matt Hooper

Images by Square Foot

Fixed Price of £1,150,000

Have you ever dreamt of your own, private piece of Scotland, set within minutes of the home of golf and still within easy reach of the major cities? Have you ever dreamt of having a grand eighteenth-century mansion which has played a role in Scottish and UK history? Have you ever dreamt of having a place where the entire family could live and still have space to breathe and grow up in complete privacy? Or have you ever dreamt of moving your company to an estate which has room to develop and grow on the edge of the biggest marketplace for golf in the UK? Brilliant Blebo has it all. Brilliant Blebo can make dreams come true. Brilliant Blebo must be seen to be believed.

Upon entering through the rather understated front door you realise that this is indeed, a Grand Scottish house, and you can imagine a butler waiting to take your jacket and umbrella as you come in from a windy and wet day outside into the warmth of your home.

Moving through into the splendid entrance hall you start to get a feel for the scale of this wonderful property. You can imagine excited children moving in and running off in all directions to find ‘their’ room. On the ground floor there is two reception rooms, a comfortable, spacious family living room and a grand dining room, with a ceiling dating back to 1903.

One can imagine a family from the period the house was built in sitting here for a Christmas meal with the father at the head of the table! It is sumptuously decorated with wood panelling and has a stunning fireplace. The views from this room, as with many of the rooms in the house, are truly spectacular and unmistakably Scottish, In days gone by you can imagine the smell of freshly cooked food coming from the nearby typically country kitchen, which is accessed through one of the many well-fitted wooden doors, which match the panelling in the dining room.

The kitchen is at the heart of the house and has a nice-size table which the family can sit around at breakfast, lunch or dinner, There are numerous other small rooms which are beyond the kitchen in this area of the house which is ideal for storage.

If the ground floor isn’t enough to take your breath away, your journey to other parts of the house certainly will. From here it is down to the basement and two superb spaces.

Firstly, there is the wonderful billiard room with a full-size snooker table, decorated in dark wood panelling, and secondly there is the spacious games room, which has in the past been used for the practising of golf, with a net of course! One can certainly imagine this space in either a family home or even a grand, boutique hotel. Blebo House has been a family home for most of its history, and has been occupied for much of the last half century, but its potential as a hotel cannot be ignored by a prospective buyer.

With 11 bedrooms, this Grade B Listed Mansion is perfectly suited to use as a hotel, and with 35 acres of land, a tennis court and a setting pretty much unrivalled in Fife, Blebo House could certainly sit alongside any comparable destination, such as The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, The Eden Club at Pittormie Castle or Cameron House at Loch Lomond.

The upper floors of the property are where the bedrooms are found, and each offer a different aspect on a truly spectacular setting across the Fife countryside. One has a balcony which former Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith, MP for East Fife, gave a speech from during his premiership sometime between 1908 and 1916.

The rooms are variable in size and shape and lend perfectly to a hotel offering different types of accommodation to their guests.

Adjacent to the room from which Asquith made his speech there are a set of wonderfully appointed lockers, which would make superb storage for golf clubs and apparel, further adding to the property’s undoubted potential attraction as a hotel.

The Master Bedroom is splendidly decorated with a modest tartan wallpaper and offers a spacious area for relaxation at the end of the day. The house has expanded over the years and the front of the property is the older late Victorian/early Edwardian portion, with each extension tastefully done in keeping with the history, tradition and architecture of this wonderful property.

With the soon-to-be completed Feddinch Golf Club adding to the 12 existing golf courses in the area, and Open Championships to come to Carnoustie and St Andrews within the next five years, there is clear potential for Blebo House to become a stunning boutique hotel.

For more information on Blebo House, to arrange a viewing or to purchase the property, please contact Edinburgh Property Finders:

0131 268 0588

info@edinburghpropertyfinders.co.uk

www.edinburghpropertyfinders.co.uk

For a full description, you can also contact Matt Hooper at St Andrews Magazine via standrewsmagazine@gmail.com

NEWS

EUROPEAN TOUR RACE TO DUBAI

SKY SPORTS GOLF

MAJOR SUMMER

NEWS

Golf’s schedule facing radical change after the PGA Championship moves to May from 2019 PLAYERS Championship returns to March, BMW PGA Championship moved to September FedEx Cup set to finish on Labor Day weekend with European Tour set for Golden Autumn

PGA OF AMERICA TAKE BOLD STEP AS GOLF GETS READY FOR 2020 Back in 2016 golf’s schedule was a complete and utter mess in Olympic year, by the time the world’s best tee it up in Tokyo in 2020 the schedule will have changed, not just for the good of golf in the Olympics, but for the good of golf every year. At this August’s 99 th PGA Championship, the PGA of America and PGA Tour made a joint announcement about their flagship events. Pet Bavacqua, CEO of the PGA of America, confirmed the news we had expected for quite some time, that the PGA Championship would be moving to May, starting in 2019 at the 101st PGA Championship at Bethpage State Park.

At the same press conference PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced that THE PLAYERS Championship would be moving back to March, a decision applauded by almost everyone in the game, again this will be from 2019. The PGA Tour’s flagship tournament flourished in the slot two weeks before The Masters, and was unquestionably the best tournament outside the Majors, a status which has clearly been eroded by its place in the middle of a packed season.

The PGA Championship’s move to May means that whilst it can continue to be staged at courses in the New York area, and Chicago in the spring, it can also be held at southern venues such as Champions in Houston and PGA National in Florida without the constant threat of lightning and the searing heat.

The changes to the date for two of America’s biggest tournaments also had ramifications for the European Tour and The Open. The Open will now be the year’s final major championship, giving even more meaning to the Champion Golfer of the Year. A bigger impact was clearly upon the status and date of the BMW PGA Championship, and within an hour of the PGA of America announcement, the European Tour confirmed that the Wentworth tournament would be played in September from 2019, evoking memories of the World Match Play Championship, which was played for nearly 50 years at Wentworth in September and October.

These moves for the biggest tournaments in the game open the door for several things to happen, firstly for the PGA Tour: The season can begin in November, perhaps, with an International Swing, starting at the HSBC Champions and continuing through Japan, South East Asia and Australia, before coming back to the United States in Hawaii and then begin its new calendar year on the Mainland on the West Coast. The season can also end on or around Labor Day weekend at The TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, and the Playoffs can be reduced from four to three tournaments, with perhaps the Western Open (BMW Championship) returning to a full-field event in the main part of the season.

For the European Tour, this is a truly great opportunity. Firstly, to go to a calendar year schedule, this gives a natural break over Christmas and New Year and it opens the door to starting and ending the season in the Middle East. The tournaments in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai feel like season-openers, so why not confirm it? These events could be reduced, elite fields and have opposite field events in South Africa, with exception of the South African Open, which could take a more prominent place on the schedule. So with the tour already having a great beginning, the summer set of ROLEX Series events give it a great middle, leading up to The Open Championship.

Then with the PGA Tour and the Majors over it basically has the chance to dominate the game for the rest of the year, even with the new PGA Tour season beginning. The OMEGA European Masters, in the first week of September, played opposite the TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, could attract a best of the rest field and kick off an incredible end to the Race to Dubai. It could be followed by the Dutch Open, and then a stunning set of four events including the BMW PGA Championship, British Masters supported by Sky Sports, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Italian Open, with a combined prize fund of over $20million.

The Portugal Masters and Andalucia Valderrama Masters can take on even more importance as the last chance for players to keep their card, and then its in to a stunning finale with the WGC-HSBC Champions, UBS Hong Kong open, Turkish Airlines Open, Nedbank Golf Challenge and the DP World Tour Championship. 13 events with over $60million on the line and some of the best players in the world. These changes could yet see the European Tour grow even stronger.

Mark Langer, Chairman of the Managing Board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said, “HUGO BOSS is proud to be partnering with The Open, reinforcing our dedication to the world of golf as part of our global sports sponsorship programme."

THE OPEN ENTERS EXCITING NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH HUGO BOSS St Andrews, Scotland: World-renowned luxury fashion house HUGO BOSS has become the Official Outfitter of The Open through a new partnership with golf’s original Championship. The R&A has agreed a five-year partnership with BOSS that will see a new specially-designed apparel range, ‘The Open Collection by BOSS’, went on sale in the build-up to The 146th Open which was played at Royal Birkdale from 16 to 23 July.

The special capsule collection of athleisurewear pieces featuring an embroidered official Open logo is now available online at TheOpen.com/shop and will be on sale at the Championship, online at hugoboss.com and in a selection of BOSS Stores across the UK. To celebrate the new partnership, the first 25 customers who spend more than £150 on items from the new collection will receive an 18th pin flag signed by Champion Golfer of the Year and BOSS golfer Henrik Stenson following his stunning victory at Royal Troon last year.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “HUGO BOSS is a global brand with a reputation for excellence in sport and golf in particular. We are delighted to welcome them as an Official Supplier of The Open and are thrilled to be launching ‘The Open Collection by BOSS’ this week. This is a long-term partnership which will enable us to provide a truly world class apparel offering to fans of The Open around the world.”

Under the agreement, BOSS will outfit all officials and staff members at The Open, as well as having a pop-up shop in the official merchandise pavilion where BOSS Green, the brand’s premium golf performance wear collection, will be sold. BOSS has enjoyed a longstanding presence in the golfing world – launching its golf sponsorship programme back in 1985 – and today is associated with ten of the world’s top international golf stars, three of whom are confirmed to play in The Open at Royal Birkdale, including Stenson. The BOSS Green collection combines technical fabrics and innovative details and is worn by all of the BOSS professional golfers. BOSS’s partnership with The Open is the latest in a long line of key sponsorship partnerships in golf, football, motorsports and sailing. The BOSS brand is synonymous with success, and the core values of combining passion and performance with talent and technique.

