R and A nine-hole championship final will 

include Carnoustie's feared finish holes

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE R and A

Club golfers throughout Great Britain and Ireland will have the opportunity to tee it up at Carnoustie shortly before the world’s greatest golfers compete at The 147^th Open in July.

A group of 42 men and women will compete in pairs by Stableford in the second staging of The RandA’s nine-hole championship final after securing their places through qualifying events run at golf clubs at which they are members.

The Final of the nine-hole championship will be held on Saturday, July 14 and will played over the first four and last five holes of the Championship Course at Carnoustie.

Finalists will be presented with the challenge of tackling the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th holes of the renowned Angus links, considered by many to be the toughest finishing holes in golf.

The nine-hole event is central to The RandA’s drive to promote this form of golf as an ideal way to enjoy playing the sport in less time, either recreationally or competitively for handicap purposes.

Competitors will adopt Ready Golf in the Final of the nine-hole championship, which can be used in stroke play and includes a number of actions to improve the flow of golfers around the course and speed up play.

Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Golf Development at The RandA, said: “Nine-hole golf is continuing to grow in popularity among golfers so we are encouraging clubs throughout Great Britain and Ireland to offer men, women and juniors more opportunities to enjoy this shorter format of the game, both socially and competitively.

“Following the success of last year’s event, we are working with our affiliates in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to support more clubs holding qualifying events for their members with the incentive of playing one of world’s most renowned courses ahead of The Open.”

Qualifying events are open to men, women, boys and girls who are club members with a CONGU handicap.

Please visit www.randa.org/9HoleChampionship for more information.