GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND TEAM ANNOUNCED 

FOR THE 2018 ST ANDREWS TROPHY

R and A NEWS RELEASE

The R and A today announced the Great Britain and Ireland team to face the Continent of Europe in the St Andrews Trophy match which will be played at Linna Golf, Finland on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 July.

A nine-player team comprising six Englishmen and three players from Ireland has been named for the 2018 match.

Scotland’s Craig Watson will continue as Captain 

of GB and I following the 12½-12½ tie in the last match 

played at Prince’s in Kent in 2016.

“We have selected a talented and exciting team for this 

match, knowing that the Continent of Europe players will be 

extremely strong.” said Watson.

Ireland’s Robin Dawson cemented his place in the team by 

winning the Irish Amateur Open Championship and finishing 

runner-up in The Amateur Championship and also in the 

European Amateur Championship.

He is joined by fellow Irishmen John Murphy and Conor 

Purcell. Last month Murphy won the St Andrews Links 

Trophy and was a quarter-finalist in The Amateur 

Championship.  Purcell, son of PGA Professional Joey, was 

a semi-finalist.

England’s Matthew Jordan, who played for GB and I in the 

2017 Walker Cup match at Los Angeles Country Club and 

who captured the Lytham Trophy with a nine-shot victory in 

May, is the highest ranked member of the team at number 

five in the World Amateur Golf Ranking™.

He is joined in the team by compatriots Todd Clements, 

David Hague, Gian-Marco Petrozzi, Nick Poppleton and 

Mitch Waite who combined to finish runners-up to Finland in 

last week’s European Amateur Team Championship in 

Germany. Clements, Hague and Petrozzi also featured for England in their victorious 2018 European Nations Cup team, with Clements winning the stroke play event.

Poppleton won the Brabazon Trophy while Petrozzi was the leading player in last week’s European Amateur Team Championship stroke play qualifying rounds.

Waite forced his way into contention after top five finishes in 

the Hampshire Salver, Lytham Trophy and the European 

Amateur Championship and was also a semi-finalist in last 

month’s Amateur Championship.

The Great Britain and Ireland team for the 2018 St Andrews Trophy is:

Todd Clements, 21, Braintree, England	Gian-Marco Petrozzi, 21, Trentham, England
Robin Dawson, 22, Tramore, Ireland	Nick Poppleton, 24, Wath, England
David Hague, 21, Malton and Norton, England	Conor Purcell, 21, Portmarnock, Ireland
Matthew Jordan, 22, Royal Liverpool, England	Mitch Waite, 23, Filton, England
John Murphy, 20, Kinsale, Ireland

Captain:

Craig Watson, 51, East Renfrewshire, Scotland

Reserves:

1. Andrew Wilson, 24, Darlington, England
2. Euan Walker, 22, Kilmarnock (Barassie), Scotland

German Falko wins British boys' 

title at 37th hole at Muirfield

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE R and A

Falko Hanisch came out on top after a closely-fought 36-hole final of the 90th British boys' amateur championship at Muirfield today.

The 16-year-old German defeated Spain’s Alejandro Aguilera on the 37th hole to seal the biggest win of his young career. He has earned a place in The 122nd Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s and Prince’s next year and an exemption into Final Qualifying for The 146th Open at Royal Birkdale.

In fair conditions on Scotland’s East Coast, it was the Spaniard who stormed into a three hole lead on the front nine after Hanisch bogeyed on the 6th and 9th holes, either side of a concession on the 7th.

Nevertheless, Hanisch, who is a member of the Stolper Heide Club in Berlin, won two holes in a row from the 10th to reduce the deficit to one, only to bogey the par 4 12th to give Aguilera a two hole advantage.

A beautiful tee shot by Hanisch on the par 3 13th enabled him to pull one hole back after Aguilera found trouble in the bunker and he returned the match to all-square after winning the 14th hole with a par following a bogey from the Spanish youngster.