The Open was first played in 1860 and is renowned as one of the world’s great sporting events with the best players in the game competing each year for the famous Claret Jug trophy. For more information about ‘The Open Collection by BOSS’ visit TheOpen.com/shop.

THE R&A STAGES BOTH WOMEN’S AND MEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THE FIRST TIME St Andrews, Scotland: More than 400 of the world’s leading men’s and women’s amateur golfers will tee it up in two of the game’s most prestigious championships this month, The 114th Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship and The 122nd Amateur Championship. The Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship gets underway tomorrow at Pyle & Kenfig in South Wales and concludes on Saturday. It is followed by The Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s and Prince’s in Kent from 19-24 June.

Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Golf Development at The R&A said, “We look forward to staging these two great championships for the first time since our merger with the Ladies’ Golf Union and it will be fascinating to watch the world’s leading men’s and women’s amateur golfers compete on three of Great Britain and Ireland’s finest links courses. There will be some outstanding golf on display from potential stars of the future at both events. I would encourage spectators to take advantage of the free admission and enjoy these world-renowned events.”

The Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship will be contested by 144 competitors from 24 countries, including 33 players ranked in the Top 100 of the WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKING™ (WAGR™). A total of 86 players will travel from overseas from countries such as Germany, Sweden and the United States while 58 players from Great Britain and Ireland will compete in the championship.

The Amateur Championship continues to attract the most international field in the men’s amateur game, with 288 competitors from 40 countries.

Almost two thirds of the field (65%), from 36 countries, will travel to the south-east of England from as far afield as Australia, China, South Africa and the United States. A total of 100 players from Great Britain and Ireland will compete, including 51 golfers from host nation England. Several members of the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup squad will feature

READY GOLF IS INTRODUCED AT THE R&A'S AMATEUR EVENTS St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A has introduced Ready Golf at its 2017 amateur championships as part of its efforts to improve pace of play.

Ready Golf features in The R&A’s Pace of Play manual as a recommended solution for tackling slow play and enables golfers to play when they are ready to do so rather than strictly adhere to ‘the farthest from the hole plays first’ requirement.

The practice can be used in stroke play and includes a number of actions that can help to improve the flow of golfers around the course and reduce the time taken by players to complete a round.

Examples of Ready Golf include hitting a tee shot if the person with the honour is delayed in being ready to play, playing a shot before helping someone look for a ball and adopting continuous putting when possible.

SCOTTISH GOLF TOURISM WEEK TO TAKE PLACE AT TRUMP TURNBERRY OCTOBER 23-27 Following its hugely successful debut at the Fairmont St Andrews Resort in 2016, the organisers of the Scottish Golf Tourism Week have confirmed that the event will return in 2017.

Taking place at the Trump Turnberry Resort in Ayrshire from October 23-27, this year’s event will bring more golf tour operators from around the globe to Scotland, the home of golf, where they will meet with some of the country’s leading golf businesses. Comprising familiarisation trips, seminars, networking sessions, press outings and almost 4,000 individual business-to-business appointments, the week promises to both reinforce Scotland’s standing as the world’s leading golf destination and generate millions of pounds of a benefit for the Scottish economy throughout 2018. The week will begin with visits to some of the country’s leading golf clubs and resorts before converging upon the Trump Turnberry Resort for two days of one-to-one business meetings. It will then culminate in the 2017 edition of the prestigious Scottish Golf Tourism Awards on Thursday, October 26.

Event organiser Tom Lovering commented: “We are very much looking forward to the second Scottish Golf Tourism Week, where we will once again connect some of the world’s top golf tour operators with the very best that Scottish golf has to offer. “It is a unique opportunity to remind people of what Scotland has

to offer both in a golfing and a cultural sense and we are confident it will build upon the huge success of last year’s inaugural event.

The R&A’s portfolio of amateur events has expanded following its merger with the Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) on 1 January 2017 and Ready Golf will feature in both men's and women's championships where stroke play is part of the format, including the forthcoming Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship at Pyle & Kenfig and The Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s and Prince’s. Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Golf Development at The R&A said, “We support solutions that address the issue of slow play and Ready Golf is an effective means of reducing the time it takes to complete a round.

“Our research has shown that golfers would enjoy the sport more if it took less time to play and so we are introducing Ready Golf during the stroke play rounds at our amateur championships to help improve pace of play and the experience for the players and spectators.” The R&A published the Pace of Play manual for golfers, administrators and golf course managers last year to encourage the use of recommended solutions which effectively addresses issues of slow play and to increase golfers’ enjoyment of playing the game.

AMERICAN DREAM AS YOUNG SCOTS TO TAKE PART IN SOLHEIM CUP HANDOVER Six young Scottish female golfers are to savour the opportunity of a lifetime as part of the handover ceremony for The 2019 Solheim Cup coming to Scotland, the Home of Golf – after launching their own bid to qualify for the PING Junior Solheim Cup. Through the support of the Scottish Government, VisitScotland, Scottish Golf and the Ladies European Tour, the female group have been selected for a dream trip to this year’s Solheim Cup at Des Moines Golf & Country Club, taking place in Iowa from 18 – 20 August.

The initiative was borne from a Whatsapp group started by some of the girls following Scotland’s successful bid to stage The 2019 Solheim Cup. Entitled #Project19, the group began as a way of the girl’s motivating each other to climb the amateur golf rankings and qualify to represent Team Europe at the 2019 PING Junior Solheim Cup, taking place at Gleneagles. Now Hannah Darling (Broomieknowe), Rachel Foster (Turnberry), Eilidh Henderson (Kirkcaldy), Evanna Hynd (Balbirnie Park), Carmen Griffiths (Aboyne) and Anna McKay (Crail Golfing Society) will all experience the thrill of the biggest team event in female golf, before the baton is passed from the US venue to Gleneagles for the 2019 staging over The PGA Centenary Course.

The Scottish Golf Academy players, all but one of whom have come through the ClubGolf national junior programme, will engage with Team Europe at the PING Junior Solheim Cup, work with the VisitScotland team on stand producing blogs and other media content, experience the excitement around the event where Scotland’s Catriona Matthew is a vice-captain and form a part of the handover ceremony to Gleneagles and Scotland for the 2019 event. In a further thrill, the six girls will also be part of two Pro-Am teams competing in the star-studded Ricoh Women’s British Open at Kingsbarns Golf Links on Tuesday 1 August, offering them a superb opportunity to gain valuable experience in a professional environment. Paul Bush, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “Hearing the story of how the girls got together with the aim of playing in the 2019 PING Junior Solheim Cup really inspired us and underlined the very reason we worked so hard to bring The 2019 Solheim Cup to Scotland. We are delighted they are joining the team in Des Moines to celebrate the moment that Scotland becomes the next host nation of The Solheim Cup and we look forward to following their journey over the next few years on the road to Gleneagles.”

Following the inception of the #Project19 Whatsapp group, Scottish Golf identified players who have come through national programmes to benefit from such a life-changing opportunity. The players will stay in accommodation with the rest of the Team Scotland party and take away lifelong memories , underlining The Scottish Government’s stated ambition to use The 2019 Solheim Cup to help grow golf among younger age groups and increase participation.

Blane Dodds, CEO at Scottish Golf, said: “These are likely to be experiences the girls will never forget. We are sure they will soak up the atmosphere and environment of which they will be part of and further inspire them to go on and achieve great things with their golf, as well as hopefully inspiring other young girls in Scotland to take up golf when they hear about the excitement of the Solheim Cup.” Ivan Khodabakhsh, CEO of the Ladies European Tour, said: “The LET is committed to developing the junior game and helping young people, in particular girls, to achieve their dreams. I cannot think of a more inspiring or valuable learning experience than attending The Solheim Cup and meeting the stars of the European team and this is indeed a very special, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wish all six of the Scottish Golf Academy players the best of luck in achieving their objective: to compete for Europe against the United States in the 2019 PING Junior Solheim Cup at Gleneagles.”

The Scottish Government and VisitScotland have been long-time supporters of the women’s game having partnered with the Ricoh Women’s British Open for many years and, this year, significantly enhanced the Aberdeen Asset Ladies Scottish Open as it becomes a co-sanctioned LET and LPGA event for the first time. Scottish Golf is also working hard to grow female participation at all ages in Scotland, notably through the successful ClubGolf and Get into Golf programmes.

The 2019 Solheim Cup, incorporating the PING Junior Solheim Cup, is to be staged at Gleneagles from 9 – 15 September and will also not only showcase the stunning assets of Scotland, the Home of Golf, but also build on the legacy of the successful 2014 Ryder Cup at the renowned Perthshire venue.

JORDAN SPIETH TO DEFEND EMIRATES AUSTRALIAN OPEN TITLE AT THE AUSTRALIAN GOLF CLUB Dual champion Jordan Spieth is coming back to defend his Emirates Australian Open title.

American Spieth, the world No.3 fresh off his 10th career US PGA Tour victory, is the first big name to commit to what promises to be an impressive field for the national championship at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney from November 23-26.

The 23-year-old Texan won the Emirates Australian Open at The Australian in 2014 with a stellar 63 on the final day, and narrowly missed a playoff at the same venue in 2015 when he finished tied second with Adam Scott, a shot behind Matt Jones. But he renewed his acquaintance with the Stonehaven Cup at Royal Sydney last November when he triumphed in a thrilling playoff against Ash Hall and Cam Smith.

Seeking his third Australian title at a venue that he readily acknowledges helped propel him all the way to two major championships in 2015 and the world No.1 ranking, Spieth is eager to return.

“I have really enjoyed my visits to Sydney and can’t wait to get back in November,'' Spieth said.

