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Magnificent May
WGC-Cadillac Match Play
THE PLAYERS
Wells Fargo Championship
BMW PGA Championship
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
Our Town’s Super Bowl
RORY
MCILROY On hosting the Irish Open, being Open
Champion and St Andrews
On The Tee
#InsideStAndrews
10 Our Town’s Super Bowl Part 3
21 What’s on Inside St Andrews?
22 25th anniversary of the British Golf
Museum
28 R&A Local Clubs’ Gold Medal
30 Local Clubs’ results
34 The First Day
42 Rory McIlroy interview
53 Irish Open preview
55 Magnificent May
60 Ryder Cup 2022 bid news
64 LPGA news
67 Scotland’s Hidden Gems
An Apology
In editions since July 2014 St Andrews Golf
Magazine has used several images of Rory
McIlroy at The Open Championship along with
other competitors. The use of these images
were requested through the Facebook page of
The Open. Our request was granted on 24 July
2014 and we were requested to give credit to
the R&A.
It has since been brought to our attention by
the R&A that these images must be licensed
through Getty Images. Our future publications
will not include the images used and we offer a
full and unreserved apology to Getty Images. It
was never our intention to infringe on copyright
or ownership of these photographs in any way,
as we believed that permission had been
granted.
We also used logos owned by The Open/R&A
in an inappropriate manner and we again
apologise unreservedly for this.
Co-editors:
Matt Hooper
Colin Donaldson
Images ©: PGA Tour Media, Matt Hooper,
British Golf Museum, Royal and Ancient Golf
Club of St Andrews, Tet Speirs, BMW AG,
Rory McIlroy, Maureen Bryce, History of
Newcastle – County Down Facebook page,
John Boyne, Keith Allison/Flickr, John
Haslam/Flickr, Cathy/Flickr
Images sourced from OMEGA Ltd: Tom
Pennington/Getty, Sam Greenwood/Getty and
Christian Petersen/Getty.
©St Andrews Golf Magazine Ltd 2015
www.standrewsgolfmagazine.com
Welcome to May in
We are now in the final two months of the
countdown to the 2015 Open
Championship in St Andrews, and the
building of grandstands is well under way
across the Old Course.
This month in St Andrews Golf Magazine we
continue our series of major interviews with
winners of The Open, and it is the biggest of
all, Rory McIlroy.
Rory was left trailing in Jordan Spieth’s wake
at Augusta, ending his hopes of completing the
career grand slam in 2015. Now his attention
turns to the rest of the season, including
defending his Claret Jug here in St Andrews,
and hosting the Irish Open at Royal County
Down.
Rory talks about his St Andrews experiences
and shares his pride on hosting his national
Open, which will benefit his foundation.
In part three of ‘Our Town’s Super Bowl’ we
meet shop owners across St Andrews to
discuss their plans for this Open, their Open
experiences in business and their opinion on a
host committee idea.
The fourth event on the Open Qualifying
Series schedule takes place at Royal County
Down and we preview the Dubai Duty Free
Irish Open, which is also part of a Magnificent
May on the world’s premier tours.
Cristina Panama looks back at the ANA
Inspiration and previews May’s big events on
the LPGA.
John Boyne shares his #FirstDay experiences
as the peak season in the St Andrews golf
calendar begins and Marc Gentles, from St
Andrews Golf Travel, is your guide to golf in
the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
The British Golf Museum celebrates its 25th
anniversary in June and we look at the history
of this great collection of golfing memorabilia.
The first major event of the golfing calendar in
St Andrews takes place on Sunday May 17,
we preview the R&A Local Clubs’ Gold Medal,
as well as rounding up the latest results from
the golf clubs of St Andrews.
Enjoy the 14th edition of St Andrews Golf
Magazine and please subscribe for FREE at
www.standrewsgolfmagazine.com
Holy Trinity Church (Image © Matt Hooper)
haar [ haar ]
NOUN
In eastern England and Scotland, a cold mist
or fog off the North Sea coast, or rolling in from
the North Sea
Haar is typically formed over the sea and is
brought to land by wind advection. This
commonly occurs when warmer moist air
moves over the relatively cooler North Sea
causing the moisture in the air to condense,
forming haar.
Sea breezes and easterly winds then bring the
haar into the east coast of Scotland and North-
East England where it can continue for several
miles inland. This can be common in the UK
summer when heating of the land creates a
sea breeze, bringing haar in from the sea and
as a result can significantly reduce
temperatures compared to those just a few
miles inland.
The term haar is used along certain lands
bordering the North Sea, primarily eastern
Scotland and the north-east of England.
Variants of the Scots term include har, hare,
harl, harr, hoar and the origin may be Low
German/Middle Dutch hare or Saxon.
#InsideStAndrews (Image © Maureen Bryce)
The Open, as we discovered last month, will
be extremely profitable for our bars and
restaurants, but for shops which don’t stay
open until 2am this will be altogether different
experience. It is much tougher for retailers,
they generally operate in the timeframe in
which most visitors to The Open will be on the
Old Course watching the golf.
As part of our ongoing investigation we asked
several retailers three key questions:
1. What are your businesses’ experience
of The Open in St Andrews?
2. What are your plans for this year’s
Open week?
3. Would St Andrews’ businesses benefit
from the creation of a host committee,
to work with local businesses to
ensure the whole business community
of St Andrews benefits from The
Open?
Ryman Stationery on Market Street are among
a collection of businesses which have said that
The Open experience in 2010 was a largely
negative one. They said that they felt many
people believed that St Andrews would be
busy because of The Open, and avoided
coming into the town centre.
They found the week following The Open
much busier.
Ryman aggressively marketed their shipping
service (DHL) for visitors to The Open and this
time around they want to work with local
businesses to encourage them to recommend
them for their shipping services.
In 2010 Ryman were unwittingly guilty of
ambush marketing, when they attempted to
sell DHL branded periscopes near to the Old
Course. (More on page 18)
Ryman have yet to confirm their full plans for
The Open, but they indicated they would stay
open later in a bid to attract additional
business off the back of The Open.
Ryman believe that the R&A could and should
do more to engage with local businesses in the
lead-up to The Open week.
Ryman believe that one way of doing this
would be to create a St Andrews Open
Championship host committee, in a similar way
to the BID St Andrews team.
Topping and Company book store on
Greyfriars Gardens opened in the Autumn of
2014, so have yet to experience an Open
Championship. The store has many exciting
plans for The Open week, which they will be
releasing details of in due course. We hope to
be able to bring you news of their plans in
June’s edition.
Their current golf section is half a bookcase to
the left of the front counter, two weeks prior to
The Open the entire bookcase will be filled
with golf literature.
Topping and Company are in talks with golfers’
publicists to try and recruit big name golfers for
book signings, talks and other events.
They plan to stay open later than they currently
do (7pm), possibly until 9pm or later during
The Open week.
They currently have a strong student group of
staff, so they couldn’t confirm at the time of us
talking to them whether they would need to
recruit extra staff for the week.
They also believe that it could be beneficial for
business to have a host committee, helping to
engage with local business and promote our
businesses during the lead-up to The Open,
during the week and beyond.
St Andrews Golf Store in St Mary’s Place said
that Open week is extremely busy, but The
Open being in town means that the weeks
prior to the event are very quiet, with course
closures taking place.
They said that a lot of the business in 2015 will
come after The Open.
They said that the year following The Open
was actually even better than The Open year
itself.
They will be recruiting extra staff, opening
slightly earlier and staying open until around
10pm.
They felt that an approach in line with what the
Commonwealth Games host committee did in
Glasgow should be adopted, by providing
events to attend and things to do in the town
centre then people will come and spend their
money if the shops are open.
Waterstone’s on Market Street say that their
experience of previous Open Championships’
in St Andrews have been really good. They
have held book signings with the likes of Sam
Torrance in previous years and have been
really busy during the week.
They will be staying open later and will likely
be recruiting extra staff from other
Waterstone’s stores in the local area.
They said that the idea of a host committee
was interesting and they cited the example of
the St Andrews BID team, which we brought
you details of in our April edition.
They said it would help keep all the businesses
“on the same page” and help them to know
when to open until each evening.
Auchterlonies of St Andrews was
established in 1895 and the owners and staff
of its shop on Golf Place have experienced
many Open Championships in the town.
The manager told us that the weeks leading up
to the event are quieter than usual because of
the course closures which have to take place
during The Open infrastructure construction.
The week of The Open is extremely busy for
the shop, with custom increasing throughout
the week, their busiest days are during the
championship proper from Thursday to
Sunday.