However, the 16-year-old from Madrid replied immediately with a successful par putt on the next hole after a double bogey from the German hopeful.

Both players were unable to take advantage of opportunities to win the 17th after missing putts from around 4ft and had to settle for a halve as nerves began to take hold.

The pair finished the opening 18 holes all-square after Aguilera’s wayward approach to the 18th green plugged into the right-hand greenside bunker and was followed by a three-putt that led to the hole being conceded.

The early exchanges in the afternoon were a close run affair with the first four holes being halved but Hanisch, who is currently number one in the German Junior Golf Rankings, took the lead for the first time in the match with an excellent birdie on the par 5 23rd hole.

The slender advantage was short lived, however, as Aguilera made successful putts on the 24th and 25th holes in a two-hole swing to go 1up.

The see-saw nature of the encounter continued two holes later with a birdie by the German on the 27th good enough to win the hole and restore parity to the encounter, before a bogey by Aguilera on the 30th hole gave Hanisch the lead for a second time in the match.

Aguilera was not out of it yet, however, and the match went back to all-square on the 34th hole when the Spaniard holed a vital birdie putt from 20ft after his opponent had hit a spectacular bunker recovery close to the flag.   

The last two holes were halved, taking the Final to extra holes.
Aguilera handed the advantage to Hanisch when his approach to the 37th hole went out of bounds while his opponent’s second shot safely found the heart of the green. The young German held his composure to secure the winning par putt from four feet and complete a memorable victory.
Key Quotes:
Falko Hanisch:
“I’m so happy, I can hardly believe it. I enjoyed the match, it was a very tough match and Alejandro played very well. I tried not to think about the occasion too much and just concentrate on enjoying playing golf. My only thought before the match was to be relaxed and enjoy the final.

“Sometimes it’s easier to play in other countries like Scotland because in your own country, everyone expects you to do well. I like the Scottish people, they were very supportive

“After the first nine holes, I was not confident and he was playing well. But I just said to myself ‘try and play better’ and thankfully it came together. Alejandro is a great player, I like his golf swing, he is very quick and his short game is unbelievable.”

Alejandro Aguilera:

“In the last hole, my ball was in a divot and I couldn’t hit it so I lost because of that. If you told me on the first day that I would have reached the final, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’m very happy as I came second in the Boys Amateur. 

“Match play is different and I don’t always like to play the same type of golf all the time. I like the change in format.

“I knew I had to make a birdie on the 17th to stay in it and then maybe make a birdie on the 18th to win it but it wasn’t to be.

“I think it’s important at my age to not worry about winning all the time, being second place is good and I can come back next year to try again.”

The 91st British boys' amateur championship will take place at The Nairn and Nairn Dunbar from August 15 to 20 next year.

+Picture of the winner with the championship trophy by courtesy of the R and A.

LADIES’ GOLF UNION AND R and A

 TO PROCEED WITH MERGER

NEWS RELEASE

 The Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) and The R and A are to proceed with a merger of the two organisations.

Following an extensive consultation exercise, agreement has been reached on the merger of the two St Andrews-based bodies with the process due to be completed in the coming months.

The LGU organises a series of prestigious championships and international matches including the Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Curtis Cup and the merger will be an opportunity to further develop these world class events.

An announcement was made in February 2015 that a potential merger between the LGU and The R and A was under consideration. 

Since then discussions have taken place between the respective Boards and the LGU’s shareholders - England Golf, Scottish Golf, the Golf Union of Wales and the Irish Ladies Golf Union - and there has been unanimous support for the proposal.

Trish Wilson, the Chairman of the LGU, said, “The LGU has a long and proud tradition of supporting women’s and girls’ golf.  Funded by the lady golfers of Great Britain and Ireland, the LGU has positioned golf as a game for all women and girls.  

"My gratitude is due to our shareholders for their foresight and support in this move.