“I look back at the win in 2014 at The Australian, which is a great memory, and it definitely helped build momentum for a successful 2015.

“After coming so close again in 2015, it was great to get the Stonehaven Cup back last year.”

“The Emirates Australian Open seems to grow in stature among the world’s players every year and I really enjoy playing in front of the enthusiastic galleries in Sydney. It should be a great test again – I can’t wait.”

Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt welcomed the news.

“Jordan is one of the greatest players in today’s game and has proven to be exceptionally popular with audiences in Australia and around the globe,” Pitt said. “He has been a great champion and ambassador of the Emirates Australian Open and, if you think back to his late charge in 2015, he could easily be playing for his fourth title in a row.

“We are really delighted that he is coming back again and think that he will form part of a very formidable line-up we’re building for fans at The Australian.”

Mark Hardess, Australian Open tournament director for promoter Lagardère Sports, said Spieth’s return was great for the championship as it continued to build its international reputation.

“It’s terrific having a player of Jordan’s calibre back to defend his crown,” Hardess said. “The tournament is already global, but his presence again makes it a must-watch event around the golfing world.”

The Emirates Australian Open is a flagship tournament on the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia. The winner will receive a minimum of 32 Official World Golf Ranking points.

The event will be telecast all four days on Sky Sports Golf.

THE ASIAN TOUR BECOMES AN AFFILIATE OF THE R&A St Andrews, Scotland: The Asian Tour has become an affiliate of The R&A enabling both bodies to work more closely together to support the development of golf in Asia.

The R&A will provide support over three years towards the Asian Tour’s developmental tour and will engage with the tour on Rules education and development projects. The tour will now also be represented at The R&A’s quadrennial International Golf Conference in St Andrews.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We are delighted that the Asian Tour has become affiliated to The R&A and look forward to supporting its efforts to assist more elite amateur players to make the step-up to the professional ranks.

“One of our goals in Asia is to create more pathways for talented young players to emerge and strengthening our partnership with the tour will enable us to provide greater support in this important aspect of the sport.”

Josh Burack, Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Tour, said, “In 2010 we set up the Asian Development Tour and since then it has expanded to over 20 tournaments per annum. The ADT provides a tremendous pathway onto our main tour and the world stage of golf.

“Working with The R&A will help us to secure some playing slots for top amateur players in Asia to compete against our professionals on the ADT. We will also receive support from them in enhancing the expertise of our Rules officials and we are proud of this partnership as we further promote and strengthen golf in Asia.”

The Asian Tour will join The R&A’s global network of more than 150 affiliates to promote and develop golf in accordance with the official Rules of Golf and the Rules of Amateur Status. The Asian Tour is the first tour outside Europe to become an R&A affiliated body. It joins the European Tour and Ladies European Tour which are existing R&A affiliates.

Image: The R&A. From left Nick Shan, The R&A; Duncan Weir, The R&A; Dominic Wall, The R&A; Josh Burack, Asian Tour CEO; Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A; Jimmy Masrin, Asian Tour Chairman, Charles Harrison, The R&A; Cho Minn Thant, Asian Tour COO.

AMATEUR DRAMATICS FROM LOCKE IN STORMING PRESTWICK SUCCESS Banchory’s Sam Locke emulated the achievement of Colin Montgomerie 30 years ago to storm to glory in the Scottish Men’s Amateur Championship at Prestwick. The 18-year-old achieved his biggest success in the game after a thumping 9&8 win over Anglo-Scot Ryan Lumsden from Royal Wimbledon, sealing an automatic spot in the Scotland side for the Men’s Home Internationals.

The last winner to achieve such a margin of victory in the 36-hole final was Ryder Cup stalwart Montgomerie at Nairn in 1987, when he defeated fellow Ayrshireman Alasdair Watt. Locke, a former Scotland Boys’ international and part of the Paul Lawrie Foundation, raced to a five-up lead after nine holes as Lumsden, 20, struggled to five over par to the turn. Locke, who is coached by his dad, Andrew, then birdied five of the last eight holes to remarkably lead 10 up at lunch, an advantage he was unlikely to ever lose.

When Locke’s tee shot came back off the wall at the 19th rather than going out of bounds, Lumsden surely knew it wasn’t his day. The Royal Wimbledon member battled back to eight down at the 23rd, helped with an eagle at the 21st, but back-to-back birdies from Locke at the 24th and 25th virtually ended the contest. With Locke placed outside the top 1,000 in the world amateur golf rankings, it was a notable scalp for the north-east player. Lumsden, after all, has performed well at Northwestern University in the US, represented Scotland last month at the European Amateur Team Championship and is placed inside the world’s top 200.

Locke, victorious from a 264-player field at this year’s new-look event, said: “Montgomerie is not a bad guy to follow in the footsteps of! I wouldn’t mind his career. I played really solid this morning, didn’t really do much wrong and holed a few putts. Whenever you do that you are going to be pretty hard to beat in matchplay.

“It’s nice to finally get a big win under my belt and hopefully I can kick on from here and enjoy more success. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing and practice hard.” On his support from 1999 Open champion Lawrie, he added: “Paul has been brilliant for me, since I was about 14. He got me into his Foundation and has helped me with all parts of my game, as well as the mental side. It’s great to pick up the phone and ask him anything when I need to.

“Banchory have also been brilliant, done a lot for me as a club since a young age and it was great to have people down supporting me today, including my dad.” Lumsden, who will join Locke in the Home Internationals side bound for Moortown, rued his poor start and said: “It was just one of those days. I didn’t hit it as good as I’ve hit it this week and I found myself in the semi rough a lot of times and did a poor job of controlling the ball from there.

“My putting was also very poor, and Sam played just great golf. He made every putt he looked at, it seemed like, and shot a great score in the morning. In the afternoon, I was mentally a little better and more aggressive but it was his day. The score says it all and he deserved to win.

He was better than me today.” It was the 90th staging of the Scottish Amateur, with Locke joining a winners’ list that also includes Ronnie Shade, Charlie Green, Stephen Gallacher, Andrew Coltart, Dean Robertson and, more recently, David Law and Grant Forrest.

Prestwick, the first host of The Open Championship in 1860, was in terrific shape for the event, along with neighbours Prestwick St Cuthbert for the 36-hole strokeplay qualifying. Prestwick staged the championship for the ninth time, with John Gallagher the last winner at the venue in 2007.

ENGLAND WIN THE 2017 BOYS HOME INTERNATIONALS AT ST ANNES OLD LINKS 10 August 2017, St Annes Old Links, England: England were crowned the 2017 Boys Home Internationals champions today with a 100% record after winning all three matches against Ireland, Scotland and Wales at St Annes Old Links. Derek Hughes’ side successfully defended the trophy which they won at Ballyliffin in Ireland last year and England have now won the under-18 team event 16 times since 1996. An English victory was sealed during the morning foursomes against Scotland when they took a 4-1 lead, while Wales, who had held a slim chance of catching them, lost their foursomes against Ireland by the same margin.

KEY QUOTES Derek Hughes (Captain, England) "I'm obviously very pleased. The boys have done very well and the new boys Robin Williams and Joe Pagdin have done very well. It's not just winning the games it's how they've fitted into the squad. This is a great competition and Joe, who's 15, coming over from Florida, he's never experienced anything like this before. He's absolutely loved it, the whole thing.

The course has been very good. It's in really good condition. We had that heavy rain on Tuesday when the greenkeepers did a great job. When the boys got back out on the course after the rain delay it was excellent. It's a good venue and everything about the week has been first class."

Gordon Watt (Captain, Scotland) "From Scotland's point of view it's been a bit disappointing. With the Irish match we sneaked a draw and we threw it away a bit against Wales. We always knew we were going to be up against it with England, who are a very strong team. We let it slip in the foursomes but then came back strongly in the singles. Our two 13-year-olds Callum Scott and Aidan O'Hagan have been superb. We were expecting one or two points from them but they've excelled themselves. Great for the team and kept a smile on everyone's face. We just haven't been good enough round the greens. Nothing to do with the greens they're beautiful greens and the whole course is in great condition.”

Despite the main prize having gone, Scotland restored some pride in the afternoon singles which they won 6-4, although narrowly losing the contest 8-7 overall. Scotland got their first singles point on the board when Callum Bruce beat Ben Jones 4&2. Bruce, who had had to miss Wednesday's play with a stomach upset, was three up with three to play when he hit a 6-iron to 4ft at the short 16th. Jones was in an awkward lie in a greenside bunker, splashed out over the green and when he missed his chip, conceded the hole and the match. Toby Briggs beat Darren Howie 2&1 to level the afternoon’s proceedings for England and Charlie Strickland beat Eric McIntosh by one hole, having been four up with five to play, to put his side ahead. Then Alex Fitzpatrick extended the lead with a 4&3 victory over Greg Dalziel.

England's Joe Pagdin and Robin Williams, who both went into the final singles with five wins out of five under their belts, both had their 100 per cent records broken when they lost on the 18th by one hole as the Scots fought back. Pagdin was beaten by Jack Broun, while Williams fell to 13-year-old Calum Scott, who was chalking up his fifth victory in six matches.

Conor Gough, England's youngest player at 14, beat another Scot, 13-year-old Aidan O'Hagan, 3&1 to put the host nation 4-3 ahead but then Scotland won the last three matches of the afternoon: John Paterson beat Jack Cope 4&3, Marc Watt beat Thomas Plumb 3&2 and Lewis Irvine beat Harry Goddard 2&1. Ireland finished on a high against Wales winning six of the ten afternoon singles and the match overall 10-5.