They don’t take on any extra staff as it is a
family business and various family members
do split shifts to help cover the busiest times.
Normally during the summer the shop opens
from 8am to 8pm but during Open week it will
be open from 7.30am until 11pm or even 12
midnight to take advantage of the increased
number of visitors using the bars, hotels and
restaurants in the immediate vicinity of
Auchterlonies.
Regarding the host committee, the manager
didn’t believe it was necessary for the golf
shops, but did believe other shops in St
Andrews may benefit from some form of co-
operation with the R&A because of the no re-
entry policy when buying a ticket to the event.
Edinburgh Woollen Mill on Market Street
said that previous Open Championships had
been really good for business, they said that it
had been really busy with a lot of tourists in
town.
They said that generally the men go and watch
the golf, and the wives and girlfriends go
shopping. Which of course is a general
stereotype which is not good for golf, but
realistic.
At the time of speaking to them they hadn’t
thought about whether or not they would stay
open later or recruit extra staff.
They didn’t know if the host committee idea
could work or not, but they felt it was a good
idea.
The Scottish Shop on South Street sell a
wide variety of Scottish themed gifts and is a
natural destination for visiting golf fans to St
Andrews from around the world.
Their experience of The Open in 2010 was that
it was a little busier but that they didn’t see a
massive upturn in business due to The Open.
They didn’t know whether or not they would
stay open later at the time of us speaking to
them, but they did have several ideas on how
to generate more business within the town
centre during The Open week.
They felt that a host committee would be a
great idea and that more needed to be done to
engage with local business, so that they could
feel the benefit of this major event.
They felt a town bus, or free buses in the town,
should operate between the town centre and
the Old Course during The Open week. This,
they feel, would encourage visitors to spend
time and money in our town centre, not just at
the course.
Matthew Henderson on the corner of Bell
Street and Market Street said that they do see
an increase in turnover during The Open week,
but they don’t open earlier or stay open later.
They said they don’t plan to change this for
this year’s Open.
Their manager did not believe that local
businesses would benefit from having a host
committee because “there is too much talk and
not enough action” with committees.
So how can our 50-plus retailers
ensure they benefit from The Open
coming back to St Andrews?
The hours of play over Thursday and Friday at
The Open run from 6.30am to around 9pm, so
a retailer needs to be realistic about their
opening hours on those days in particular. Not
many business owners would be willing to
open their shop from 6am until Midnight, it isn’t
realistic and it wouldn’t achieve the aims of
increasing turnover or profit.
The retailer also has to remember that just
because The Open is on, not everyone will be
down on the Old Course watching the golf.
They also have to cater for everyone else. But
it is proven by the various economic impact
assessments done on The Open that visitors
will spend more money. It would be a sensible
strategy to look at the draw for each day’s play,
determine when the big names are teeing off
and adjust staff levels and change opening
times accordingly.
If Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are playing at
9am then perhaps the shop owner could
decide to open at lunchtime and close at
10pm. A lot will depend on the desire and will
of the business owner to use this week to grow
their business, and work to make St Andrews a
better place, showing it off to the world during
our biggest ever week.
St Andrews businesses have to be careful to
avoid the pitfalls of Ambush Marketing
During the 2010 Open Ryman and DHL
unwittingly found themselves guilty of a form of
Ambush Marketing. Ryman received 5,000
periscopes from DHL to hand out to
subscribers, which they did at points near the
golf course. But they were soon told to ‘move
on’ by organisers.
UPS and DHL are big rivals in the world of
shipping, logistics and delivery services, and
UPS are the official
logistics and express
partner of The Open.
The Open has 8 official
patrons and several
other partners and
suppliers, and each
pay a hefty fee to be
part of The Open and
showcase their
products and services
to an audience which fits
the profile of the company
target market.
Because of this, businesses in St Andrews
need to be very careful as to how and where
they attempt to brand and sell their products to
the thousands of incoming golf fans.
During the London 2012 Olympic Games
several businesses were left embarrassed,
confused and angry after they unwittingly
broke rules on the usage of the Olympic
trademarks such as the Olympic rings and
even the word “Olympic”.
There’s the florist in Stoke-on-Trent who was
asked to remove the tissue paper rings from
her shop window along the torch route or risk
legal action, and the coffee shop in East
London that scrubbed the “O” from its sign to
become Café Lympic after officials warned the
owner he could be sued.
Then there’s Dennis Spurr, a butcher in
Dorset, near where the sailing events will be
held. Six years before the games he put a sign
outside his shop depicting the Olympic rings as
sausage links. For 18 months, he says,
nobody bothered him about it. “And then one
day an official come along from the Olympics
(and asked), ‘Have you had permission?’”
Spurr replied he didn’t know he needed it. “Oh
yeah,” he says the man told him. “You’ll get in
a lot of trouble unless you take them down.”
Paddy Power bookmakers attempted a not so
subtle or unwitting form of Ambush Marketing
at the 2010 Ryder Cup (Above)
Open Championship patrons
The Host Committee is a body which is created
for many events across different sports to act
as a liaison between the event owner and the
community in which the event is being staged.
For the purposes of this investigation we are
comparing St Andrews and The Open to an
American city and the Super Bowl.
The AZSuperBowl.com site states the following
about the Arizona Super Bowl Host
Committee:
The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is a
private, non-profit Arizona corporation that is
responsible for driving the state’s efforts for
Super Bowl XLIX. The mandate of the Host
Committee is to galvanize local stakeholders in
a united approach to hosting the largest single-
day sporting event by maximizing positive
media exposure, fuelling the economic engine
of Arizona and leaving a lasting legacy long
after the Big Game. The Host Committee
serves as liaison between the NFL and all
regional efforts.
It was mentioned by Ryman Stationery on
Market Street that they believed the R&A
should do more to work with the local
community. But as you look deeper into how
the modern R&A works and how they operate
The Open, it is clear that they see The Open
as their ‘Olympic Games’. The IOC
aggressively protect their brand, corporate
partners and look to make as much money
from the event for their own needs as possible.
Yes, The Open helps fund golf development
around the world, and that is very important as
a golfer and a co-owner of a golf industry
business. But it is also vital that the event and
golf engages with the local community and
local businesses.
There was speculation that the R&A would
adopt a bar-code policy on the tickets so that
people could leave the venue and return
throughout the day. They could even have
implemented the policy we see at the Ryder
Cup, where the ticket holder has their picture
printed on the ticket. But neither of these
policies have been adopted, meaning if a
person wishes to leave the venue and return
they must pay the full cost of £80 for a new
ticket.
This is detrimental to local business and
means that our shops will inevitably miss out
on the benefits of St Andrews hosting an
Open. The Open makes a lot of money for the
R&A and gives great exposure to their
corporate partners; the town gets exposure
through television, but in the main all you see
are the buildings around the course. A Host
Committee is vital to changing this, and it is in
the best interests of business and golf to work
together for the better of the game.
Super Bowl 50 will be staged in the San
Francisco Bay area at Levi’s Stadium, and the
host committee is doing all that it can to ensure
the community and businesses of the area
benefit from staging the biggest event in the
sport.
The San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl Host
Committees mantra is:
We’re not just hosting a Super Bowl in 2016.
We’re redefining it.
And we’re going to do it big.
Loud, proud, inclusive and authentic, just like
the Bay Area itself.
Working in partnership with Bay Area public
officials and the NFL, the Host Committee is
responsible for:
Managing all of the planning and
production of Super Bowl 50
Securing all of the funding necessary
to make Super Bowl 50 possible
Creating as much economic and social
benefit possible for the Bay Area
Providing opportunities for our
communities to actively participate in
Super Bowl 50
Working with the NFL and our partners
around the region, the San Francisco
Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host
Committee is planning a Super Bowl
experience that will not only set the bar
for next 50 Super Bowls, but will
celebrate our communities and our
people like no other event has done
before in the Bay Area.
Super Bowl 50 Week will feature
activities throughout the region, with
the main hub of activity in the City of
San Francisco. NFL Experience will be
hosted in Moscone Center North and
South in downtown San Francisco,
with the media center housed in
Moscone Center West.
The Host Committee’s public
experience and Fan Village will spill
out from the NFL Experience featuring
activities for all ages, as well as
showcasing all the Bay Area has to
offer from arts and culture to regional
food and drink.
The San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50
Host Committee run a program called
Business connect.
Business Connect is a program aimed at
promoting businesses owned by minority,
woman, disabled veteran, or Lesbian, Gay, Bi-
sexual or Transgender individuals or groups.
Business Connect holds workshops across the
Bay area to engage with the owners of these
businesses, and businesses have to apply to
be part of the program.
