St Andrews Golf Magazine Rio 2016 Souvenir Edition

St Golf Andrews Magazine GARY PLAYER, 2016

StAndrewsGolfMagazine.com

StAndrewsGolfMagazine.com

Editor Matt Hooper Contributors John Boyne, Cristina Panama, Chloe Goadby, Mark Dickson, Tom Brockelsby, Reuben Brown, Neil Elder, Paul Laesecke, Anne Hervey, Lisa Turnbull, Kayleigh Hunter, Ruairidh McDonald, Stefanie Kenoyer, Michael Buttacavoli, Elizabeth Bethel, Colin Donaldson-Nixon, Jason Womack, Marc Gentles (St Andrews Golf Travel), Garry Forrester, Alex Fleming

Photography Matt Hooper, Kevin Kirk (Recounter), Sourced from Rolex/Getty, BMW AG, Flickr, Daimler Media, Tristan Jones/LET, OMEGA Ltd, Gary Player Enterprises, IOC MEDIA, PGA Tour Latinoamerica, Sandra Gal, Maria Balikoeva, Augusta National Golf Club, Scottish Golf, Golf Australia, USGA, PGA of America

Design and production Matt Hooper

Publisher Matt Hooper

Special thanks go to Ewen Murray, David Livingstone, Rory McIlroy Inc. Stephen Sweeney, PGA European Tour, R&A, New Golf Club, St Andrews Golf Club, St Regulus Ladies Golf Club, St Rule Club, Thistle Club, Simon Baldwin & Julia McGregor of Destination 66, St Andrews BID, Graham Dalton, Julie Lewis, Iain Marr, Fairmont St Andrews, G1 Group, British Golf Museum, Ziggy’s, Glenn Lowery/Old Course Hotel, Crail Golfing Society, Trump International Golf Links, Cruden Bay Golf Club, Ladies European Tour, USGA, World Hickory Open Championship, Junior Ryder Cup/Neil Ahern, Arthur de Rivoire, Bradley Neil & Rodney Neil, Gleneagles Hotel, Leading Hotels of the World, IAGTO Media Team, Scottish Golf, IMG, LPGA, Keir McNicoll, Edinburgh International Film Festival

Directors Matt Hooper

Colin Donaldson-Nixon

Matt is the editor, co-founder and publisher of St Andrews Golf Magazine. He began writing about golf in September 2012 and has a wealth of knowledge and experience across the golf industry. He is the chief features writer and lead journalist of St Andrews Golf Magazine. He has also written for Pro Golf Now and as an independent contractor for All Square Golf.

Cristina Panama is a Journalism student studying in San Antonio, Texas and is the LPGA Correspondent and features writer for St Andrews Golf Magazine. Cristina is from Guadalajara in Mexico.

St Andrews Golf Magazine has adhered to the EDITORIAL USE OF OLYMPIC PROPERTIES published by the International Olympic Committee in 2016. The logo of Rio 2016 is used on the front cover as explained in the above document, and throughout the Olympic section of St Andrews Golf Magazine, published August 2, 2016. The integrity of the Olympic logo follows the guidelines for editorial use as set out in the document and as used in other media publications such as the Daily Telegraph and The Times of London.

Golf’s Olympic Opportunity

History of Olympic Golf

Gary Player interview

Sir Steve Redgrave Interview

InsideStAndrews This publication may not be reproduced in part or whole without the expressed written permission of St Andrews Golf Magazine Limited. ŠSt Andrews Golf Magazine Limited 2016 info@standrewsgolfmagazine.com Advertising enquiries Matt Hooper info@standrewsgolfmagazine.com Colin Donaldson info@standrewsgolfmagazine.com

Going for Gold – all 120 athletes

Golf course guide

AFTER 112 YEARS ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, GOLF TAKES ITS PLACE AT THE TOP TABLE OF SPORT WITH THE MOST INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT EVER PLAYED SET TO THRILL THE WORLD AND GROW THE GAME IN RIO DE JANEIRO

112 years ago when golf last played its part in the Olympic Games, the Games themselves were far different from how they are organised now.