John Brady got the first point on the board for Ireland with a 6&5 win over Thomas Matthews. Then George Bryant got a point for Wales beating Reece Black 4&2, before Ireland went ahead again when Mark Power beat Luke Harries 3&2 and Jack Hearn beat Ben Hicks 2&1. Wales hit back with wins for James Ashfield by 2&1 over Robert Moran and Sean Davies, who beat Aaron Marshall 3&2 to level the scores at 3-3. But then Charlie Denvir beat Tom Peet 3&1, Jack Doherty beat Harry Frazer by one hole and Ross Kelly beat Jack Cade 3&2 to take Ireland clear. Aled Grenville got a consolation win for Wales in the final match beating Raymond Cameron 2&1.

England will defend the Boys Home Internationals title in Scotland where the round-robin event will be played at Royal Dornoch from 7-9 August 2018.

St Andrews Magazine presents the

AWARDS IN THE CATEGORIES OF WORLD MEN’S GOLFER OF THE YEAR SHOT OF THE YEAR

WORLD WOMEN’S GOLFER OF THE YEAR EVENT OF THE YEAR

COMING IN THE NEXT EDITION

Renato Paratore launches 2018 Junior Ryder Cup at Disneyland Paris

European Tour winner Renato Paratore has paid a special visit to Disneyland Paris to launch the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup. The 20 year old, twice a Junior Ryder Cup player in 2012 and 2014, arrived at the world-famous venue in time to hit a spectacular tee shot down Disneyland Paris Main Street U.S.A..

For the first time, on 24-25 September 2018, Golf Disneyland will play host to the tournament, which showcases the next generation of golfing stars and is a celebration of the development work undertaken at grassroots level on both sides of the Atlantic to promote this sport to the younger generation and the wider public.

The venue, located East of the French capital on the grounds of Disneyland Paris, will add to the familyorientated atmosphere of the tournament which was established as an international showcase for golf’s next generation and to acknowledge the work of the different Federations in developing their youth programmes.

The site offers a prestigious Championship golf course, which has already proven its pedigree by hosting major events, including a European Challenge Tour event back in 1993. In 2011 Golf Disneyland also hosted another Challenge Tour event, the Challenge de France.

The resort has outstanding support facilities and is situated 60 kilometres from Le Golf National, the host venue of the 2018 Ryder Cup. Like The Ryder Cup, the Junior Ryder Cup is a biennial contest between Europe and America, but with each team consisting of six boys and six girls under the age of 18.

Paratore, who became the youngest winner on the European Tour for four seasons when he triumphed at the Nordea Masters last month, has gone from competing in the Junior Ryder Cup to the top of the professional game in just three years.

Having made such a sharp rise since joining the paid ranks, the Italian acknowledges the role the Junior Ryder Cup played in his transition from promising amateur to European Tour champion.

“It was a great experience for me,” he said. “To have the opportunity to represent Europe and to play against some of the leading players in the world when I was a teenager was brilliant.

To play in such a big tournament at an early age and to be selected twice as well, really prepared me for the type of challenges I would face when I turned professional. I have lots of good memories of Disneyland Paris too.

I came here with my mother when I was a child, but I’ve also been here before with my Junior Ryder Cup team mates – we had a lot of fun! I haven’t had the chance to play the golf course here, but I’ve heard lots of good things about it – and I’m sure the teams will really enjoy playing here next year.”

The 2018 Junior Ryder Cup will be the tenth staging of the event which has seen some of the world’s greatest players pass through its ranks.

Reigning Masters Tournament champion Sergio Garcia played in the 1995 exhibition match, and four years later was a member of Europe’s Ryder Cup Team in Brookline.

Two-time Major winner Suzann Pettersen took part in both the 1997 and 1999 editions of the Junior Ryder Cup, while four-time Major champion Rory McIlroy formed part of the victorious European side of 2004.

Hunter Mahan, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Lexi Thompson are some of the global stars who have represented the United States team – who have won six of the ten meetings between the two sides.

Coming next year

THE JUNIOR EDITION Junior Ryder Cup Preview

Disneyland Paris: Where Dreams Come True Feature on Junior Golf at the New Golf Club, St Andrews Golf Club, St Regulus Ladies Golf Club, St Andrews Children’s Golf Club and SALJGA 10 best Family Activities in St Andrews Coverage of the St Andrews Boy’s Open and St Andrews Junior Ladies Open

Best Children’s Food in St Andrews The Balgove Course Craigtoun Country Park

ROLEX SERIES rejuvenates the European Tour and Race to Dubai set for thrilling conclusion

The new Rolex Series, which has been described as, “one of the most significant advancements in the Tour’s 45 years”, commenced at the BMW PGA Championship, at Wentworth Club, UK, on Thursday, 25 May 2017.

Featuring the eight most prestigious tournaments on the European Tour’s International Schedule, the Rolex Series celebrates the highest quality of golf and the global spirit of the game; shared values of European Tour and Rolex, which celebrate a 20-year partnership in 2017. Rolex’s association with the pinnacle of golf includes partnerships with the most esteemed organizations and tournaments in the sport.

Rolex Director of Communication & Image, Arnaud Boetsch, said: “For 50 years, Rolex has been intimately linked to the world of golf, and the Rolex Series represents an ambitious commitment to continue our unwavering support of the game, and of the European Tour. “It is fitting that this exciting new initiative should begin at the European Tour’s home at Wentworth Club, at an event where the Rolex family of golf Testimonees have celebrated 11 victories to date.

“As we celebrate the commencement of the inaugural Rolex Series event, we extend our support to all our Testimonees, and other European Tour members, contesting this milestone event.” The 50-year relationship between Rolex and golf has evolved through pivotal partnerships, such as its longstanding support of the European Tour, which have further cemented Rolex’s place at the heart of the game.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “Rolex has, for a very long time now, been at the forefront of our sport and is a valued partner of the European Tour. Twenty years in and it is exciting to see our partnership strengthened even further by the development of the Rolex Series.

“By taking this innovative new concept to our most prestigious tournaments around the globe, we are raising the bar in professional golf and at the BMW PGA Championship we look forward to welcoming the world’s best players to this new premium tournament category.”

Beyond its involvement with golf and its partnership with the European Tour, Rolex is renowned worldwide for precision, performance, reliability, and uncompromising quality – and these are all the hallmarks of the eight events which make up the Rolex Series. The impact upon the Race to Dubai this year has been massive, and in addition to the Majors and World Golf Championships, have seen the cream of worldwide golf rise to the top as we head into the final stretch of the 2017 season. Following the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews the European Tour will head to Milan for the biggest ever edition of the Italian Open. As part of Italy’s winning bid for the 2022 Ryder Cup, the national open will offer a prize fund of $7million, and will give many of the chasing pack the opportunity to get closer to the Race to Dubai number one, Tommy Fleetwood.

The Italian Open is set to become one of European Golf’s great events, building upon over 90 years of history. The 74th edition will see the strongest field in the tournament’s history as many of Europe’s best aim to join the likes of Lyle, Norman, Alliss, Cotton, Langer, McDowell, Poulter and Molinari on the trophy. Prior to 2017 the Italian Open was definitely the poor relation in Italian sporting events, with the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix and the ATP World Tour Italian Open standing alone as the biggest weeks of sport in Italy.

After Italy, the European Tour returns to Valderrama for the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by The Sergio Foundation. Sergio Garcia played host to the Spanish Open last year, also played at Valderrama, and if he can have the same impact upon the national championship of Spanish golf as Rory McIlroy has had with the Irish Open, then a resurgence in Spanish tournament golf could take place.

John Rahm will play his first professional tournament in his homeland, and the iconic course at the Valderrama Golf Club is sure to attract many of Europe’s best to compete. Valderrama once again takes its place as the final stop in mainland Europe on the Race to Dubai.

The WGC-HSBC Champions is sure to play a pivotal role in the Race to Dubai, with all of the leading contenders for the Harry Vardon Trophy competing at Sheshan International. The $9.75million World Golf Championship counts for both the PGA Tour and European Tour, so many dual members will be playing in Shanghai. European Tour members have dominated the event since its inception in 2005, with David Howell, Sergio Garcia, Francesco Molinari, YE Yang, Martin Kaymer and Ian Poulter winning the tournament known as Asia’s Major.

The Turkish Airlines Open is the first of three consecutive ROLEX SERIES events which conclude the European Tour season, and despite the social strife in the country, this tournament continues to attract a strong field. The Nedbank Golf Challenge offers a prize of $7.5million to an expanded field of 72 golfers as the event continues to grow on the world stage. Known as ‘Africa’s Major’ the tournament is celebrating 36 years since its inception in 1981 and will play a massive role in the Race to Dubai.

For the ninth time, the DP World Tour Championship will conclude the European Tour season and after a season in which the ROLEX SERIES launched, allied to strong European Tour performances in the World Golf Championships and Majors, this edition could be the most compelling of all.

As of 5 September 2017, TOMMY FLEETWOOD holds a lead of just under 1 million points from SERGIO GARCIA. The Masters Champion will need a very strong finish to overtake the Englishman, but with many points on offer in the last ten events on the Race to Dubai, anything is still possible. JOHN RAHM and RAFA CABRERA-BELLO complete the Spanish Armada chasing Fleetwood.

The next three players on the Race to Dubai need wins in the biggest events remaining to have any chance going to Dubai and claiming the number one spot.

ALEX NOREN won the first ROLEX SERIES event but has struggled to live up to his stunning 2016, however he found form at this time last year and wins in the OMEGA European Masters, British Masters and Nedbank Golf Challenge would really put the cat among the pigeons, as he did last year.

As of 5 September 2017, TOMMY FLEETWOOD holds a lead of just under 1 million points from SERGIO GARCIA. The Masters Champion will need a very strong finish to overtake the Englishman, but with many points on offer in the last ten events on the Race to Dubai, anything is still possible. JOHN RAHM and RAFA CABRERA-BELLO complete the Spanish Armada chasing Fleetwood.