This is an example of a host committee
working with local businesses to ensure that
they benefit from being in the area which is
host to one of the world’s biggest sporting
events. It doesn’t shut out local businesses
which are not a major corporate partner or
supplier to the event, but which make the
region and host city so unique and attractive to
visit.
In July’s Open Championship special edition
we will publish the full survey of businesses in
St Andrews on the matter of a host committee.
In June’s St Andrews Golf Magazine we look at
the social and cultural events being put on in
St Andrews during The Open, and the
museums, galleries and attractions plans to
increase turnover in the 7 days when the world
comes to the home of golf.
What’s on #InsideStAndrews?
Recording Britain
May – December 2015
Discover a remarkable collection of paintings
and drawings produced as part of a nationwide
project to capture the changing face of Britain’s
landscape during the Second World War.
These artworks depict coastal villages, bustling
towns and traditional industries, thought that
the time to be endangered by war and urban
development.
From Balloons to Typhoons
Until 16 May 2015 (Gateway Galleries)
You’ve seen the air shows, you’ve heard the
planes – now come and discover the century-
long history of the people and the air base of
RAF Leuchars.
Take this once in a lifetime opportunity to
explore the diverse collection of objects,
photographs and service memorabilia to
celebrate life on base.
V&A Dundee Talk – Philip Long
Wednesday 20 May 2015
Come hear about the upcoming V&A Museum
of Design from its director, Philip Long
Thursday Sessions
7, 14, 21 and 28 May 2015
Performances from the best local talent, from
9pm every Thursday night. Want to perform?
Email [email protected]
St Rule Trophy
Saturday 30 to Sunday 31 May 2015 New and
Old Courses. 54 holes open amateur
Strokeplay tournament – for lady golfers with a
handicap not exceeding 3 – entry fee £45 –
closing date Monday 27 April 2015.
Since its inception in 1984, the St Rule Trophy
has attracted the top lady amateur golfers,
many of whom have gone on to enjoy success
on the Ladies European Tour, notably Annika
Sorenstam, Catriona Matthew and more
recently, Melissa Reid. The St Rule Trophy
attracts players from all over the world. For
more information email
Free Friday
On the first Friday of every month the Botanic
Gardens admit members of the public for free.
British Golf Museum celebrates a
quarter of a century of preserving
golf history
#InsideStAndrews Special Feature
This June the British Golf Museum
celebrates the 25th anniversary of its opening,
and will celebrate the re-opening follow a
major renovation and the building of its
spectacular new café.
The British Golf Museum opened to great
critical acclaim on 25th June 1990. The official
opening was held three months later on 19th
September.
(Right) the site prior to the building began
(Below) the reception in 1990
(Above) 1990 logo
(Below) current logo
The origins of the Museum go back to 1864
when The Royal and Ancient Golf Club
granted a committee power “to collect such
articles relative to the game as they may think
necessary and to make such arrangements to
render them accessible to members as may be
consistent with their due preservation.”
By 1884, the collection was on display in the
Clubhouse in what was described as “a
cabinet of curiosities”. Display space was
always limited and the Club was running out of
space for historical displays by the 1960s.
In 1985, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club took
the decision to fund the building of the British
Golf Museum. The Club set up a separate
charitable trust to build and then run the new
museum. After opening, the British Golf
Museum won seven major awards. Currently,
the museum is one of twelve museums to have
been awarded five stars by the Scottish Tourist
Board, the highest rating under its quality
assurance programme.
The British Golf Museum has become of the
most visited attractions in St Andrews, with
over 1.5million visitors since opening 25 years
ago. On average 60,000 people visit the
museum each year and this number will
undoubtedly increase when the museum
reopens and The Open returns to St Andrews
this summer.
The British Golf Museum has the most
comprehensive collection of golf memorabilia
and artefacts in Europe, and its 16,000 items
are presented across six collections within the
building.
The collections include exhibitions on Club
Life, Early Professional Golf, the role of
clothing in golf, Great Open Champions,
Leading Amateurs, Origins of Golf, the
International Game, the Royal and Ancient
Game, Tools of the Trade, Tom Morris and
Winning in Style.
Another collection in the British Golf Museum
is Olympic Golf. The collection includes
memorabilia from the 1900 and 1904 Olympic
Golf competitions, and is sure to grow in the
coming years as golf makes its return to the
Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
As sports go, none match the efforts of golf to
preserve its history and honour the legends of
the past, and the British Golf Museum is the
best example in the world of doing this.
Its stunning location, to the rear of the Royal
and Ancient Golf Club and next to the sea,
helps to make it an attractive and accessible
museum for golfers and thousands of tourists
who pass it each year on their way to and from
the beach.
25 years ago the site was a car park, now, just
weeks away from reopening, it is a shrine to
the game of golf. Golf has changed and
expanded dramatically since the opening of
the British Golf Museum, but the museum has
kept pace with this change.
Golf is one of the pillars of St Andrews’
economy and life, the other is education and
the Museum of the University of St Andrews
is St Andrews’ other five-star rated museum
and can be found on The Scores, and at the
Gateway Galleries on North Haugh.
Scotland’s other five-star
museums
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
The Museum on the Mound, Edinburgh
Aberdeen Maritime Museum, Aberdeen
Gordon Highlanders Museum, Aberdeen
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
Riverside Museum, Glasgow
National Museum of Rural Life, East Kilbride
Low Parks Museum, South Lanarkshire
Falconer Museum, Forres
National Museum of Flight, East Lothian
This May (15-17) the Festival of Museums
includes most of the museums across the
country and will encourage people to visit our
incredible range of museums in Scotland.
#InsideStAndrews (Image © Tet Speirs)
Local Clubs’ Gold Medal
Sunday May 17, 2015
Old Course, St Andrews
The Royal and Ancient
Golf Club instituted the
Local Clubs’ Gold
Medal in 1890 and
since the first winner,
Sandy Herd, it has become one of, if not, the
most significant titles in golf in St Andrews.
The Auchterlonie family of golfers dominated
the first 33 years of the tournament, with their
name engraved on the medal on nine times;
Former Scottish Amateur champion KW Greig
won the title four times between 1930 and
1935.
The most prolific winner of the Gold Medal
remains Fred Mackenzie, who was a
prodigious amateur golfer from St Andrews. He
won 8 times between 1899 and 1926.
The New Golf Club’s Duncan Lawrie, winner of
the 1994 Scottish Senior Amateur, won the
medal in four straight years from 1981 to 1985
and in recent years James Bunch,
representing the New Golf Club and latterly the
R&A, has won 3 Gold Medal’s.
James is the defending champion after winning
with an incredible total of 10-under-par, 134.
Just 2 strokes more than the record, which was
achieved by M Hastie in 1993, when he shot
an amazing 12-under-par for 36 holes.
From 1890 to 1950 the Local Clubs’ Gold
Medal was played over 18 holes, since 1952 it
has been a 36-hole competition. This year the
standard is extremely high, with 30 of the 60
competitors having a handicap of Scratch or
better. The highest handicap which made it
through the ballot was 4, the lowest handicap
is +3 held by R Perry of the St Andrews Golf
Club.
This prestigious local tournament takes on
national and international significance, with the
winner invited to take part in the St Andrews
Links Trophy, played in the first week of June.
The clubs represented in the competition
include the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St
Andrews, the St Andrews Golf Club, the New
Golf Club and the University of St Andrews
Golf Club.
The field includes St Andrews Golf Magazine’s
very own Colin Donaldson, playing off a
handicap of +1. The New Golf Club’s Mark
Dickson (+2) will be looking to kick off his
season and road to The Open in style with a
win on the Old Course.
The draw for the first 18 holes is adjacent and
St Andrews Golf Magazine will have a full
review of the 104th R&A Local Clubs’ Gold
Medal in our June edition.