They were part of a World Fair, first in Paris and then in St Louis, and such was the lack of organisation that most golfers didn’t even know they were competing in the Olympic Games. The competitors were amateur and represented only a handful of nations, indeed in St Louis only golfers from the United States and Canada entered. Outside of the Olympic Games in 1904 the sport was dominated by Great Britain. There were only two major championships – The Open and US Open, along with the Western Open in the US, South African Open, Canadian Open and Australian Open. This was the age of Vardon, Braid, Taylor, Hilton and Anderson, all of whom won a combined 23 majors in a 21-year period from 1892. Golf had been introduced to the far corners of the world, but it really was only played in the homeland of Scotland and England. Women still didn’t play a part in essence and it was very much a game for the elites.

However, it was that very first Olympic golf tournament in 1900 that women first competed, not just in golf, but in the Olympic Games as a whole. Margaret Ives Abbott became the first American woman to win any Olympic event when she won the golf competition in Paris.

Fast forward over a century and golf returns to the Olympic Games as a truly global and equal sport, with 60 men and 60 women representing forty countries from all six continents of the world, and it is a game which is far more accessible now than it has ever been. The game has become a truly global industry and its athletes are superstars, both male and female. The age of the last Olympic golf champion, George Lyon, was 46, and in this field of competitors from across the world the age range is from as young as 18 up to 46, proving that this is truly a game for life.

Despite all of the problems in the build up to golf’s return, which are much publicized, the sport is ready to shine and take its rightful place among the leading sports of the world in the Greatest Show on Earth.

To celebrate golf’s return to the Olympic Games St Andrews Golf Magazine has produced a special souvenir edition, which will bring you all the information you require for this historic fortnight for the sport.

We have included a hole-by-hole guide to the course in Rio, player-by-player and country-by-country biographies for all 120 competitors and a concise history of golf in the Olympic Games.

St Andrews Golf Magazine has exclusive interviews and Q and A’s with Gary Player, Danny Willett, Sandra Gal, Maria Verchenova, SSP Chowrasia, Joost Luiten, Padraig Harrington, Scott Hend, Marcus Fraser, Youth Olympic Gold medallist Renato Paratore and 5-time Olympic gold medallist, Sir Steve Redgrave. Setting the scene for golf’s return to the Olympic Games in Rio. We also delve into the opportunities golf can exploit from being back in the Olympic programme, from growing the game, to golf tourism to a world tour.

All of this is in addition to the regular news and features from Inside St Andrews, including the launch of our LifeStyle section, which this month visits the Doll’s House, Lade Braes Walk, Criterion and Scotland’s Secret Bunker.

V

Golf was first part of the Olympic Games in 1900 in Paris and this historic event was the first in which women were allowed to compete. Margaret Abbott won the women’s golf tournament and became the first female American to take first place in an Olympic event.

This edition, the second modern Olympics, was so poorly organized that Abbott didn’t even realize she was competing in the Olympics and only historical research some years later established golf was on the Olympic programme.

Abbott died without even knowing she had created American sporting history. Charles Sands won the men’s tournament, with the prizes (medals were not awarded in Paris) going to six golfers from the United States (4) and Great Britain (2). Four nations were represented in the Paris Olympic golf tournaments – France, United States, Great Britain and Greece. A total of 22 athletes competed across the men’s and women’s tournaments.

The 1900 Paris Olympics were held as part of the Exposition Universelle, a World Fair, held in Paris from April to November 1900.

Golf returned for a second Olympics in St Louis in 1904. Once again these Games were held as part of the World Fair, or Louisiana Purchase Exhibition. There wouldn’t be female participation in the 1904 golf tournament, but there would be an individual men’s and team men’s competition. The tournament attracted 77 athletes from Canada (3) and United States (74). The United States won all three team medals but the Gold Medal in the individual tournament was won by Canada’s George S Lyon. Lyon won the Canadian Amateur a record 8 times and he won the Olympic golf tournament by the score of 3&2 in the final against the United States’ Chandler Egan.

The individual tournament began with two rounds of strokeplay followed by knockout match play for the leading 32 players. Lyon was the only Canadian to make it through to the match play.

This would be the last time golf would be seen at an Olympic Games until this year, but in the intervening 112 years there have been many attempts to reintroduce it to the programme, some more serious than others.

London hosted the 1908 Olympic Games, as part of the Franco-British Exhibition of Science, Arts and Industry. In the months before the Games, debate raged as to whether golf should be included. Much anger was expressed in the press over the fact that Royal St George’s and not The Royal and Ancient Golf Club was organising the golfing competitions. According to the R&A, no letter from the British Olympic Association informing them of golf’s inclusion in the Games had been received.

trophy presentation to the president of the German golf federation.

play golf in Augusta and they raised objections.