THE ROLEX SERIES SO FAR The ROLEX SERIES launched with the BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, at a re-modelled West Course at Wentworth in May. The $7million purse championship was won by Sweden’s ALEX NOREN, who shot a stunning Sunday 62 to come from seven shots behind in the final round and claim his 9 th European Tour title.

Field Strength in 2016: 273

Field Strength in 2017: 329

TOMMY FLEETWOOD won the HNA OPEN DE FRANCE by a single shot, his second victory this season after picking up the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship in January. The win took him to the top of the Race to Dubai, a spot he has held ever since.

Field Strength in 2016: 235

Field Strength in 2017: 270

Spain’s JOHN RAHM marked his full European Tour debut with a stunning win at Portstewart in the DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH OPEN. The win was his second worldwide victory of 2017 after claiming the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour in January. A final round of 65 gave him a commanding six shot victory.

Field Strength in 2016: 280

Field Strength in 2017: 288

The ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT SCOTTISH OPEN at Dundonald Links was won in dramatic fashion by another Spaniard, RAFAEL CABRERA-BELLO. The Ryder Cup star hit a stunning 3 wood to the par five 18th, the first playoff hole against Callum Shinkwin, making birdie to collect his third European Tour title.

Field Strength in 2016: 268

Field Strength in 2017: 342

All four ROLEX SERIES tournaments have seen a marked increase in field strength compared to 2016 before the ROLEX SERIES existed, something which can only be a positive as far as the European Tour is concerned.

Data: Official World Golf Ranking

Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal’s inspirational play and loyalty to the European Tour enabled the Tour to reach new heights and without them and other iconic Major Champions the ROLEX SERIES may well not exist

David Cannon/Getty Images via Rolex SA

ITALIAN OPEN 12-15 October 2017

As part of Italy’s winning bid to host the 2022 Ryder Cup, the Italian Open, one of Europe’s oldest national Open Championships, will carry a purse of $7million and be the fifth event in the ROLEX SERIES. During the bid process and since it was successful, the tournament has grown gradually, with bigger crowds each year and stronger fields. This year the tournament returns to Golf Club Milano in Monza, the site of the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix.

First Played in 1925 the Italian Open has been on the European Tour schedule every year since the tour launched in 1972. Legendary Belgian Flory Van Donck holds the joint record with four wins alongside Auguste Boyer, with the likes of Sandy Lyle, Ian Poulter and Sam Torrance having two wins apiece.

Other champions include Henry Cotton, Peter Alliss, Peter Thomson, Tony Jacklin, Peter Oosterhuis, Billy Casper, Dale Hayes, Brian Barnes. Mark James, Bernhard Langer, Manuel Pinero, Greg Norman, David Feherty, Ronan Rafferty, Craig Parry and Graeme McDowell.

The defending champion is Italy’s most successful ever golfer, Francesco Molinari, who defeated Danny Willett by a shot in 2016. The win was his second and first for ten years in the Italian Open.

The championship has been played on 25 different courses across Italy.

ANDALUCIA VALDERRAMA MASTERS HOSTED BY THE SERGIO FOUNDATION 26-29 October 2017

Valderrama returns to the European Tour schedule for the second consecutive season after hosting the Spanish Open last year. Sergio Garcia will play host to the Andalucia Valderrama Masters, and the event will be the final on European soil for 2017. Valderrama was for many years, the final event on the European Tour, with the VOLVO MASTERS bringing the season to a dramatic conclusion. The 1997 Ryder Cup venue has featured fleetingly on the schedule since the final edition of the Volvo Masters, but with the support of The Sergio Foundation, it appears this once great destination in world golf, is back to stay. Host to the first two editions of what was the WGC-American Express Championship, Valderrama has seen most of the greatest golfers of the last thirty years compete for glory over its magnificent, bewildering 18 holes. Accuracy and shot making, not length, are keys to success around this 6,991-yard masterpiece in Sotogrande. Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell, Andrew Johnstone, Tiger Woods, Mike Weir, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Sandy Lyle and Nick Faldo have all won around Valderrama, a course which played host to the first Ryder Cup played on Mainland Europe.

Given the heritage of Spain playing host to the very first European Tour event in 1972, the Spanish Open being one of Europe’s great events and Valderrama being such an important venue in the development of the tour since the 1980’s, I would be massively surprised if this event isn’t elevated to ROLEX SERIES status in the coming years.

The country, the course and the history deserve that status.

WGC-HSBC CHAMPIONS 2-5 November 2017

The final World Golf Championship of 2017 is sure to play a pivotal role in determining the shape of the Race to Dubai heading to the final event, with $9.75million on offer and all of the leading contenders for the European Tour’s season-long prize playing at Sheshan International.

The Masters Champion, Sergio Garcia, won the first ever Race to Dubai event at the 2008 HSBC Champions and could overtake Fleetwood with victory in China. The field is sure to be strong with the likes of Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka set to be in contention,

Sheshan International plays host to the tournament for the 11th time, and the 8th time since it was elevated to World Golf Championships status in 2009. Mission Hills hosted the 2010 event.

TURKISH AIRLINES OPEN 9-12 November 2017

From the very beginning the Turkish Airlines Open had designs on being one of the most important events at the conclusion of the European Tour season. The pre-curser to the event was the 2012 World Golf Finals, featuring an 8-player field and head-to-head strokeplay matches including Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy. In the following year the Turkish Airlines Open made its debut, and now in its fifth year, the tournament is still vital to the conclusion of the season. $7million is on offer as a ROLEX SERIES event, and the Carya Golf Resort plays host for a second consecutive season, with its unique rooftop tee just one of many aspects which make the venue and the tournament special.

Frenchman Victor Dubuisson has won the title twice, and Thorbjorn Olesen is the defending champion of a tournament which was 2017 US Open Champion Brooks Koepka’s first European Tour win.

NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE 16-19 November 2017

The Nedbank Golf Challenge is set to become one of the most important events on the European Tour, with a $7.5million prize fund and being the penultimate event on the Race to Dubai.

Alex Noren will hope to defend the title he won so spectacularly in 2016, as the cream of European and South African golf do battle in ‘Africa’s Major’. The tournament and course has undergone a transformation since it became a European Tour event five years ago, and has continued to provide golf fans around the world with great moments of drama.

From Johnnie Miller winning the first edition in a playoff against Seve Ballesteros in 1981 this event has been one of the iconic winter golf tournaments, and from that moment, almost every great name in worldwide golf has either won or played in the tournament. Ballesteros, Floyd, Langer, Woosnam, Price, Faldo, Pavin,, Els, Garcia, Goosen, Furyk, Immelman, Stenson, Kaymer and Willett are major champions to have won at Sun City, Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie have also won multiple times here.

With a first prize of $1.25million the Race to Dubai could take another late twist if one of the chasing pack takes the title.

DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP 23-26 November 2017

And so, to Dubai. The European Tour’s long association with the Emirate is crystalized here, with the season-ending DP WORLD Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates. The Earth Course plays host to the finale to the season, and the race is usually not won until the final hole is navigated. The Par Five has already provided many moments of drama in the eight previous editions of the championship.

It is fair to say that this championship is now the flagship event of the European Tour, with the best 60 available players from a long season competing to take the final title of the season, and the year-long Race to Dubai determined here as well.

It takes something very special to be European Tour number one – you either have to be a Major Champion or World Number One. Since 2000 only Colin Montgomerie and Robert Karlsson have broken this trend, with Lee Westwood (World Number One), Ernie Els (World Number One and Four Majors), Retief Goosen (Two Majors), Padraig Harrington (Three Majors), Justin Rose (One Major), Martin Kaymer (World Number One and Two Majors), Luke Donald (World Number One), Rory McIlroy (World Number One and Four Majors) and Henrik Stenson (One Major) having held the Harry Vardon Trophy as Europe’s best.

The DP WORLD Tour Championship, formerly the Dubai World Championship, has been won by Lee Westwood, Alvaro Quiros, Robert Karlsson, Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Matt Fitzpatrick. The Race to Dubai has been clinched at this event in five of eight years it has been contested.

THE BROADCASTING OF GOLF Sky launches SKY SPORTS GOLF, but BBC returns to the sport with PGA Championship coup; social media set to transform the way golf is shown

Story by Matt Hooper

Kevin Kirk/Recounter

23 years after the launch of the GOLF Channel in the United States, the UK finally got its first dedicated golf network this summer with the launch of SKY SPORTS GOLF. On July 18, Sky Sports unveiled a total restructuring of the way in which it broadcasts sport. Since its launch in 1992 Sky has used numbered channels, to showcase all sports to a wider audience. Its schedules have and still are dominated by Football, specifically the Premier League. However, the fight for second place in Sky Sports’ priorities has always been led by Golf.

There are sports specific channels for PREMIER LEAGUE, FOOTBALL, CRICKET, FORMULA 1 and GOLF; sports such as Rugby, Tennis, Darts, Athletics, Boxing, GAA, NFL and Darts will be found across two channels – Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Action. And all the best live sport will be found on Sky Sports Main Event, with even more on Sky Sports Mix with all the news on Sky Sports News.

In addition to the restructuring of how Sky shows sport it has restructured how its subscribers are charged for the privilege., making it more attractive and affordable for viewers which wish to see a specific sport, whilst retaining the option of seeing it all.

Changing from numbered channels to sport-specific channels has been speculated upon for many years for Sky, especially as they predominantly broadcast

Football, Golf, Rugby and Cricket. However, it is something they have not done until now, and with strong competition from BT they had to do something to give the sports which are important to them and their viewers the spotlight they needed.