LOCAL
CLUB RESULTS
Harold Rigg Trophy – Castle 13/4/15
1st John Dawson & George Orr 44 points
2nd Jim Thom & Kenny Wishart 42 (back 9)
Medal No 9 - Eden 23/4/15
1 Mr Peter Higgins 81 - 11c = 70*
After Count-Back
2 Mr Stan Scott 79 - 9 = 70
Lowest Gross After Count-Back
3 Mr D Binyon 83 - 10c = 73
Medal 10 - Eden- 25/4/15
1 Mr Stan Scott 76 - 8c = 68
2 Dr George D Watson 81 - 12c = 69
3 Mr Alex Room 74 - 3c = 71
Andrew Steele Cup - Eden - 2/5/15
1 Mr T Harrison 88 - 19c = 69
After Count-Back
2 Mr Clive Russell 74 - 5c = 69
Lowest Gross
3 Mr Graham Hutchison 88 - 19c = 69
After Count-Back
St Andrews Golf Club
McGregor Trophy No. 4 played on
02/04/2015 Old Course CSS 75
1 Mr M F Rickard 71 - 1 = 70
Winner & Lowest Gross
2 Mr G Steele 77 - 6 = 71
3 Mr A Aitken 87 - 14 = 73
New Course CSS 73
1 Mr H Niall Scott 83 - 11 = 72
2 Mr G O Morris 79 - 7 = 72
3 Mr R Mackie 80 - 7 = 73
Eden Course CSS 74
1 Mr P Cunningham 77 - 7 = 70 Lowest Gross
2 Mr J Mallon 87 - 15 = 72
3 Mr I M Ronaldson 78 - 5 = 73
Jubilee CSS 76
1 Mr J W Dunbar 86 - 13 = 73 Lowest Gross
2 Mr S MacDermid 88 - 13 = 75
3 Mr B D Henderson 82 - 5 = 77
Charles Grieve Cup played on 04/04/2015
New Course CSS 73
1 Mr B D Henderson 71 - 5 = 66 Cup Winner
2 Mr P Webster 77 - 10 = 67
3 Mr N T Wright 75 - 8 = 67
James Stewart Coronation Cup played on
04/05/2015 Eden Course CSS 71
1 Mr J B Falls 73 - 7 = 66 Winner & Lowest
Gross
2 Mr S R Findlay 74 - 6 = 68
3 Mr D S Finlay 79 - 8 = 71
LINDSAY SHIELD 11/04/2015
The St. Andrews Golf Club 20
Leven Thistle Golf club 30
The St Andrews Golf Club suffered a heavy
defeat at the hands of Leven Thistle Golf Club
in the first match of the 2015 Lindsay Shield
series.
LINDSAY SHIELD 18/04/2015
The St. Andrews Golf Club 19
Carnoustie Golf Club 31
The St Andrews Golf Club suffered a second
consecutive heavy defeat in the 2015 Lindsay
Shield losing to The Carnoustie Golf Club by
19 points to 31 in the 2nd leg of this year's
competition.
McGregor Trophy No. 5 played on
30/04/2015 Old Course CSS 74
1 Mr K Bowman 74 - 1 = 73 Lowest Gross
2 Mr G A Moir 78 - 4 = 74
3 Mr P T Tulleth 74 - 0 = 74 Lowest Gross
New Course CSS 73
1 Mr R Mackie 79 - 7 = 72
2 Mr P Ellison 78 - 5 = 73
3 Mr N H M Beattie 73 - 0 = 73
Eden Course CSS 72
1 Mr S Normand 83 - 14 = 69
2 Mr R S Lumsden 80 - 10 = 70
3 Mr I B Grieve 85 - 14 = 71
Jubilee CSS 75
1 Mr BillyMurray 74 - 5 = 69 Winner & Lowest
Gross
2 Mr S Fox 86 - 16 = 70
3 Mr J G Van Zyl 77 - 4 = 73
Ayton Trophy played on 02/05/2015 Jubilee
Course CSS 76
1 Mr D Scott Finlay 72 - 1 = 71 Winner
2 Mr F R J Currie 83 - 11 = 72
3 Mr R Lloyd 86 - 12 = 74
Monthly Medal No 5 played on 03/05/2015
Eden Course CSS 74
1 Mr A M O'Loughlin 83 - 9 = 74 Class Winner
2 Mr P Cunningham 80 - 5 = 75 Lowest Gross
3 Mr D J Bathgate 84 - 5 = 79
St Regulus Ladies Golf Club
April Medal Silver
Old Course CSS 79
1. Susan Jackson (0) 82
2. Dot White (13) 82
3 Claire Hargan (2) 83
April Medal Bronze
Eden Course CSS 75
1. Lesley Heeps (33) 77
2. Claire MacGillivray (24) 78
3. Angela Foster- Rainey (31) 80
Robertson Triam
Strathtyrum
1st J Pirie, J Davidson, M Gardiner 52
2nd J Thompson, M Betteridge, E Small 53
3rd M MCQueen, S Dillon, R Wilson 56
Four Ball Better Ball
Eden
1st J Field & A Wilson 70
2nd P Garden & C Randerson 71
3rd L Ritchie & C McIntyre 74 bih
Coronation Foursomes
New Course
1ST Fay Ronaldson & Fiona McEwan
35pts bih
2nd Lucy Ritchie & Jackie Thompson
35pts
3rd Jacqui Trangmar & Hazel Crane
34pts
Connah Quaich
Eden CSS 74
1ST C Randerson (27) 38 POINTS
2ND P Rew (27) 37 POINTS
3RD M Betteridge (23) 36 POINTS BIH
May Medal & Foundation Brooch
Silver
1st Barbara Malcolm 72 (7)
2nd Irene Ray 72 (20)
3rd Caroline Moore 73(20)
Bronze
1st Geraldine Mackle 72(23)
2nd Mandy Turnbull 73 (26)
3rd Pauline Keith 75 (32)
Foundation Brooch Winner
Geraldine Mackle
St Rule Club
Winter Fun Competition (Four ball better
ball) – Strathtyrum Course - Winners: L.
Graham & W. Simson Net 60. 2nd: H. Tate &
J. Dunn Net 62. 3rd: J. Cowley & J. Duncan
Net 65. Red Cross Eclectic - Strathtyrum
Course: Winner - L. Murray 66.5 (after
countback), 2nd: G. Hands 66.5, 3rd: J. Aitken
68.5 Fields In Trust Eclectic - Eden Course:
Winner - J. Dowie 66, 2nd: Sylvia Robertson
68.5, 3rd: M. Richardson 72. Winter
Foursomes - Eden Course: Winners E. Donald
& A. Dunlop, Runners Up: J. Hulme & B.
Brown.
Alexandra Cup (CSS 75) - Eden (Winter)
Course - Winner J. Russell (14) 72, 2nd E.
Marshall (22) 73, 3rd A. Gilchrist (26) 74.
Congratulations to Carol Hughesdon who had
a HOLE-IN-ONE at the 8th with a 4 iron.
Mixed Foursomes Stableford (Joan
McKerrow Salver) - Eden Course - Winners C
& I Lawson 40 pts, 2nd: C Hodgson & R Perry
36 pts (on countback). 3rd: E & B Paton 36
pts, Foundation Medal (CSS 78) - New
Course - Winner M. Halliday 91 2nd: J Russell
92 (on countback) 3rd: Z. Tarasko 92 - Helen
Duncan Trophy (CCS 78) - New Course -
Winner M. Forster Nett 79 (on countback),
2nd: J. Russell Nett 79, 3rd: B. Sprot Nett 82 -
Optional Competition (CSS 68) - Strathtyrum
Course - Winner Y. Duvelleroy Nett 68 (on
countback) 2nd: H. Tate Nett 68, 3rd: M. Orton
Nett 69.
Club Championship Qualifier & R&A
Centenary Quaich (CSS 79 reductions only) -
Old Course - 1st E. Moffat, 84, 2nd F. de
Vries, 86, 3rd J. Trangmar 88 - Optional (CSS
66) - Strathtyrum Course - 1st J. Finlay, 61
nett, 2nd L. Graham, 62 nett, 3rd J. Russell, 63
nett - Violet Brown Medal Final (CSS 79
reductions only) - Old Course - 1st J.
Trangmar, 82 nett, 2nd M Halliday 86 nett (bih)
3rd B. Sprot, 86 nett. 9 Hole Stableford -
Strathtyrum Course - 1st C. Cameron, 22 pts,
2nd B. Wilson, 21 pts, 3rd J. Little 20 pts.
April SLGA Medal (CSS 78) - New Course -
Silver Division 1st J. Russell 76 nett, 2nd E.
Moffat 79 nett, 3rd A. Paterson 79 nett;
Bronze Division 1st S. Bishop 79 nett, 2nd N.
Alexander 83 nett, 3rd H. Tate 84 nett - April
Optional - Strathtyrum Course (CSS 70) - 1st
A. McFarlane (21) 64, 2nd J. Ivinson (31) 68,
3rd A. Dunlop (22) 72.
#InsideStAndrews (Image © Maureen Bryce)
As a part of our coverage of the first day of
the full season in St Andrews, St Andrews
Links caddie and Caddie Golf Tours
operator John Boyne wrote this delightful
and entertaining account of the day.
Our first day of St Andrews 2015 full green
fees, set this year at £170 British Pounds on
the Old Course, began on Monday 20th April.