(Source: International Golf Federation)

They said they were concerned because the Augusta National was a predominantly white club, and at the time had no female members.

They also wanted to have the golf tournament held in Atlanta.

Despite advanced arrangements, the BOA cancelled the golfing events two days before they were due to begin. It appeared that many British golfers had incorrectly filled in their entry forms.

When Atlanta won the rights to host the Centennial Olympic Games (1996) in 1990 William Porter Payne was elected as the Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. Payne was the leading advocate of bringing the games to Atlanta, and a keen golfer. He was a member of Augusta National, and has since become Chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters.

(Source: British Golf Museum) In 1936, a golf tournament was contested at Baden-Baden, Germany as an exhibition just prior to the Olympics. Adolf Hitler donated a trophy and hoped to present it to a winning German team. With one round remaining, the German duo led, and Count von Ribbentrop, foreign minister to the Third Reich, sent a message to Der Führer about the German lead, and Hitler began the trek from Berlin to Baden-Baden. The next day, when Hitler arrived, von Ribbentrop informed him that the British pair of Tony Thirsk and Arnold Bentley had broken a course record and won the tournament over the Germans. Hitler got back in his car and returned to Berlin, leaving the

It would be another 50 years before golf was even discussed as a possible Olympic sport. In 1989, Juan Antonio Samaranch, then President of the IOC, discussed adding golf to the program of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, but he backed off when he could get no assurances that many top pros would participate.

In 1992 he announced that golf would return to the Olympic Games, and the membership at Augusta National had agreed to allow the events to be played over their course. Payne said that the Olympic tournament would be open and have fields of 60 men from 25 to 30 countries and 40 women from some 20 countries. Each country would be allowed up to three men and three women.

But members of the Atlanta City Council had not been consulted about the decision to try to

ACOG officials tried to smooth things over, but the political squabbling got so intense, not even the persuasive Payne could calm down the Atlanta political leaders. Finally, ACOG decided to not even ask the International Olympic Committee to approve golf as a sport in 1996.

Selected players in a potential men’s field in 1996 based on the 2016 qualification criteria Greg Norman and Steve Elkington – Australia Colin Montgomerie and Nick Faldo – Great Britain Ernie Els and Wayne Westner – South Africa Nick Price and Mark McNulty – Zimbabwe Fred Couples, Corey Pavin, Mark O’Meara and Phil Mickelson – USA Jumbo Ozaki and Yoshinori Kaneko – Japan Bernhard Langer and Alex Cejka – Germany Vijay Singh – Fiji

Costantino Rocca – Italy Frank Nobilo and Michael Campbell – New Zealand Jesper Parnevik and Jarmo Sandelin – Sweden Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez – Spain Eduardo Romero and Jose Coceres – Argentina Stephen Ames – Trinidad and Tobago Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington – Ireland Frankie Minoza – Philippines Carlos Franco – Paraguay Rick Gibson – Canada Jean Louis Guepy – France This generation of golfers featured players who travelled the world on a regular basis, and players who advocated growing the game.

Incredibly, Alex Cejka, who will play for Germany in Rio, was also eligible 20 years ago if the sport had been included in Atlanta.

The International Golf Federation, formerly known as the World Golf Council, was designated as golf’s governing body for the purposes of organising an Olympic golf bid and competition. Peter Dawson was elected as President of the International Golf Federation, with Ty Votaw as Vice-President alongside Anthony Scanlon as Executive Director.

In addition to these prominent positions, all three gentlemen are part of the Board of Governors which includes Tim Finchem of the PGA Tour, George O’Grady of the European Tour, Michael Whan of the LPGA, Pet Bavacqua of the PGA of America, Will Jones of Augusta National Golf Club and Mike Davis of the USGA among others.

The board features prominent administrators of all the major governing bodies of amateur and professional golf around the world, and achieved a difficult task of uniting all the major golfing organisations behind a bid for Olympic Golf. The next task was to convince the best players in the world to back the bid.

Padraig Harrington, winner of 3 majors, was the most prominent male golfer to formally back the bid. He was joined by rising Italian star, Matteo Manassero.