Rugby and Tennis have lost out in terms of their own channel, primarily down to the competition from BT and Eurosport, who each own a significant number of rights to Rugby and Tennis respectively.

Golf has always taken up a considerable amount of Sky’s broadcast hours each year, with the sport playing a huge role in their drive into High Definition and 3D broadcasting over the last 20 years.

Pretty much since day one, Sky has shown an unwavering commitment to broadcasting golf and now the sport has its own channel, giving it an even greater platform to connect with its hardcore fans, whilst growing its audience through additional and simultaneous coverage on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Mix and Now TV. Sky essentially began by streaming a live feed of the US Open from the host broadcaster ABC in 1991, augmented by comment and analysis from Richard Keys and Ewen Murray, but soon the true value of live sport and golf resonated with the hierarchy of Sky. In 1993, they broadcast the entire Volvo European Tour for the first time, along with the PGA Tour and installed

David Livingstone as the lead presenter. “Someone at

Sky recognized that this was a product that could be shown in prime time. In their wisdom they decided to choose me to present it and it was kind of embarrassing for a while. I knew about golf but I hadn’t worked on it at all.” Livingstone says, the Scot has now become arguably the standard-bearer for how to present golf on television, and Sky has become the standard-bearer for how to broadcast and produce a golf tournament.

Sky’s coverage quickly evolved from ‘showing’ events to broadcasting them, and shaping the way in which their viewers saw the sport. This really began when they first broadcast on site at the 1995 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, this was quickly followed by the 1996 US Open at Oakland Hills and the two US Majors would become the bedrock of Sky’s yearly coverage of world golf.

In 1995 they won the rights to the Ryder Cup for the first time, and quickly set about making the event their own. They became the first broadcaster to screen the event in its entirety, and the event has never looked back.

“It is almost as if the Ryder Cup and Sky’s coverage of the Ryder Cup has grown in a parallel way. Every time we have done a Ryder Cup we have tried to do something new and I think everyone involved with the

Ryder Cup has tried to do whatever they can to make the event bigger and better.”

“It is more than just a sporting event now, it is a kind of a world occasion. It transcends life. What we were trying to do was to appeal to a wider audience and show them that golf can be interesting in all kinds of ways.”

“There is just no comparison between what we did in 1995 and what we do now” David Livingstone says.

Unrivalled coverage of the Ryder Cup, ever-expanding coverage of the US Open and PGA Championship, continued and enhanced coverage of the European and PGA Tours, and coverage of the women’s game, but for Sky the holy grail was the two BBC Majors.

In 2010 Augusta National Golf Club announced that Sky Sports had been awarded the UK Broadcasting rights to The Masters Tournament, ending the BBC’s stranglehold on the most iconic tournament in the sport. In 2011 Sky launched the new era with wall-towall coverage of The Masters on Sky Sports 4, featuring Official Masters Movies, specially produced documentaries and bonus coverage to augment the broadcast feed.

It was a monumental moment for everyone who had worked for Sky Sports’ golf team in the previous 20 years. “Of course, I was thrilled. Sky had in the past

tried to add the Masters to its impressive portfolio of world events and eventually, because of its excellent production values, alongside innovative coverage, the Masters graced our screens” said Sky Sports’ lead commentator, Ewen Murray.

Then, after four years of successfully broadcasting The Masters, Sky achieved the holy grail, becoming the exclusive, live broadcaster of The Open. Originally scheduled to take over from BBC in 2017, in a joint production with European Tour Productions and NBC/Golf Channel, Sky took over in 2016. Talk about timing! Arguably the greatest final round we have seen in The Open took place, and that, allied with Sky’s unrivalled coverage, enabled The Open to win the BAFTA for Best Sports Production.

The Open was named the winner ahead of BBC's coverage of the Rio Olympics and the Six Nations clash between England and Wales, while the Paralympics on Channel 4 was also nominated.

The first tee shot of the championship was screened live for the first time on British television as Colin Montgomerie got the tournament under way on his home course, while The Open Zone was a hugely popular innovation throughout the week as the world's top players gave insight into their games.

Sky presented its first Open Championship on a specially themed channel – Sky Sports The Open.

Sky Sports The Open took over Sky Sports 4 as a completely Open themed channel for seven days, showing Open Films, Interviews, a new series ‘Chronicles of a Champion Golfer’ and completely unrivalled coverage of the championship itself. With the first tee shot shown live for the very first time.

Sky Sports The Open was the second golf themed channel, following Sky Sports Ryder Cup launch in 2014.

Sky Sports’ Ryder Cup coverage had always taken place on Sky Sports 1, but now an entire channel dedicated to Ryder Cup coverage including live, highlights and ancillary programming, was made available to Sky Sports’ subscribers. Ewen Murray and the team were understandably excited by this: “The

launch of the "Sky Sports Ryder Cup Channel" for the duration either side of and including the match is wonderful news for golf fans. I remember sitting at home as a youngster eagerly awaiting the start of The Masters and there it was, Augusta National in all its glory, then it was straight into the golf, then it was over. It's what we did then.”

“Nowadays, through the innovations Sky Sports are famous for, golfers can now access the pretournament build up, be part of it, and be right up to speed with the interviews, the form of both sides, the course lay out and the views of the two teams and

SKY SPORTS, including the new SKY SPORTS GOLF underwent a complete re-branding in July 2017, with NOMAD STUDIO, based in London, employed to do the work

their Captains. This is the complete Ryder Cup experience.”

Sky Sports Ryder Cup returned in 2016 for the epic match at Hazeltine. Then this May Sky debuted ‘Sky Sports The Players’ a themed channel dedicated to coverage of the PGA Tour’s Players Championship.

Then in July Sky announced its biggest shake-up in channels since it launched multi-channel television in the early 1990’s. Sky Sports Golf was to launch alongside Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Cricket, joining Sky Sports F1 as channels dedicated to one sport. Sky Sports 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 was essentially replaced by Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Arena.

With ALL FOUR MAJORS, THE RYDER CUP and every PGA Tour and European Tour event live on Sky Sports Golf, fans of golf and Sky Sports were understandably excited.

However, just a couple of days after the announcement that Sky Sports Golf was to launch, the PGA of America put a Major spanner in the works.

“We had a good partnership with Sky but the 2017 US PGA Championship will not be on Sky,” said the PGA of America’s chief commercial officer, Jeff Price.

The PGA of America and Sky had one year to run on their deal, but the PGA of America have decided to look

at a new media model for the distribution and broadcast of their championship. This was a blow to Sky’s claim to be the home of the majors.

crystalized by the fact that BT Sport has over 380,000 subscribers to its YouTube channel, and Sky Sports has a little over 7,000.

Then in the days after this blow it emerged that Sky were still to secure the rights to show the 2018 Masters. So, after having it all in 2016, Sky faces only having two of the four men’s majors in 2018. And perhaps even more worryingly their deal for the European Tour, which includes the Ryder Cup, is up at the end of 2018.

There are said to be over 30 million users of YouTube in the UK, and Sky, the PGA of America, Augusta National and the sport of golf could tap into this massive market. YouTube is easily accessed through all devices and used by an increasingly young and diverse demographic.

So what do Sky do to maintain their position as the home of live golf in the UK and tempt Augusta National Golf Club and the PGA of America back?

All sports and their governing bodies are torn between the exposure which terrestrial television offers and the unmatched riches offered by commercial, subscription networks such as Sky. So can Sky offer the best of both and how can they do it?

Social media has tremendous power in the 21st century, and many events across sport are now broadcast on sites such as Facebook and YouTube.

Sky Sports seems to have fallen behind when it comes to use of YouTube, with rival BT Sport offering live simulcasts of its coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League Finals. And it is

With social media channels, such as Twitter, making a move into live sports streaming, Sky could also

stream some of their coverage on Twitter and Facebook. Featured groups have been part of The Open broadcast for over a decade, and this year Sky gave their viewers the chance to vote for the featured group on the first day. This sort of engagement could increase with the use of Twitter and Facebook, with the chance of having different featured groups in the morning and afternoon of the first two days on each channel.

Twitter signed a deal with Sky Sports in the summer of 2016 to show Premier League goals, and Sky Sports’ own Twitter account has nearly 4.5 million followers.

Perhaps the featured groups and the last hour of broadcast coverage could be streamed on both Twitter and Facebook.

An alternative for Sky would be to purchase a terrestrial network, or create one of its own. The most recent addition to the UK terrestrial channels was Channel Five in 1997, and Sky could either look at purchasing Channel Five or lobbying the government to launch ‘Sky’ as a stand-alone, new terrestrial network.

This channel could offer the best of Sky’s subscription channels, with Premier League football on a Friday night, Boxing, Formula 1, Cricket and of course, Golf.

In 1996 the Walt Disney Company purchased ABC television in the United States, and ABC Sports became ESPN on ABC, with the channel’s entire sports production owned by ESPN. This would enable Sky to broadcast the majority of its Major golf on the subscription channel, Sky Sports Golf, but show weekend coverage on ‘Sky’ the terrestrial channel. This would provide the likes of the PGA of America the wider audience it craves, with total access to the UK viewership.

Despite the fact Sky have lost the Masters and PGA, it should be remembered that they previously lost the PGA Tour to Setanta, and gained it back quickly, and their portfolio of live golf is still unrivalled. It should be something golf fans celebrate, having a Golf channel in the UK which offers so much live golf. Sky Sports is very much a part of golf’s present and future.

BBC RETURN TO GOLF WITH LAME PGA CHAMPIONSHIP BROADCAST The BBC were celebrating after they secured the UK rights to show the PGA Championship, after the PGA of America ended their deal with Sky, but if this terrible broadcast is the standard they have set then fans in the UK are in for a miserable time of it. And they know it.

