Open Champions' Challenge over four holes of

Old Course on Wednesday, July 14

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R&A
On Wednesday, July 14, the eve of the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews, The Open’s past Champions will play four holes of the Old Course – the first, second, 17th and 18th – in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of golf’s oldest Major.
An invitation to compete has been extended to all 32 living Open Champions.
The first group will tee-off around 4pm and the event will conclude by 6pm. The winners of the Challenge, which will be screened live by the BBC, will receive prize money to donate to a charity of their choice.
This is the second time that The Open Champions' Challenge has been staged. In 2000, 22 former Open Champions celebrated the Millennium Open in the same format. On that occasion large galleries, who were entertained by a tap-dance on the Swilken Bridge by an 88-year-old Sam Snead, watched Team One of Tom Weiskopf, Tom Lehman and Paul Lawrie claim victory with a score of two under par. The event raised over £40,000 for charity.
“The Open Champions' Challenge in 2000 was a great success and we expect it to be so again a decade on in 2010,” said David Hill, The R&A’s Director of Championships. “We hope that the majority of our former Champions will accept the invitation and join us in St Andrews to help commemorate this very special occasion.”
Ticket enquiries should be directed through Opengolf.com or +44 (0) 1334 460010.
The invited Champions and the years of their victories are as follows:
Peter Thomson 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965
Gary Player 1959, 1968, 1974
Kel Nagle 1960
Arnold Palmer 1961, 1962
Sir Bob Charles 1963
Jack Nicklaus 1966, 1970, 1978
Roberto de Vicenzo 1967
Tony Jacklin 1969
Lee Trevino 1971, 1972
Tom Weiskopf 1973
Tom Watson 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983
Johnny Miller 1976
Severiano Ballesteros 1979, 1984, 1988
Bill Rogers 1981
Sandy Lyle 1985
Greg Norman 1986, 1993
Sir Nick Faldo 1987, 1990, 1992
Mark Calcavecchia 1989
Ian Baker-Finch 1991
Nick Price 1994
John Daly 1995
Tom Lehman 1996
Justin Leonard 1997
Mark O’Meara 1998
Paul Lawrie 1999
Tiger Woods 2000, 2005, 2006
David Duval 2001
Ernie Els 2002
Ben Curtis 2003
Todd Hamilton 2004
Padraig Harrington 2007, 2008
Stewart Cink 2009

NEW ONLINE INFORMATIONAL CLUB DATABASE

LAUNCHED AHEAD OF GROOVE RULE CHANGES

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R&A

In advance of changes in the Rules of Golf relating to Grooves, which are effective from January 1, 2010, The R&A has developed an online club database. Produced in conjunction with the USGA, the Informational Club Database is a searchable database of all irons and wedges, as well as hybrids and fairway woods with lofts of 25° or higher, which were in production prior to January 1, 2010 and which have been submitted to, and evaluated by, either The R&A or the USGA.
“The purpose of the database is to assist golfers and Rules Officials in determining the status of their existing clubs, when evaluated against the current Rules of Golf and the new groove and punch mark specifications,” said David Rickman, The R&A’s Director of Rules and Equipment Standards.
“It is important to remember that the new specifications do not apply to any clubs manufactured prior to 1 January 2010 and those clubs will continue to conform to the Rules of Golf for the vast majority of golfers until at least 2024.

"However, the new specifications will be applied at the highest level of professional golf next year, via a Condition of Competition, and it is important that we provide as much information as we can to players competing at that level and to those who administer these professional events.”
Users of the database can input the details of their club in a simple ‘search’ facility and compare their club to the search results, which will include full details of the clubhead markings. This will help the user to ensure that the correct club has been identified.
There are models of clubs which are not included in the database because they have not been submitted for evaluation or they have not yet been evaluated against the 2010 specifications. The database is, therefore, not a fully comprehensive list of clubs and should only be used as a reference tool.
The database and full details of the new groove specifications and their phased introduction can be accessed in the Rules section on www.randa.org.

ROYAL CINQUE PORTS & PRINCE’S TO HOST

2013 AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R&A

Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s golf clubs have been chosen to stage the 2013 Amateur Championship. The Kent links courses will share the initial stroke-play qualifying stage before Royal Cinque Ports hosts the match-play rounds.
Royal Cinque Ports has hosted the Amateur Championship on two occasions: first in 1923 when England’s Roger Wethered defeated Scotland’s Robert Harris, and then again in 1982 when Martin Thompson beat Andrew Stubbs in an all-English final.

Deal has also staged two Open Championships. J H Taylor lifted the Claret Jug there in 1909, and Scot, George Duncan, did the same in 1920.
Like its neighbour, Prince’s Golf Club can also claim Open Championship pedigree. It was there that Gene Sarazen won the fifth of his seven Major Championships in 1932. The sand-iron, which he introduced to the game of golf during the Championship, is still on display in the clubhouse. Prince’s hosted the Amateur Championship with Royal St Georges in 2006, when Frenchman Julien Guerrier beat England’s Adam Gee to win the title.
Both clubs will be used as Local Final Qualifying venues in advance of the 2011 Open Championship at nearby Royal St George’s.
The 118th Amateur Championship will take place on 17 – 22 June 2013.

Hamish Ritchie drives in as Captain
of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club

FROM THE R and A WEBSITE
Hamish Ritchie performed the traditional 'driving in' ceremony at 8 o'clock this morning (September 18) to mark the beginning of his year as Captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.
Ritchie's first tee shot as Captain was accompanied by the boom of a cannon, which is traditionally fired as the shot is hit.
Hamish Ritchie joined the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in 1974 and served as a member of the General Committee from 1994 - 1998.
Born in Milngavie, near Glasgow, he was educated at Loretto, East Lothian, and Christ Church, Oxford. He was an Oxford Blue, and held the captaincy of Oxford University Golf Club from 1964-1965. A member of the Oxford & Cambridge Golfing Society, he was captain from 1994-1996.
He became captain of his home club, Denham Golf Club, in 1993 and was chairman from 2000 - 2004.
An insurance broker, Hamish Ritchie began his career with Hogg Robinson where he worked for 16 years. He moved to Marsh Limited in 1981 and became chairman of Marsh & McLennan Companies (UK) in 2000, a role he undertook until 2004.
Now retired and living in Buckinghamshire, Hamish is married to Carol. They have two adult children. He is a member of Rye Golf Club, Chechessee Creek Club and The Duke’s Golf Club and plays to a handicap of 11. He is also a member of the MCC.