Golf has been played on the Old Course since
the start of April at a reduced fee of £112
pounds, a great deal for those golfers who took
advantage of it and enjoyed what has been an
amazingly warm and sunny month...Fore!
I have managed to put in 14 rounds thus far,
with 2 unexpected double rounds, which has
helped to get my fitness levels to a decent
place ready for the continuous two caddie
rounds that will soon become the norm
Monday - Friday.
The Caddie Department have 115- 120
registered caddies on a simple rota system
bringing a dozen in at 6:45am and then at
intervals thereafter. On this first day my
requested time is 7:20am and as soon as I am
through the door I am sent to the 1st tee of the
Old Course for a 7:30am tee time, perfect and
no 'shack time'.
Our golfer, on this first day, is Scott from
Pennsylvania, USA, with his buddy Dave. They
are joined by a 'single' golfer Bob who has
been waiting in line to get an opportunity to
play the Old Course since 4:00am, he does not
take a caddie.
On meeting Scott and through the casual
introductions I quietly get the information about
his golf game that I require - driver roughly 260
yards and his 7 Iron 145 yards. Good numbers
to work with...we will see what develops
through the round.
The wind today is a south westerly blowing
against and left to right on the first tee. I
request a drive towards the Swilken Bridge to
take Scott into the centre of the first fairway.
Unfortunately, and not unusually, the golfer
does not fulfil my request and the ball soars off
the tee with a little cut that is magnified by the
wind from the left and rattles into the
grandstands that have been erected down the
right side of the 1st fairway. A kind ricochet
bounces the golf ball back into the fairway, a
long way back from the front of the Swilken
Burn.
A little disappointing for Scott but a tale to tell
when he is back in USA and reflects on his
round. On reaching the ball we are 185 yards
to the front edge still with a stout wind against
and from the left. The decision is made to lay
up with a 6 iron, play a neat little punchy
wedge over the Swilken Burn to 20 feet, take 2
putts and walk off the first with an acceptable
bogey, considering the drive.
A 16 handicapper, Scott settled in quite well
over the next 3 holes, bogey, par, bogey until
the notorious bunkers on the Old Course prove
his downfall on the 5th, 6th, 7th, and the 9th
resulting in a double bogey 7, double bogey 6,
bogey 5, double bogey 6 respectively. Add the
bogey 4 taken at the Par 3 8th and we are out
in 47. Poor chap looked a little shell shocked
as we gathered ourselves to tackle the inward
9 holes.
We give credit to Scott that he knuckled down,
did not get too despondent and continued to hit
the wee white ball forward with the attitude that
it is a Monday, dry with sunshine, he and his
buddy are in Scotland and on the Old Course
golfing. It does not read too badly.
He and Dave are visiting St Andrews for a
couple of days, staying at the luxury Old
Course Hotel Golf Resort and Spa, that looks
onto the famous 17th Road hole, with their
wives who are attending a conference there.
The boys came along to carry the luggage
when they heard where the conference was
being held! They are heading down to London
for 3 or 4 days with a trip on the EuroStar Train
through the Channel Tunnel to Paris. A
perfectly compact little 8 day vacation.
Bogeys dominated on these inward holes as I
attempted to conjure up a route from tee to
green that would give Scott a decent par putt.
The first contender was on the short Par 4
10th, the Bobby Jones hole at 315 yards, but 3
swipes with the flat blade put paid to that
chance the first putt was from 35 yards, and
then we had a couple of putts on the stern Par
3 11th for another bogey. The Par 4 12th
passed by quickly as did the tough Par 4 13th,
golf holes are beginning to run out but good 2
putt bogey’s on the 14th and 15th give us a
glimmer of hope.
The cunning Par 4 16th with the Out of Bounds
fence running all the way down the right side of
the fairway from the tee box provides the
elusive par. Scott is informed to take his drive
70 yards left of the adjacent OB fence which
also takes him 30 yards left of the set of 3
Principle Nose Bunkers that sit at 180 yards
from his tee. This is the direction I would
normally hit my tee shot when playing in a
Medal Competition.
It leaves Scott with a great angle from what
could be argued is the beginning of the 3rd
fairway, we have 150 yards into the front of the
green, with the pin cut 26 yards on. We play for
170 yards with his 5 Iron and unfortunately it
lands softly, stopping on the green just at the
bottom of the 3 foot ridge below the plateau of
the main green area. A solid first putt up the
ridge leaves a tap in Par 4. We are both
delighted.
The 17th proves to be as tough as it ever is,
we thankfully move to the 18th with only a
double bogey. The golfers have had a grand
morning, the sun is still shining and the wide
expanse of the 18th fairway is rolling out in
front of us.
The scene is set with the Grandstands now
erected on our left down the edge of the 1st
fairway, the R&A Clubhouse stands solid
behind the 1st tee box and the imposing red
sandstone building Hamilton Grand overlooks
the final green. A grand finish is requested. All
3 golfers have bogeys, but depart the 18th with
huge smiles and warm handshakes. Scott
returns with a 46, total = 93.
The first high season round is complete.
Payment is made at the top of the steps that
lead to the R&A Clubhouse and good wishes
for the remainder of their vacation are given.
Now back to the St Andrews Caddie Pavilion, a
bite to eat, a coffee, chew some banter with my
erstwhile colleagues and then get back out
onto the Links for the next excited
golfer...Fore!
#InsideStAndrews (Image © Matt Hooper)
Rory McIlroy interview
The World Number One and Open Champion
speaks to Matt Hooper
Irish Open preview
The fourth of fourteen Open Qualifying Series
events takes place at Royal County Down
“I just cannot wait to get to St
Andrews and defend this thing”
INTERVIEW BY MATT HOOPER
Photography by Tom Pennington/Getty Images, Norman
Jean Roy, Andrew Redington/Getty Images, Sam
Greenwood/Getty Images ©OMEGA Ltd, John Boyne,
Rory McIlroy and David Cannon/Getty Images ©BMW AG
Five years ago Rory McIlroy’s Open
Championship hopes were blown away on
Friday, then in the following April he got cabin
fever on the 10th at Augusta. But in June 2011
his major dream came true in emphatic style at
Congressional in the US Open.
Three major titles have since been added to
the world number one’s resume, but none
were more special to the Northern Irishman
than The Open. The 2014 Open Championship
was held at Royal Liverpool Golf Club and
McIlroy came into the week off the back of a
resurgence in form, which saw him win the
BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Opening with a bogey-free 66 Rory never
looked back and dominated the championship,
following up with rounds of 66 and 68 to take a
six-stroke lead over Rickie Fowler into the final
round.
Sergio Garcia and Fowler put the pressure on
McIlroy immediately with early birdies, but
showing resilience the Ulsterman withstood
their challenge and a round of 71 was enough
to secure a two-stroke victory. His total of 17-
under-par was two shy of Tiger Woods’ record
low, recorded here in St Andrews in 2000.
Hoylake is a course on which legends of the
game win, but it is a win at a legendary course
which Rory craves, and this July he will have
the opportunity to finally succeed on the
course he has come so close on before.
The Old Course is where he spectacularly
secured his European Tour card, with a third
place finish in the 2007 Alfred Dunhill Links
Championship.
Although he has improved upon his debut
finish by finishing second on three occasions in
the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and
finished in a tie for third place at the 2010
Open Championship, victory is something
which has eluded Rory at the home of golf.
I recently caught up with the world number one
and we began by discussing the 2015 Open at
St Andrews and his experiences at the home
of golf.
Matt: Looking forward to the 2015
Open you come to the home of golf
as defending champion. What are
your thoughts on that?
Rory: “There’s always a bit of
pressure defending but I will look
forward to the challenge of that. I’ve
come close here so often that I feel
like I’d really like to put this one
away – and if that’s another Open
Championship, all the better.
But I’m under no illusion about the
quality of July’s field and just how
hungry the world’s best will be to
secure a win at St Andrews. We’ll
all need to be at our very best.”
When did you first play golf in St
Andrews and on the Old Course?
“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.
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.
A win this July would see him join the likes of
Woods, Faldo, Nicklaus, and Seve with Open
titles at the Old Course.
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?
“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.”
Coming into the 2010 Open Championship at
the home of golf, McIlroy’s rounds as a
professional on the Old Course read as
follows: 67-68-69-67-69-69. So his confidence
playing the Old Course was there for all to see,
and following his first PGA Tour win earlier that
spring, the Northern Irish star burst out of the
gates on Thursday.