The number of negative comments on social media went into the thousands, and no wonder as the BBC delivered one of the most inept and lame broadcasts golf has seen in many years. Yes, BBC did not have a year to plan their coverage, but the lack of knowledge and insight from their ‘dated’ commentary team leaves a lot to be desired.

They didn’t venture out of the BBC Sport studios in Manchester to even cover the event on site, instead they sent one reporter whose expertise is more Horse Racing than golf.

The claims of golf being free-to-air and its supposed impact upon participation were again banded around, with little or no evidence of this actually being the case. Regardless BBC did not do the final major any justice at all.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP’S SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIMENT COULD BE THE FUTURE Twitter and Give Me Sport took on the role of Social Media broadcast partner to the PGA Championship in the UK, and the initial signs are good in this regard.

Both streamed the host network coverage – with Twitter covering the featured groups and Give Me Sport, on Facebook, covering the main action. Amazon have recently won the rights in the UK for the ATP World Tour, and will stream all Masters 1000, ATP 500 and the World Tour Finals on Amazon Prime from 2018.

A combination of the traditional broadcast format and social media could be used for major events and the tours in the future. With Sky having a presence on all social media platforms it is key that they diversify what and how they offer live golf.

The U.S. Open

Brooks Koepka claims first Major victory at the 117th U.S. Open Championship

Erin Hills, Wisconsin, USA, Monday 19 June 2017 – Brooks Koepka has claimed a historic first Major victory at the 117th U.S. Open Championship, held at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, following an unforgettable final day performance to become the 2017 U.S. Open Champion.

In achieving this landmark victory at the 117th U.S. Open, the 27-year-old joins an exclusive list of golfers to have won the prestigious Major championship. Originating in 1895, the tournament has been won by the game’s undisputed greats, and fellow Rolex Testimonees including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, otherwise known as golf’s “Big Three”.

The most recent Rolex Testimonees to have tasted U.S. Open victory include South African Retief Goosen and Tiger Woods, who claimed five U.S. Open titles between them, as well Martin Kaymer and Jordan Spieth, whose successes came in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

A CHAMPION’S PERFORMANCE Commencing the final day’s play 11-under-par alongside fellow Testimonee Justin Thomas, one shot behind the leader, Koepka made a fast start with birdies on the first and second holes, before holing a 30-foot putt on the eighth, to move to -14 and claim the outright lead. After the turn, following a dropped shot on the challenging tenth hole Koepka showed his class and calmness under pressure by scoring three birdies in a row on holes 14, 15 and 16, moving to a total of 16-under-par – equalling the U.S. Open low-scoring record – and extending his lead to four.

Following his final round, Brooks Koepka, said: “It feels amazing to get my name on this trophy with so many other great names. It’s truly an honour. “It hasn’t even sunk in but I think it will be special. I want to see my family and be with them, and to spend time with everyone who’s played a part in helping me win this.” In achieving this landmark victory at the 117th U.S. Open, the 27-year-old joins an exclusive list of names to have won the prestigious Major championship of the year. Originating in 1895, the championship has been won by the game’s undisputed greats, and fellow Rolex Testimonees including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, otherwise known as golf’s “Big Three”.

Speaking about his peers, and fellow Rolex Testimonees, including Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas, Koepka said: “Those guys are going to win lots of Majors, they’re going to win multiple times, and have unbelievable careers. I think the younger generation that’s coming up right now is really impressive, if you look at the top of the leaderboard, it’s so impressive, and it’s getting that much harder to win.”

Rolex Director of Communication & Image, Arnaud Boetsch, said: “Rolex would like to congratulate Brooks Koepka on his outstanding first victory in the prestigious U.S. Open Championship. “Koepka has been part of the Rolex family since 2015 and this exceptional achievement reflects his steadfast commitment to excellence and superior performance.”

The Open

Jordan Spieth etches name into Open history with victory at Royal Birkdale

Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, Sunday 23 July 2017 – Jordan Spieth performed remarkably to claim victory at The 146th Open, held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, United Kingdom. With this feat, Spieth becomes the Champion Golfer of the Year for the first time in his career.

In achieving this momentous victory, Spieth joins an exclusive list of players to have won the original Major championship in professional golf including legends of the game and fellow Rolex Testimonees Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, known as ‘The Big Three’, and Tom Watson, who claimed an unprecedented five Open titles in nine years. Other Rolex Testimonees to have claimed the coveted title and iconic Claret Jug include Zimbabwean Nick Price in 1994, Tiger Woods in 2000, 2005 and 2006 and Phil Mickelson in 2013. The 146th Open is Spieth’s third Major victory, and the 23-year-old Texan becomes the 18th male player to have won three different Major championships, and is only the second golfer to do so before the age of 24 - the first being fellow Rolex Testimonee Jack Nicklaus.

Following scores of 65, 69 and 65, Spieth carded a final round of 69, with key birdies at holes 14, 16 and 17 plus an eagle at hole 15. As such, he is the first player to shoot in the 60s in every round of any staging of The Open at Royal Birkdale, and is only the sixth player to go wire-to-wire for a victory at The Open, following in the footsteps of fellow Rolex Testimonee Tiger Woods, who achieved the feat in 2005. ’’A DREAM COME TRUE’’ Describing how it feels to have his hands on the Claret Jug, Spieth said: “It’s incredible. This is one of

the most sought-after trophies in the world and the most sought after in our sport. To be able to have my name on it, and already see that, is a dream come true. My last goal now is to try to complete a career Grand Slam.” Were Spieth to achieve this, he would become only the sixth male golfer to have won all four of golf’s modern Majors at any time during their career, joining an elite group that includes fellow Rolex Testimonees Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Rolex Testimonee Brooks Koepka also made a notable impact on the leaderboard, finishing the championship tied in sixth place. The 27-year-old, who recently won his first Major, and Spieth are part of the Rolex New Guard – a new generation of golfers who want to assert their authority on the sport, and inspire future generations of players to follow them.

Rolex Director of Communication & Image, Arnaud Boetsch, said: “Rolex extends its warmest congratulations to Jordan Spieth for his remarkable victory at golf’s original championship. “Jordan Spieth has been an esteemed member of the Rolex family since 2013. The honour of lifting the Claret Jug is a fitting reward for his commitment to individual excellence, as well as his precise and singular performance at The Open.”

RICOH Women’s British Open

Korea’s Kim holds on for breakthrough win at Kingsbarns

IT’S A.O.K. FOR I.K. AT KB AS KOREAN KIM BANISHES MEMORIES OF ANA INSPIRATION WITH STUNNING BRITISH OPEN SUCCESS Kingsbarns, Scotland: In Kyung Kim won the RICOH Women’s British Open by 2 shots from England Jodi Ewart-Shadoff after a day of ups and downs on the links at Kingsbarns.

Once again, the rain came and drove many of the spectators away, but those who did stay had the opportunity to see Kim finally deliver on the promise she showed five years ago in the California desert at the ANA Inspiration. In that week, the 5 foot 3 inch dynamo from South Korea was a picture of consistency, and had a putt to win her first major.

Shockingly she missed from less than a foot and went on to lose to Sun-Young Yoo in the playoff. Everyone was stunned, no more than Kim herself, and it was a big setback for the then 24-year-old. But it served as a way of refocusing her and improving her attitude “Missing a putt is not the worst

thing in the world that could happen in life, and that’s how I tend to look at it. When I make a three-footer I am quite rewarded now, like I don’t take it for granted, either.”

Coming into the final round Kim had a six-shot lead, the biggest since the tournament became an LPGA major in 2001. It was going to take either an incredible charge from the pack or a wobble from Kim, and once again, even in the rain, she demonstrated incredible nerve, poise and focus, getting the job done with a round of 71 to hold off the field and claim her first Major title.

She began in dominating fashion with a wonderful birdie at the first, her shot rolling up to within a couple of feet. It sent the message, loud and clear, that she was not letting up in her quest for the title. This personable, affable young lady has shown a positive attitude all week, in when playing the worst conditions possible, particularly on Friday evening. She kept her game together when it would have been very easy to let one or two shots go.

Pars were only interrupted by a birdie at the par-five eighth to reach 19under-par, and a lone bogey at the par-four ninth. From then on, she continued to play flawless golf, including the shot which could have made all the difference at 17. “17 was into the wind, from 197, and I’m like, it’s not done yet. I’ve been practicing my 5-wood. It’s my new addition to my bag, and it really helped me a lot this week” said Kim. “It was a little bit of a downhill lie, I actually tried to carry the pin. The wind must have been heavy there.”

Her 5-wood shot was despatched at the heart of the green, and the final real piece of trouble which could have cost her the title was navigated. A drive down the right-centre of the fairway allowed her the opportunity to play an approach to the green, and at that moment she could breathe and begin to realise the dream of becoming a major champion.

2-putts later and the dream was reality, and there concluded one of the most amazing performances in major championship history.

Really, I hear you cry!

Yes, really.

Kim hit 46 out of 56 fairways, driving accuracy of 82%; she hit 65 out of 72 greens in regulation (90%) and she avoided every bunker on all four days.

Her four-round total of 270 strokes has only been bettered on two occasions in the history of the Women’s British Open, and her 54-hole score of 199 is the lowest since it became an LPGA Major in 2001.

Then add in the conditions which she faced this week, at times it was truly brutal out there, and on a course which she had not played before this week.

In Kyung Kim arrived in form, but she leaves with fame and the title, and a place in history, the RICOH Women’s British Open champion and the first Major winner over the celebrated Kingsbarns Golf Links. What a week.