60 million golfers wanted to see the sport that they “dearly love” to be a part of the Olympic Games.

Peter Dawson echoed and re-emphasized the unity of the sports bodies across the world to making golf an Olympic Sport once more.

Dawson, who retired as Secretary of the R&A this year, also emphasized the global reach of golf through television, its commercial success and charitable donations.

Crucially Dawson also highlighted the shared values between the Olympic Movement and the sport of golf, and the lessons golf can teach the youth of the world.

Ty Votaw also highlighted golf’s anti-doping policy and showed golf’s commitment to clean sport.

Padraig Harrington emphasized the global scale of golf, and the potential significance of golf in the Olympics should the bid be successful. He said that golf in the Olympics would inspire him.

Unfortunately golf was never recommended to the IOC for inclusion and the dream would have to wait for future generations to realize.

Suzann Pettersen and Michelle Wie were the female representation of the bid presentation team in Denmark on 9 October 2009.

Michelle Wie spoke of her early love for the game of golf and how she could dream of being an Olympic athlete if golf was successful in its bid to return to the Olympic Games. And she spoke about how another 4-year-old girl could be watching her win a medal in Rio, and be inspired to take up the game.

It took until 2009 for the sport to truly unite around a bid.

Ty Votaw spoke passionately about the sport of golf being united in commitment to see golf return to the Olympic program, and that over

A short video followed with comments from Tiger Woods and Ernie Els backing golf’s bid to return to the Olympic program.

Peter Dawson closed the presentation by saying to Jacques Rogge, “Mr President, our values are your values, and we believe that together we can move the world forward, by sharing these ideals with young people everywhere.”

“We stand ready to play our full part in the Olympic movement, we are one sport speaking with one voice, with one objective, to return golf to the Olympic program.”

The presentation was powerful, concise and left the IOC in no doubt that golf was ready to return to the Olympic Games. Golf was elected to the 2016 Rio Olympic program by a vote of 63-27, with 2 abstentions. After 112 years golf will return to the Olympic Games, in Rio this August. A fractured sport, with many tours and organisations, spoke with one voice and achieved its goal.

Once the bid was successful there was an urgent need to design and build a suitable golf course, and several prominent architects put their hat in the ring for consideration. Gary Player Design, Greg Norman Golf Course Design, Hawtree Ltd., Nicklaus Design, Renaissance Golf, Robert Trent Jones II and Thomson-Perret Golf Course Architects were all contenders for the coveted contract. They were however defeated by Gil Hanse and his company Hanse Golf Design.

Hanse had been responsible for the Craighead Golf Course at Crail Golfing Society, Boston Golf Club, Tallgrass Golf Club and the Castle

Stuart Golf Links to name but a few. He was also hired to renovate the Blue Monster course at Doral in Miami.

This was a great moment for the Olympic Golf dream because the course was set to become a reality, however several challenges meant that it very nearly didn’t even get off the ground.

These included protests from locals about building a golf on environmentally sensitive land and permission from the authorities to proceed with construction. The course was eventually completed and a test event was staged in March of this year.

However, the test event proved to be another major hurdle to overcome on the road to golf returning to the Olympics. Test events predominantly include leading athletes from the sports who will likely compete at the Olympics, but unfortunately due to a variety of reasons, getting the world’s best golfers to commit to it wasn’t possible.

Adam Scott and Vijay Singh were the first to withdraw, they were closely followed by Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. Then Branden Grace pulled out, leaving South Africa with none of their top three men competing in Rio. These withdrawals, whilst not true superstars, were damaging enough, but then in June came the rash of cry-offs which golf really didn’t expect or need.

Rory McIlroy became the first of the world’s top four to pull out, closely followed by Jason Day during the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Speculation over who would be next reached fever pitch, and a few days later the U.S. Open champion and world number two, Dustin Johnson made it three out of the world’s top four to withdraw their name from consideration.

Then, on the first day of Open Championship week, Peter Dawson (President, IGF), announced that Jordan Spieth had also withdrawn from the Rio Games.

9 Brazilians including Miriam Nagl and Victoria Lovelady competed in the 18-hole test event in March, with the winning score being 3-underpar for the men and 4-under-par for the ladies.

These world famous names were joined by Francesco Molinari (Italy), Camilo Villegas (Colombia) and Victor Dubuisson (France) in pulling out. In all, 21 men and 1 woman withdrew their names from consideration for selection at the Olympic Games.