A quiet start saw McIlroy par the first two holes
before birdieing the third hole, pars at four,
five, six, seven and eight gave no indication of
something special to come. On the ninth his
round took off, with an eagle two. This
launched an astonishing run for home as
McIlroy made birdies at 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and
18 to record an opening 63.
The round tied the low round in Open and
Major Championship history and gave him a
two-stroke lead over South African Louis
Oosthuizen.
Looking back to 2010 and you got
off to a perfect start with a round of
63, is that round still one of the
most complete performances you
have given especially in a major?
“Yeah, it really was a great round –
as long as we forget the 80 the
following day… I think that opening
round 63 tied the major
championship 18-hole record. I
don’t want to boast but I think any
golfer shooting so low in a Major is
something special. Nor do you
shoot a 63 by accident – your game
must be in pretty good shape.”
Unfortunately the rampant run on the Old
Course came to a halt on Friday, devastatingly.
High winds blew across the links on the
second day, forcing a stoppage in play, but not
a postponement, and many had to play
through some of the severest conditions.
Winds reached 40mph and it blew McIlroy off
the serene course he was on during
Thursday’s opening 63.
"It was hard to get anywhere near the pins and
even when you did the ball was going all over
the place. I just didn't handle it very well," said
Rory following a second-round of 80.
If we have a repeat of the winds
from Friday in 2010 do you feel you
would be better equipped to perform
in those conditions and avoid a
repeat of the 80 which put paid to
your chances of winning?
“If we’ve a repeat of the winds in
2010, I hope they close the course!
Seriously, though, wind is
something we all expect when we
come to a links venue.
And perhaps I am better prepared
than I was four years ago. I’d say,
rather than doing anything
differently, I’m better equipped
because I’m a more patient player
and hope that I handle the inevitable
frustrations, present in any round,
better than I have done in the past.”
McIlroy went on to finish in third place, but
some 8 shots adrift of the runaway winner,
Louis Oosthuizen. Rory’s love for the home of
golf doesn’t stop at the golf courses, he can be
seen regularly out in the town during the Alfred
Dunhill Links Championship each October. It is
possibly this affection and comfort with being
seen in St Andrews which rubs off on his
attitude on the Old Course.
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…”
Following his success in The Open, Rory
returned to the world number one spot with a
win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and
earned a fourth major title, the PGA
Championship, in dramatic fashion.
His three-week streak made him undoubtedly
the pre-eminent name in golf and he came to
the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, for the first
time, as a true on-course leader and
inspiration.
Nothing was more inspiring than his crushing
defeat of Rickie Fowler in the singles on
Sunday, surging to a front nine of 30 and a 5up
lead through 6 holes. He won 5&4, delivering a
vital and impressive point for Europe.
Much of the talk since his Open triumph was
about completing the career grand slam at
Augusta this April, but despite a charge to his
best finish ever in The Masters (4th) he could
not overhaul the dominant Jordan Spieth.
Now The Masters is over and the hype has
died down, Rory’s attentions turn to the rest of
the season and this month he plays an integral
part in staging his national Open at one of the
world’s greatest links courses.
It was announced on the Sunday prior to the
2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneages that Rory
McIlroy would host the Irish Open, to be played
at Royal County Down May 28-31.
It must be a great thrill for you to
see the Irish Open played at Royal
County Down?
“It really is fantastic. It’s one of the
best courses anywhere in the world
and a true links. It’s also a
magnificent setting and very close
to home.”
Royal County Down hosted the second Irish
Open, played in 1928 and hosted further
editions in 1935 and 1939. Ernest Whitcombe
won in 1928 and 1935 before Arthur Lees won
in 1939. Incredibly the Irish Open has never
returned, until now.
There has been talk for years of a
tournament going back there, how
proud are you that your foundation
can be part of making it happen?
“I am proud, but also lucky that I
can give back through golf. There
will be a lot of welcome publicity for
my Foundation as the Irish Open
comes around, and hopefully the
event will raise a lot of money for
charity.”
The tournament will be hosted by the Rory
Foundation and the foundation will be the
tournaments official charitable beneficiary. The
Rory Foundation was set-up by McIlroy in 2013
and one of the major beneficiaries of the
Foundation is the Cancer Fund for Children,
which is located near to the course in
Newcastle, County Down.
McIlroy officially opened Cancer Fund for
Children's Therapeutic Short Break Centre,
Daisy Lodge, in Newcastle Northern Ireland on
Tuesday 7th October 2014. The new centre,
which is the first of its kind in the UK and
Ireland, will provide short breaks to up to 500
families a year affected by cancer.
McIlroy says on the foundation website:
“When I was younger my parents sacrificed
everything to allow me to play the game I love.
Having that support from my family gave me
the opportunity to chase my dreams. But I
know that every child is not so fortunate. My
aim is that The Rory Foundation will support
children’s charities big and small around the
world that try to give kids that helping hand.”
This year’s Irish Open is being played in May,
some seven weeks ahead of The Open
Championship. Royal County Down has been
a popular site for visiting Americans such as
Tiger Woods and Davis Love III to prepare for
The Open.
Bearing this in mind I asked Rory: Do you
think that May will be a good date
for the tournament? How will the
course play in May and with a
packed schedule on the PGA Tour
and European Tour do you think it
will diminish the chances of
securing an elite field?
“I think May’s a great date for the
event. The year’s first Major, The
Masters Tournament, will be over
and there’s plenty of time before the
US Open in June.
There’ll be plenty of players about,
especially as everybody knows the
quality of Royal County Down, and
May is a great time of the year to
play – anytime is good but late
spring will see it at its best.
I am really surprised and excited by
the response from guys on both the
European and PGA tours.”
The response has been nothing short of
extraordinary and Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed,
Martin Kaymer, Ernie Els, Lee Westwood,
Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Darren Clarke,
Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington
have all committed to playing in Newcastle.
The stars really have come out in support of
McIlroy, his foundation and the Irish Open. But
the biggest attraction to play may well be the
magnificent links of Royal County Down itself,
and it could play host to one of the all-time
great Irish Open’s.
What sort of tournament do you
expect it to be with the iconic and
difficult front nine and the sporty
and exciting back nine?
“I honestly hope and expect a really
exciting Irish Open, reminiscent of
the days when it often topped the
players’ favourite event.
And either nine at Royal County
Down can turn up many surprises. If
the wind gets up, some of those
famous blind tee shots can take on
an entirely new perspective.”
The Irish Open at Royal Portrush was a
tremendous success, and the tournament will
return to Northern Ireland and Lough Erne in
2017 as part of a longer-term commitment to
golf by the Northern Ireland Tourism Board.
That also opens the door for a return to
Newcastle and Royal County Down in the
future.
Would you like to see the Irish Open
return to Royal County Down on a
regular basis?
“I’d certainly like to see it regularly
on the rotation. But we’re spoiled
for choice. There are so many
classic, testing links courses across
Ireland and I’d really like to see
some others staging something as
big as the Irish Open.”
Aside from those three Irish Opens, played
before the Second World War, ‘RCD’ has
hosted the Amateur Championship, Ladies
Amateur Championship, Senior Open
Championship and Walker Cup.
In many ways, even though it is one
of the worlds most revered and
highly rated courses, it has been
hidden from the public eye. The
Irish Open will help bring it into the
minds of the wider golf fan won’t it?
“I suppose it has been quite below
the radar. But I don’t necessarily
think that’s a bad thing. Royal
County Down keeps a bit of a sense
of mystery because it hasn’t been
exploited.”
“I think, come the Irish Open, people
will see why Royal County Down
holds something very special.”
Once hosting duties are over and done with at
the Irish Open Rory’s thoughts will no doubt
turn towards the second major of the year, and
beyond that to defending the Claret Jug at the
home of golf this July.
The world comes to the place
where the Mountains of
Mourne sweep down to the
sea
For far too long the Irish Open has been
ignored when the mass golf media talks about
the great national championships of the world.
They often mention the Canadian Open and
Australian Open, sometimes they will refer to
the French Open and the South African Open,
but rarely, if ever do they put the Irish Open in
the group.
First played in 1927 the tournament enjoyed its
heyday in the 1970’s and 1980’s, with strong
fields, huge crowds, great links courses and
strong corporate sponsorship.
But in the last decade the sponsors’ money
has dried up and the tournament has been
played on several less prestigious and modern
golf courses. Carton House, Killarney, Adare
Manor and Fota Island are all good golf
courses, situated on large estates and
perfectly manicured. But it is no coincidence
that in 2012 at Royal Portrush and this year at
Royal County Down the Irish Open has
attracted a strong field from around the world.
Finally, with the support of the Rory
Foundation, the Irish Open has found a major
global sponsor in Dubai Duty Free. It has
found a golf course with no equal in Ireland
and maybe the world in Royal County Down.