KINGSBARNS MAJOR DEBUT IS A UNIVERSALLY ACCLAIMED SUCCESS Kingsbarns, Scotland: When it was first mooted to me last summer during my first ever round of golf at Kingsbarns that the course could finish with the traditional first hole being the eighteenth my initial response was one of horror. Having seen the routing for the Women’s British Open there can be no doubt that the course plays better, in my eyes, in this configuration. The par three first gives players the opportunity to get off to a fast start, but it is by no means a pushover, with the sea to the right and trouble all around the green. It is a perfect spectating hole too for the start of a big tournament.

The traditional eighteenth hole also makes a wonderful seventeenth, with trouble around the green and it takes two good shots to reach it. Kingsbarns also proved to be a wonderful viewing course with brilliant vantage points across the links where multiple holes could be watched, and plenty of space for grandstands and hospitality.

And, despite the truly wretched weather we were treated to for most of the week, the course stood up to the worst that mother nature could throw at it, with only a small delay on the first day throughout the championship. Yes, like any links, if the wind doesn’t blow and the ground is soft then scoring will be low, but at the end of 72 holes the winning margin as only two shots, and Kingsbarns delivered a compelling tournament, with many different stories throughout the week. It also has a wonderful array of risk-reward holes which would be perfect for match play.

The venue also proved capable of staging an event on its own, rather than just being one of three at the Dunhill. This was Kingsbarns’ time to standout and my goodness it did that. Perhaps this will get the people that are in control at Kingsbarns and Cambo Estate think about hosting bigger events in the future.

There is a good chance that the Ryder Cup will not return to the UK for a few years yet, but when it does Kingsbarns should be among the courses in the running, should Scotland decide to bid. Its proximity to St Andrews and other major population centres is superb, and the space it has for infrastructure is almost unrivalled by any other links course apart from St Andrews.

Part of the Cambo Estate, Kingsbarns would have room for far larger and far more hospitality units, with incredible views across the course and out to sea.

For example, adjacent to the ninth hole, thirteenth hole and eighteenth hole make great viewing spots for hospitality. The course has many natural spectator areas but there is plenty of room for increase grandstand seating at the first, second, fourth, fifteenth, sixteenth and eighteenth.

Cambo House itself could play host to any formal events such as the gala dinner, and the fields adjacent to Kingsbarns could be used for car parking, television and media facilities.

The road to hosting a Ryder Cup could see Kingsbarns play host to several other events such as the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and Ladies Scottish Open, the Walker Cup and Curtis Cup. What the future holds for Kingsbarns is anyone’s guess, but after this week it

LET’S GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION: A plan to save the Ladies European Tour Story by Matt Hooper

Images: LET/Tristan Jones, Matt Hooper/St Andrews Magazine

This summer’s RICOH Women’s British Open saw much discussion about the future of the Ladies European Tour, with the schedule whittled down to a measly 15 tournaments in 2017.

The 15 tournaments include two of the five majors – the RICOH Women’s British Open and the EVIAN Championship – with the remaining 13 tournaments offering a combined prize fund of just over €6million, less than one of the European Tour ROLEX Series tournaments. Whilst the LPGA has, and most likely, always will be the dominant tour in the game and the place where the best aspires to play, much more can be done to provide an alternative tour in Europe and to strengthen the circuit for the members.

The tour had as many as 28 tournaments in 2008, but the worldwide economic crash and the resurgence of the LPGA has, in recent years, seen the LET fall back to the level it was at 15 years ago.

Some on the tour are pointing the finger squarely at the CEO Ivan Khodabakhsh, the former CEO of World Series Boxing and Event Director at the European Athletic Association was appointed with great fanfare and optimism in 2012. However, his vision has not come to fruition and the tour is in a far worse state than when he was appointed.

The whole of golf, not just European golf or the Ladies European Tour, would benefit from closer relationships between the various governing bodies within the sport, and integration between the men’s and women’s professional circuits shouldn’t be looked on as a negative for either side.

For Ladies tournament golf in Europe to not just exist, and in fact for it to continue at any meaningful level, the Ladies European Tour is requiring a different vision, it requires a platform, funding and exposure.

For these things to happen the Ladies European Tour needs to become part of the European Tour.

The European Tour already operates the European Tour Race to Dubai, the European Challenge Tour Road to Oman and the European Senior Tour. It makes sense on so many levels for the Ladies European Tour to become a part of the organisation and the structure of the premiere tournament circuit in European golf.

The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and Ladies Scottish Open proved to be a huge success this July when played back-to-back on the same course.

Firstly, hosting the Women’s equivalent event on the same course, with the same sponsor provided the event with greater publicity – golf fans knew when and where the event was taking place, and this helped draw improved spectator numbers to the event.

Secondly the infrastructure was already in place, with grandstands, tented village, hospitality units and media centre all in place.

Thirdly it helped to boost the prize fund the ladies were competing for, because the sponsor saw value in backing both a men’s and women’s event, and helped to attract the LPGA to co-sanction the tournament with the LET and secure a much-improved field.

Finally, it helped provide the event with much improved television coverage, via Sky Sports Golf and the event was also televised on Sky Sports Mix, a free sports channel available to each of Sky’s 12 million plus subscribers.

The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open was just an example of what could be possible for the Ladies European Tour, and the tip of the iceberg for a full-on integration with the European Tour. The R&A/LGU and SGU/SLGA are two examples of such mergers where the women’s game, events and interests have been better served by integration.

Whilst the Ladies European Tour would retain its own identity, it would be fully part of the European Tour, with offices at Wentworth, and a Rolex Series and Race to Dubai, providing synergy with the men’s tour, but also have its own, unique events, Integration would mean two things, more money for the players to play for, and more exposure via the European Tour’s vast

television reach. The Ladies European Tour is potentially a great product, with both the RICOH Women’s British Open and the EVIAN Championship showing the vast potential of both the events and the players on the tour. As well as keeping the Ladies European Tour alive, integration would show golf to be a more inclusive and equal sport than ever before.

ALL FIVE MAJORS – Currently only the Evian Championship and RICOH Women’s British Open count for the Order of Merit, the ANA INSPIRATION, US WOMEN’S OPEN and KPMG WOMEN’S PGA would be added. These would be stand alone, ladies events, with their own courses, infrastructure and television deals.

How would it work?

ANA Inspiration, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, US Women’s Open, RICOH Women’s’ British Open, EVIAN Championship

Majors: (5)

Events The events of the Ladies European Tour would be structured as follows:

EUROPEAN TOUR – 16 of the current European Tour events would add a ladies’ event in the following week.

These events would offer a prize fund of $500,000, would have the same golf course, infrastructure, title sponsor and television platform. The Alfred Dunhill Links could replace amateurs with the members of the Ladies European Tour and golf could have one of the most unique events in sport, with men and women playing as teams and competing on the same courses at the same time for three different titles.

European Tour: $500,000 purses (16) Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic, Maybank Championship, Hero Indian Open, Trophee Hassan II, Volvo China Open, Nordea Masters, Porsche European Open, Made in Denmark, OMEGA European Masters, KLM Open, Portugal Masters, British Masters supported by Sky Sports, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Andalucia Valderrama Masters, Saltire Energy Match Play

ROLEX SERIES – Each of the ROLEX SERIES events on the European Tour would have a Ladies European Tour event, carrying a prize fund of $1.5million, with the Ladies European Tour Championship in Dubai offering $2million.

These events would be played in the week following the European Tour event, on the same course, with the same title sponsor and television platform.

Rolex Series: $1.5m purses (7) HNA Open de France, Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, BMW Championship, Italian Open, Turkish Airlines Open, Nedbank Golf Challenge, Ladies European Tour Championship, DUBAI $2m

LADIES’ ONLY EVENTS – Additional events would be stand-alone, co-sanctioned with other tours or hosted by major names in the ladies’ game. These would be played on their own courses, as stand-alone LET run events, sourcing their own sponsorship and television platform.

Co-sanctioned or ladies only events (6) Oates VIC Open, ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, Mackayson New Zealand Women’s Open, Japan Women’s Open Golf Championship, The Queen’s, Tournament in Norway hosted

by Suzann Pettersen

Television coverage

Why should the European Tour do this?

Why would the European Tour do this?

Coverage and exposure is critical to allowing the Ladies European Tour to flourish, and in Sky Sports Mix and YouTube, Facebook etc they have the perfect platform.

The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open was broadcast primarily on Sky Sports Mix and this gave value for money to sponsors and gave it a potential audience of over 10 million viewers.

For the same reason the continentals joined the British for the Ryder Cup, the sport of golf is far better and healthier because we compete as Europe in the Ryder Cup. The match is a far bigger event and generates greater enthusiasm for golf than any other. If the two tours of Europe join forces it makes the sport better, improves the product week-in-week-out and cuts down on needless spending.

This move would obviously be a win for the Ladies European Tour, but why would the European Tour do it?

They would do it because it shows golf as open, inclusive and accessible, it would show that men’s and women’s sport can work side by side, and women can compete in the same arena as men.

It would boost their sponsor relations and secure events for years to come. It would boost their events, a study showed the Scottish Opens contributed £4million to the local economy in Ayrshire this year. If this was replicated at the 24 events with back-to-back weeks then the European Tour would be an even stronger force for good across Europe and the world.

A St Andrews Christmas

CAMBO: CHRISTMAS FOOD & CRAFT FAIR ST ANDREWS MAGAZINE AWARDS ART AROUND TOWN

A CADDIE’S YEAR ON THE LINKS REVIEW OF THE GOLFING YEAR THE BEAUTY OF CHRISTMAS

ST ANDREW’S DAY WINTER WARMERS CHRISTMAS INTERIORS

GLENEAGLES

DUNHILL REVIEW THE ST ANDREWS STYLE

MAJOR INTERVIEW TO BE CONFIRMED