This was an early, and worrying indication of the apathy that the world’s best golfers were showing towards Olympic Golf, in contrast to their public comments of excitement and enthusiasm.

Between them they gave several reasons, from securing their PGA Tour card, to the busy schedule created by golf’s return to the Olympics, the Zika Virus and opposition to golf being included as an Olympic sport.

Of course, the Olympic Games have never been in the list of priorities for professional golfers, and the four major championships are the Holy Grail. Zika has been a concern which numerous players have highlighted, and despite the low risk, players have to make the decision which is correct for them and their families.

However, the majority of the famous withdrawals have sent out extremely mixed messages since they announced their decisions. There is little question that the complete mess of a schedule has not helped, with more than seven years to get it right, the tours completely screwed it up. Probably because neither the PGA Tour nor European Tour would gain any exposure at the Olympic Games.

On July 11 the final Olympic Golf Ranking was published and later during Open Championship week the final fields for both the men’s and women’s competitions were announced.

As of July 28, the first day of the PGA Championship, the men’s field will feature 8 of the world’s top 20 golfers and 6 major champions. When compared to the first Olympic Tennis Tournament for some 64 years in 1988, where 11 of the world’s top 20 men took part, the reports of golf’s immediate demise as an Olympic sport are highly overblown.

The women’s field will be an all-together stronger collection, featuring 14 of the world’s top 15, 59 of the 60 eligible qualifiers and as many as 12 major champions.

The women have demonstrated far more enthusiasm for playing in the Olympics, and this is reflected in the two fields. However, if the likes of Stenson, Kaymer, Rose, Willett, Watson, Fowler and Reed can produce the sort of golf which we have seen in the Majors in 2016, then we could be in for two truly entertaining weeks of golf.

After 112 years away it has been a long road back to the top table of sport, but now after controversy, disappointment and hard work golf is set to return to the Olympic Games.

On a course purpose built for Olympic golf it could be the biggest fortnight in the history of the sport.

The date is Saturday 4 August, 2012, a day which will go down as one of the greatest in British sporting history. It was the eighth day of the 2012 London Olympic Games, and a day on which British athletes won 6 gold medals across Athletics, Cycling and Rowing.

Meanwhile, 3750 miles from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in Akron, Ohio the world’s best golfers were competing in the third round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. On the Sunday Keegan Bradley shot a final round of 64 to win a first WGC title, to add to the 2011 PGA Championship.

earth. The Olympics is the most-watched sporting event on the planet, alongside the FIFA World Cup, and gives all sports a window to the world which they don’t usually have.

In Rio de Janeiro next August, Golf will have its long awaited Olympic Opportunity. For over 100 years Golf has grown worldwide without the assistance of a place at the Olympic Games, spreading to over 130 countries and being played by over 60 million people across six continents.

But was anyone watching?

But a place in the Olympic program will enable the sport to grow even faster and in parts of the world where the sport is in its infancy.

Then 7 days later, at the same time as London was closing its Olympic Games, Rory McIlroy buried the opposition at Kiawah Island, winning a first PGA Championship and second major title by an incredible 8 shots.

The game has made giant strides in Asia in the last twenty years, with co-sanctioned events between the European and Asian Tours paving the way for a first World Golf Championships event, the HSBC Champions in China.

But was anyone watching?

I was watching, flicking from Sky to BBC to take in both the closing ceremony of London 2012 and Rory’s quest for a second major.

Last October the continent hosted its first Presidents Cup, in Korea, and Asian players are now firmly established in the upper echelons of the game on both the men’s and women’s tours.

The majors are golf’s world championships, the standard of greatness is the four major championships and they are the events which grow our game, along with the Ryder Cup.

In the women’s game there are 26 Asian ladies inside the world’s top fifty players, and there are now 7 players in the top 100 of the men’s Official World Golf Ranking.

But whilst watching the final round of the 94th PGA Championship I couldn’t help but thinking that it was such a shame golf wasn’t in the Olympics and a part of the greatest show on

Anirban Lahiri has become the first Indian golfer to qualify for the International Presidents Cup team. Imagine the potential for the game if the world’s two most populous nations, India

and China, invest in golf as they do other Olympic sports.

Obviously this upcoming Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro, has an opportunity to massively boost interest and participation in Brazil and across South America.