“I would like to thank the Chief Executive of The R&A and his team, and the foresight of his predecessor, for their initiative and conviction in achieving this outcome. Building on the strong relationship it already enjoys with The  R and A, the LGU looks forward to realising the potential of this merger.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R and A, said, “The LGU and The R and A have a wealth of experience in running successful championships and we have a shared focus on supporting the development of golf. 

"The merger will enable us to capitalise on the strengths of the two organisations for the wider benefit of the sport, including the development of golf for women and girls.

“This is a historic move and an important step forward for golf on these islands. I would like to thank the LGU Board for their commitment and enthusiasm throughout this process and their stakeholders, including Ricoh and IMG, for their tremendous support.”

Planning is underway to integrate the staff from both organisations and to implement the agreed governance structure. 

The LGU’s championships and international matches will run as normal this year with the existing LGU team managing those events.  The business operations of the LGU will be brought into The R and A group of companies with effect from 1 January 2017.

NEW CAPTAIN CALDWELL DRIVES IN

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE R and A 

The traditional driving-in ceremony for the new Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews took place on the 1st tee of the Old Course today.

Gavin Caldwell began his year in office with a drive at precisely 8am as a cannon fired alongside the tee. A large crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the ceremony along with a number of Past Captains including HRH The Duke of York.

As Captain, Mr Caldwell will represent The R and A and support its work in developing golf around the world. He will attend R and A championships in the professional and amateur games and assume an ambassadorial role for the Club.

After hitting his tee shot, Mr Caldwell said: “This is a great thrill for me because I am only the third Irishman ever to be Captain of the Club in its very long history. This moment has been on my mind since I was asked to be Captain.

“I have a wonderful year ahead representing The R and A at many events all around the world. It’s important to me to be a good Club Captain and it is truly an honour to take up this new role. I’m looking forward to spending time with the members and participating in events that happen here in St Andrews.”

Born in Belfast in 1947, Mr Caldwell was club Captain and Chairman of the Walker Cup Committee when it hosted the 1991 match. A former Trustee of Portmarnock Golf Club, he enjoyed a successful university golf career and is President of Dublin University Golfing Society.

Mr Caldwell was educated at St Columba’s College and Trinity College, Dublin and embarked on a career in investment management. In 1980, he was appointed as the founding Chief Executive of Ulster Bank Investment Managers, the Irish subsidiary of NatWest Group, a role he held until 2003. He is currently a non-executive director of several Irish subsidiaries of international investment companies.

Mr Caldwell has served on the Amateur Status and Championship Committees of The R and A and was a member of the General Committee from 2010-2013. He has been a member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club since 1996. He resides in Howth, Co Dublin with his wife Jane and has five children, Robert, Sarah, Sonia, Jennifer and Gillian.

In the past, the Club Captaincy was bestowed on the winner of the annual Challenge for the Silver Club but by the early 19^th Century the Captaincy had become an elected office.

Part of the tradition is that a gold sovereign is paid by the new Captain to buy his golf ball back from the caddie who retrieves and returns it. 

 American caddie Oliver Horovitz returned the Captain’s ball for the third time, after also retrieving it at the driving-in ceremony of 2014-2015 Captain George Macgregor OBE and 2011-2012 Captain Alistair Low.

“I’m really excited to receive the sovereign for a third time,” said Horovitz, who is currently in his tenth season on the links. “Last year I phoned my mother back in New York and woke her up with the news so I’ll have to do that again today. I think the secret is to try and get as good a view before the Captain hits his shot, and more than that I think I’ve just been really lucky. It’s a huge honour to be part of this ceremony.”

Scots Calum Fyfe and Sandy Scott in GB and I boys' team for  Royal Dornoch match

R and A NEWS RELEASE
The Great Britain and Ireland team to face the Continent of Europe in the Jacques Leglise Trophy match at Royal Dornoch was announced by The R and A today.