And this May the Irish Open will see Rory,
Rickie Fowler, Ernie Els, Martin Kaymer,
Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood,
Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell, Padraig
Harrington and Darren Clarke among others
tee it up on the world famous links of
Newcastle.
The course, laid out originally by Old Tom
Morris in 1889, is one of the most dramatic and
inspiring of all courses and will surely be the
number one course the tour visits this year.
Its front nine is renowned for being one of the
greatest stretch of holes in the game.
Beginning with a reachable par five in the
shadow of the Mourne’s the first three holes
head out from the clubhouse along Dundrum
Bay, before turning back towards the
Mountains of Mourne with one of the greatest
and most photographed par three’s in golf.
Hole after hole, shot after shot this golfing
experience is simply unlike any other and
finally the world’s best will get to test
themselves against this fearsome track in
competition.
With sell-out crowds of over 20,000 fans per
day expected this Irish Open can be among
the best of all-time, and if the players deliver
the golf which they can then it will be one of
the best weeks of 2015.
Majestic McIlroy sends
message to rivals
Rory McIlroy claimed a second win of the 2015
season at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play
Championship, at TPC Harding Park in San
Francisco.
The World Number One produced a series of
stirring comebacks throughout the
championship to advance to the final, where
he saved the best performance of the week for
his opponent Gary Woodland.
Arguably the highlight of the week though
came with his finish to the semi-final against
Jim Furyk. The Open Champion finished
birdie-birdie-eagle to come from 1 hole down to
win on the 18th.
The win is McIlroy’s second World Golf
Championships title, following his first at the
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last August. It is
the perfect repost to those who felt Jordan
Spieth was on a par with the four-time major
champion.
In his very next big event the Northern
Irishman looked like being the champion from
the first round until the last.
McIlroy moves on to THE PLAYERS
Championship in a hectic month in world golf.
Image: ©OMEGA Ltd
PGA Tour’s best return to the
crown jewel of Tournament
Players Clubs’
It’s that time of year again when the American
golf media and the PGA Tour reel out the
phrase ‘Fifth Major’. Let’s begin by saying that
it is extremely unlikely that there will ever be a
fifth major in professional men’s golf. The
Players Championship is without a doubt the
best tournament on the tours of the world.
The Players Stadium Course at the
Tournament Players’ Club of Sawgrass is
arguably the fairest test of golf in the world,
and usually produces a great champion and a
close finish on Sunday.
Once again the world’s best will contend for
the title, and three men will hog the media
attention – World Number 1 Rory McIlroy,
World Number 2 Jordan Spieth and World
Number 125 Tiger Woods will all fancy their
chances of glory in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Defending champion Martin Kaymer has had a
poor 2015, slipping from a high of 10th to his
current ranking of 17th. But coming to
Sawgrass in 2014 the German was 61st in the
world, and a win here was followed by a
dominant victory at Pinehurst in the US Open.
Coverage of THE PLAYERS is available on
Sky Sports in the UK and Golf Channel/NBC in
the US from Thursday 7 May.
In the week following THE PLAYERS
Championship the PGA Tour moves to North
Carolina, and the superb Quail Hollow Country
Club near Charlotte.
The Wells Fargo Championship has been a
premier event on the PGA Tour ever since its
creation over 10 years ago, and has always
attracted a very strong field. 2015 will not be
any different.
Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson headline the
field for this edition.
The tournament has been a proving ground for
potential future stars, with the likes of Sean
O’Hair, Anthony Kim and Rory McIlroy claiming
big wins early in their PGA Tour careers.
Rory leads all-star cast in return
to home of the European Tour
An increased prize fund, more seating, an
impressive line-up of blue-chip sponsors and a
stellar field, the BMW PGA Championship is
making waves as the biggest non-major
tournament outside the United States.
World Number One Rory McIlroy began his
sensational summer at Wentworth last May
and this year he leads another world-class
collection of European Tour members in the
flagship tournament of the European Tour.
2015 US Open champion Martin Kaymer, 2013
US Open champion Justin Rose, Former world
number one Lee Westwood, 2-time BMW PGA
Champion Luke Donald, 2011 Open champion
Darren Clarke, 2009 PGA champion YE Yang,
2-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal,
2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell,
3-time major champion Padraig Harrington, 4-
time major champion Ernie Els and several
Ryder Cup stars are in a field which includes
101 European Tour winners.
Wentworth’s West Course has undergone
numerous renovations over the last decade,
but now with the changes firmly bedded in and
the tournament growing every year, there is an
argument to say this championship is worthy of
major championship status.
Image: ©BMW AG
BMW supports the German bid to
host the 2022 Ryder Cup.
As a partner of the bidding organisation “Ryder
Cup Deutschland”, BMW aims to help bring the
prestigious inter-continental competition
between Europe and the USA to Berlin.
Munich. BMW is expanding its involvement in
the world of golf by supporting RC
Deutschland GmbH’s bid to host the 2022
Ryder Cup in Berlin. Germany is proposing to
host the unique team competition between
Europe and the USA on the “Faldo Course” at
the A-Rosa Scharmützelsee resort (Bad
Saarow, Brandenburg), but faces opposition
from rival bids from Spain, Italy and Austria.
Should Germany be given the nod by Ryder
Cup Europe LLP this autumn, the 2022 Ryder
Cup would mark the first time the tournament
has been played in Germany, and only the
third time in continental Europe after 1997
(Spain) and 2018 (France).
“Not only is Germany the home of BMW, but it
was also here that we launched our
involvement in international, professional golf
with the first BMW International Open back in
1989,” said Dr Steven Althaus, Director Brand
Management BMW and Marketing Services
BMW Group. “BMW is a global golf player, a
strong partner of the European Tour, and
partner of the Ryder Cup since 2006. BMW will
be the partner once again in 2018, when the
Ryder Cup is held on European soil in Paris.
Bringing this unique and prestigious
competition to Germany for the first time is a
challenge we will rise to with great
commitment. We are pleased to be able to
bring a major global event like the Ryder Cup
to the German capital, Berlin. We would be
delighted to share this exciting time with sports
fans from all over the world. We are confident
that this will allow us to make a valuable
contribution to the promotion of golf in
Germany.”
The so-called “bid book”, the official bid
documents, must be submitted to Ryder Cup
Europe LLP by 30th April. The BMW
International Open, which celebrates its 27th
birthday this year, will also play a key role in
the overall concept of the bid.
“The BMW International Open allows us to
make a valuable contribution to the bid to host
the 2022 Ryder Cup in Germany. This is
something we are very proud of,” said Stefanie
Wurst, Head of Marketing BMW Germany.
“Should Germany be given the nod to host the
Ryder Cup at the A-Rosa resort Bad Saarow,
we will evaluate a corresponding tournament
concept for the BMW International Open for
this course. This would also allow us to
address new target groups and generate
greater enthusiasm for the game of golf. We
see this as a great opportunity. To stage the
BMW International Open on the renowned
Faldo Course, which is regarded as one of the
best and most challenging courses in
Germany, would further raise the sporting
status of our tournament. Furthermore, Berlin
is an important location for BMW. We have a
BMW factory and a renowned BMW dealership
in the capital. As title sponsor of the BMW
BERLIN MARATHON, we are also a
permanent fixture on Berlin’s sporting
calendar.”
The front man at RC Deutschland GmbH is
Marco Kaussler, long-term tournament director
of the BMW International Open. Kaussler said:
“We are delighted that we can count on the
support of a global brand like BMW, and that
we can call on its many years of experience as
a partner on the international, professional golf
scene. This gives the bid a huge boost. We are
confident that, with BMW as an economic
partner, we can achieve our goal and bring the
Ryder Cup to Germany.”
Paul McGinley has enjoyed much great
success in the Ryder Cup, most recently as the
victorious European captain in Gleneagles in
2014. “BMW is one of the most important
partners of the European Tour and has also
been involved in the Ryder Cup for many
years,” said McGinley. “I am sure Germany will
have a strong bid with both BMW and Allianz
on board.”
Claus M. Kobold, President of the German Golf
Federation, said: “We are very proud to have
BMW on our side for the bidding process for
the 2022 Ryder Cup. BMW is one of the
biggest partners of international golf and has
been a hugely successful organiser and title
sponsor of outstanding professional
tournaments for over two decades. The
support, expertise and reputation of BMW in
the world of golf will further strengthen the
German bid.”