It has the opportunity to help make Brazil and the wider region a destination for future major events such as a World Golf Championship or a Presidents Cup, and create a golf tourism industry.

But Golf in the Olympic Games also gives the sport a massive opportunity to halt the decline in participation in the major golfing regions such as North America and Europe.

There can be no denying that golf participation across Europe is in decline, despite the heralded impact of the Ryder Cup. Looking at the statistics of registered golfers (golf club members), Europe as a whole has seen participation drop from 4.4 million in 2010 to 4.2 million this year, more worryingly though is the drop in junior participation to just 9% of all registered golfers.

The Ryder Cup is by far the biggest golfing event in Europe, and boosting participation has been a legacy goal for all host nations, however the statistics show that this is not being achieved.

Wales has been in decline since 2000 when it had a peak of 74,829 registered golfers, the Ryder Cup did nothing to arrest this decline.

With over 11,000 less registered golfers now than in 2010 when Wales hosted the Ryder Cup. In 2005 there were 8,298 registered junior golfers, in the last decade that number has fallen to 4,277.

The Ryder Cup in Ireland had a huge impact on the numbers of registered golfers in the years leading up to and the two years following the tournament, with numbers peaking at 289,120 of which 37,000 were juniors. But since 2009 participation has declined sharply, falling to 194,151 registered golfers of which only 24,047 are juniors.

Since 2001, when Scotland was announced as host to the 2014 Ryder Cup a staggering 66,000 golfers have left the game, and alarmingly the number of juniors has fallen to just over 18,000.

Spain saw a steady increase over the 10 years following its staging of the Ryder Cup to a peak of 338,160 registered golfers. Whilst the numbers have fallen to below 290,000, the number of junior golfers has increased threefold to 33,236, although junior numbers have declined over the last five years.

France’s bid for the 2018 Ryder Cup was built around engaging existing golf club members, taking a levy from golf club subscriptions to fund the building of 3, 6 and 9-hole golf

courses across the country, in a bid to boost participation and bring a new group of people to the game.

However, since winning the bid in 2011 the number of registered golfers has increased overall by just 858 or 0.2%. It has actually fallen by over 14,000 in the last two years.

The only major European country which is bucking the trend is Germany, where the number of registered golfers has steadily risen every year for the last 30 years.

In Germany every golfer has to be registered to play on their courses, so these statistics are an accurate reflection of participation.

So Golf returning to the Olympic Games is an incredible and much needed opportunity to start growing the game in the major countries across Europe again.

A Sport England survey on sports participation across England shows that both Athletics and Cycling, with stars such as Jessica Ennis and Bradley Wiggins, saw increased participation following the London 2012 Olympic Games.

So it is important for golf to begin marketing itself around stars from every country, not just one individual, so that people from every country are inspired to take up the game.

If we have the drama of the Masters US Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship at the Olympic Games, then golf has the opportunity to captivate millions and go from a

sport in decline to a sport which is growing again. That is not just good for golf, but it is good for the Olympic movement, and it shows that this much commercialized event still serves a valid purpose in getting us all more active.

The Olympic Games is an opportunity for golf to be projected into millions of living rooms around the world, to new audiences and to existing ones.

It is an opportunity to grow the game in far flung parts of the world, particularly in three of the world’s largest developing nations, Brazil, India and China. By growing the game, the emerging middle classes of these nations will look to make golf a part of their vacation, and golf being part of the Olympics will inevitably encourage these individuals to travel to the established tourist destinations of Scotland, Florida, the Algarve, Australia and South Africa.

Golf Tourism from China and India to Scotland is already growing, with a 77% increase expected in golfers from these nations choosing Scotland as their preferred destination for golf.

Events such as The Open and Ryder Cup have already proven that major events have a significant impact upon inbound golfing tourism for the host country, so Brazil can expect a much greater worldwide interest in playing golf across the country.

The Olympic Games in Rio can be the genesis of a Golf Tourism industry within Brazil, and it is an opportunity for the country to showcase its varied profile of golfing destinations to a worldwide audience. The Olympic Golf Course will of course received massive worldwide attention, and be the iconic venue which it has forever lacked. The Ryder Cup is an event which transcends golf to an audience which otherwise does not engage with the sport, and that enormous event has an impact upon inbound golf tourism in established golfing nations like Scotland and Ireland, let alone the smaller golfing nations like Italy, France, China, India or Brazil.