The nine player team that will take part in the match at Royal Dornoch on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August is:

Ben Chamberlain (18)	Padeswood & Buckley, Wales
William Enefer (17)	Wrekin, England
Calum Fyfe (18)	Cawder, Scotland
Tim Harry (18)	Vale Resort, Wales
Bradley Moore (17) (Captain)	Kedleston Park, England
Thomas Mulligan (16)	Co Louth, Ireland
Marco Penge (17)	Golf at Goodwood, England
Sandy Scott (17)	Nairn, Scotland
Thomas Williams (17)	Wrexham, Wales

The GB and I team, which will be managed by Peter McEvoy OBE, will be looking to defend the Jacques Leglise Trophy after their 12½ - 11½ triumph at Barsebäck in Sweden last year. It was their 37th win overall compared to ten for the Continent of Europe.

Three members of that team will return for this year’s match at Royal Dornoch: England’s Marco Penge and Bradley Moore and Tim Harry from Wales. Penge reached the semi finals of last week’s Boys Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale and has notched up three wins this season, including the Scottish Open Stroke Play Championship. His fellow England boys international Moore won the Carris Trophy last month and Harry’s best finish of the season came at the Portuguese International Amateur Championships where he was tied sixth.

Nairn’s Sandy Scott will also be a key member of the team having won the Scottish Boys Open Stroke Play Championship, the East of Scotland Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship and the Stephen Gallacher Foundation Trophy this summer.

The format for the Jacques Leglise Trophy match is four foursomes ties each morning, eight singles matches on the afternoon of Friday 28 August and nine singles matches on the afternoon of Saturday 29 August.

For scoring and reports from the matches please visit Championships.randa.org.

R and A announces results of pace of play survey, arranges forum for later in year

 NEWS RELEASE

The R and A has announced the results of a pace of play survey, with an industry forum to discuss the findings planned for later in the year.

The survey received more than 56,000 responses from golfers in 122 countries between September 2014 and March 2015. 

It was carried out by The R and A as part of its efforts to investigate the issues affecting golf and the extent to which they impact on participation in the sport.

The survey revealed that while 70% of golfers are largely happy with the duration of their rounds, 60% of golfers expressed the view that they would enjoy golf more if they played in less time.

Importantly, of the 25-44 year-olds who said that they were never happy with pace of play, 21% said that golf would need to take as much as one-and-a-half hours less for them to play more often. 
Of the 8,468 golfers in this age range who responded, 19% said they would welcome the opportunity to play nine holes more often as an alternative format.

The survey found that the two biggest factors preventing people from playing golf are work commitments (34%) and family commitments (29%) with the time taken to play (16%) ranked third. Other factors mentioned were alternative hobbies (12%), cost of play (7%), difficulty of play (1%) and cost of equipment (1%); although there were some regional variations on these percentages.

The R and A is organising a forum later this year where it will invite contributions from a range of organisations in golf on addressing pace of play and explore the key areas of player behaviour, management approaches and golf course issues.

Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Working for Golf at The R and A, said, “This survey is the first step for us in examining, in detail, the wide range of issues currently affecting participation in golf. "There is plenty of anecdotal evidence available but we conducted the survey to obtain accurate data on how much of an issue pace of play is for golfers and to give us an insight into what they see as the main factors contributing to slow rounds.

“We feel that the next step in this process is to engage with our partners throughout the golf industry to look at these findings and invite them to contribute their views to these important discussions. Our forum later this year will provide the opportunity for these discussions to take place.”

The R and A distributed the survey through its affiliated bodies around the world and it was offered in six languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.

The report is available to download at

 http://www.randa.org/en/RandA/Downloads-and-Publications.aspx.

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Players who have turned pro should tell R and A

From Andy McDonald
The RandA
WAGR

 Any players that have turned Professional recently,  please advise ASAP.

Andy McDonald


+Information needed so that players can be deleted from World Amateur Golf Rankings.