Courtesy of BMW Golf-Sport/BMW AG
Brittany Lincicome wins the
ANA Inspiration
Jitters and excitement. That is how the
outcome of the ANA Inspiration, golf's first
Major of the year, can be described. American
player Brittany Lincicome thought she was
completely out of the tournament but after an
eagle on the 72nd hole she tied the lead at 9-
under par and forced a playoff against Stacy
Lewis. It was Lincicome who emerged
victorious after the three-hole tiebreaker to
take her sixth LPGA title home.
World Number Two Stacy still had a chance to
win the tournament in regulation but missed
her birdie putt from 13 feet, which meant Lewis
and Lincicome would have to walk back to the
18th hole. Overnight leader and rookie Sei
Young Kim struggled during her final round
and could not managed to keep the lead after
a terrible back nine.
When it comes to nerves Lincicome is not
afraid to admit having them, but it seems she’s
worked on her game anxiety after the playoff
lost to Inbee Park in 2014 at the LPGA
Championship. This time it was different.
She played with confidence each of her shots
and totally owned the 18th. That same hole
that in 2009 was the key that led to her first
Major title.
On the first extra hole both players’ tee shot
(driver) found the rough and were forced to
layup, reaching the green in three shots. Once
on the green Lincicome's birdie putt came up
short and tapped in for par. It was once again
in Stacy's hands to win the event, but she
missed her birdie putt too.
So the playoff went to a second extra hole, on
this occasion both Stacy and Brittany found the
18th fairway. Lincicome could have reached
the green with her second shot but she
decided not to risk it. Both Americans once
again made it a three-shot hole and left the
green with pars after their birdie putts missed
by inches.
Sunset at Rancho Mirage was getting close
and there was still no winner as Stacy and
Brittany went off to the 18th tee for the third
playoff hole. It seemed like fortune was not on
Lewis side after her second shot stopped in a
sand-filled divot, which made her approach
shot come up short. Lincicome made a solid
shot and left the ball for a 15 feet birdie to
finish the hole with an easy 2-putt par. Lewis’s
bogey made her walk off with a heartbreaking
defeat.
Battling against Stacy was not easy for "Bam
Bam" since the two are good friends, besides
being partners in the Solheim Cup. “To be
against Stacy who, A, is a good friend, and, B,
is a tremendous competitor. She's always right
there coming down the stretch on Sunday. So
to be in a playoff against her, I knew I had my
work cut out for me,” said Lincicome after
winning.
Lincicome’s nerves were there but this time
she knew better and managed to win them
over. With her win the 29 year old player put
an end to her almost four years drought.
The leap into Poppie's Pond
Surely this jump will be one of the most
remembered when they refer to the ANA
Inspiration. Not for the style in which "Bam
Bam" and her companions jumped, but bye the
way in which Lincicome managed to tie the
lead and overcome Stacy Lewis in the playoff.
Brittany was joined by her caddie Missy
Pederson, her father and her fiancé Dewald
Gouws while taking the leap.
Stats to know
• With her win Lincicome joined Juli Inkster,
Dottie Pepper and Karrie Webb as two time
champions of the event.
• Brittany is now number 5 on the Race to
the CME Globe ranking.
• She jumped 12 spots on the Rolex
Rankings and is now 6th.
• Her worst finishes at the ANA Inspiration
are CUT (2008, 2012, 2013) and T59 (2014)
Virginia and New Jersey: LPGA’s
next stops
Having played the first Major of the year the
LPGA will have a tight schedule during April.
Although during May the players will have
more weeks off and will only play two
tournaments. The first event will be the
Kingsmill Championship Presented by JTBC
that will be playing from May 14 thru 17 in
Williamsburg, Virginia.
This time it will be Lizette Salas who defends
her title won in 2014. Salas managed to win
with a total of 13-under par; Sarah Jane Smith,
Yani Tseng and Lexi Thompson were her
nearest competitors with 9-under par. Lizette's
title last year meant her first career victory and
the first event without her parents following her
rounds.
The ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by
Acer will be May’s next tourney where
American Stacy Lewis will defend here second
title of the season May 29 thru 31. The event
will be held at the Stockton Seaview Hotel and
Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey.
This is the first event of the year on the LPGA
played with 54-hole format.
In 2014 Lewis won her 10th career title with a
solid 16-under par, countrywomen Christina
Kim was runner-up with a 10-under par. After
this victory last year Stacy was projected to
jump into the first spot on the Rolex Rankings
and end Inbee Park’s 59-week streak as
world’s number one.
Following the success of last year’s Ryder Cup
at Gleneagles, the spotlight will very much be
on Scotland again this coming summer when
The Old Course, St Andrews hosts the 144th
Open Championship in July.
Whilst much of the attention will naturally be
focussed on the famous links many visitors to
the country will be taking the opportunity to
visit other parts of Scotland and experience
many of the hidden gems often left
undiscovered.
This month we put the Highlands and Islands
under the spotlight and introduce you to some
of the classic links courses, which in most
cases have barely been touched since they
first opened over 100 years ago!
Image: ©Traigh Golf Club Traigh Golf Club
Golfing in The Highlands and Islands allows
you to experience some of the most remote
and scenically beautiful courses to be found
anywhere in the world. Here, you can enjoy the
pleasures of a secluded round of golf amid
quite breathtaking scenery. Golf in the
Highlands of Scotland is an experience to be
savoured and with over 150,000 golfers visiting
each year, it is becoming a more sought after
destination.
With a warm, welcome that is traditional from
the Highland locals, golfers will relish every
moment of their stay. Indeed, the locals are
more than a little knowledgeable when it
comes to golf and visitors can expect pre-
round tips from the locals to help them on their
way.
The Highlands is blessed with 46 wonderful
testing courses in some isolated places as well
as within the main cities of Inverness and Fort
William. There are a number of golf courses
around the Aviemore and Grantown-on-Spey
area which many visitors include while on their
whisky trail of the Speyside area of Scotland.
Some of the world's greatest links courses
reside in the north of Scotland. The names of
the courses themselves (Royal Dornoch,
Brora, Nairn and Tain to name a few) should
be enough to make you pack your clubs and
set off. Many of the courses have been created
by some of golf's most celebrated course
architects, notably James Braid and Old Tom
Morris.
The world famous Carnegie Club at Skibo
Castle is also a favourite of many visitors, with
the castle the setting for the high-profile
wedding of Madonna and Guy Ritchie. More
recently the stunning new links at Castle Stuart
opened which has since held the Scottish
Open.
This has greatly enhanced the golf on offer
along the Moray Firth coast and with the recent
announcement that Arnold Palmer is set to
build a second links at Castle Stuart, the
attention will very much be on the north of
Scotland coast over the coming years.
On the announcement, Arnold commented “I
have had a strong affection for Scotland since I
first went there in 1960 to play in the Open at
St Andrews. I have returned many times since,
including a memorable victory in the Open
Championship at Troon in 1962. The
opportunity to build an iconic golf course in
Scotland would be the culmination of all these
great experiences.”
If you’re feeling a little more adventurous then
a golfing adventure to the Scottish Islands is
an absolute must! There are 26 Scottish Golf
islands. Ranging from the far north down the
western coastline and with a total of thirty-eight
courses between them there’s nowhere else in
the world that you can enjoy the variety on
offer.
Image: ©John Haslam/Flickr Royal Dornoch Struie
Courses range from the perfectly manicured to
the slightly more rough and ready, but all of
them share the same rugged surroundings,
charming villages and spectacular sea views.
The Isle of Barra’s 9-hole course is the most
westerly course in Scotland, while the most
northerly is the 18 holer on the picturesque Isle
of Whalsay, part of the Shetland Isles
archipelago.
It’s well worth making provision to visit the
courses around Orkney and its surrounding
islands – all within easy reach of the mainland
or Shetland. For the seemingly impossible
price of only £21 you can fly with Logan Air
from Westray to Papa Westray and enjoy the
world’s shortest flight, lasting only 47 seconds!
Typically you can expect to pay between £10
and £15 a round, but all clubs have offers to
suit every player’s pocket. Iona has without
question the lowest price per round, not just on
the islands but possibly mainland UK as it’s
free of charge to all!
This seemingly impossible situation has arisen
due to the islanders maintaining the 18 hole
links course with views onto the North Atlantic
for their own pleasure and that of visitors
Whatever your requirement, St Andrews Golf
Travel has the ability to build any requested
tour in Scotland. If you fancy joining us for the
144th Open Championship in St Andrews, then
limited places still exist. E-mail
[email protected] or visit
www.standrewsgolftravel.com for further
information
Feature written by Marc Gentles, St Andrews
Golf Travel.
Image: ©John Haslam/Flickr Royal Dornoch