Scotland has many of the world’s iconic golfing destinations like St Andrews, Carnoustie, Turnberry and Troon, but the event at Gleneagles still boosted golf tourism in the months preceding and following the showpiece event in September 2014.

The impact of the Ryder Cup in 2010 on golf tourism to Wales saw an increase of 82% over seven years to the end of 2010.

Events such as The Open see golf tourists increase dramatically in the region it is staged in during the following year, with hotels, caddies, golf course operators, bars and restaurants all feeling the positive effect for years to come.

The golf tourism industry is worth approximately £220million to the Scottish economy, £37.9million to Wales, €202million to Ireland and £108million to England. Imagine what golf tourism could be worth to Brazil.

In a country of 200 million people with a struggling economy, golf tourism could have a revolutionary impact upon the population in the decade following Rio 2016. Helping to create thousands of jobs on the course and in hotels near to the course, as well as in bars and restaurants in the cities and towns across Brazil.

Golf in Europe is responsible for over 180,000 jobs, with 1 in every 125 people in Scotland alone employed in the industry in some form. If you equate that rate to a country like Brazil then potentially there could be over 1 million new jobs created over the next decade.

This is an opportunity which can only be created by having golf in the Olympic Games, the Ryder Cup and The Open will never be staged in Brazil, so we have to get behind golf in the Olympics to see the sport and industry reach its full potential.

For years there has been chat, speculation and debate about the future of the professional game. From the question of a fifth major to a world tour, and how the professional game is governed. The professional game is fragmented with no singular body responsible for professional golf like IAAF is for the whole of Athletics. Professional golfers play by the rules set by the R&A and USGA, on tours run by the PGA Tour and LPGA in Florida, the European Tour at Wentworth and Ladies European Tour in Buckinghamshire, the Asian Tour in Singapore, the PGA Tour of Australasia in Melbourne and so on.

The men play in Major Championships run by Augusta National Golf Club, the USGA, R&A and PGA of America and the women play in additional majors run by the LPGA, LGU and Ladies European Tour.

In all, professional golfers at the elite level are under the auspices of as many as 12 different organisations, there are in fact over 20 tours worldwide which award official world golf ranking points. To top it off, the most significant event in the game, the Ryder Cup, is jointly owned by the PGA of America and European Tour, with the PGA Tour not having any say or making any money from it.

As far back as the 1960’s a world tour, launched by the Big Three of Palmer, Player and Nicklaus was being mooted. With the marketing power of Mark McCormack, the incredible ability of all three golfers and their willingness to travel the globe, it only seemed

a matter of time before they would leave the PGA Tour behind.

The tour never materialized but it would only be another 30 years or so before a genuine option of a world tour was put before the leading golfers of the world.

In 1994 there was a genuine chance that the golfing landscape would be changed forever, a breakaway World Tour led by Greg Norman and FOX Sports (Rupert Murdoch) was planned and ready to start until pressure from the PGA Tour, including potential sanctions on players who competed in the World Tour events meant an overall lack of support from the players and the series folded before it even got started. FOX planned to broadcast the tour's events on their worldwide group of television channels.

The plans for the tour outlined an initial 8 tournaments built around the Major Championship schedule featuring events in Canada, Japan, Scotland, Spain and four in the United States, all with prize funds of $3million with $600,000 awarded to the winner of each event (First prizes on the PGA Tour ranged from $126,000-$320,000 in 1994). The SONY World Rankings would be used to determine the field with the top thirty eligible and the sponsors would invite 10 additional players, each player would receive a travel allowance of $50,000 and the player of the year would receive a bonus of $1,000,000.

Several notable players backed the idea but did not want the World Tour to compromise the existing PGA Tour or European Tour.

The American players were steadfast in their commitment to the PGA Tour and would not play in the World Tour events unless it received endorsement from the PGA Tour.

Fred Couples was asked “What's a World Golf Tour without Fred Couples and the rest of the top American players?”

"An international tour," Couples said.

Greg Norman was passionate about the idea, and FOX supported it, “"It was and still is an extremely interesting idea. I know it would be good for golf, the best players playing against the best. It's like Greg Norman said. We both hope to see it happen through the right channels” said David Evans, the network's president and chief executive officer.

Despite having the support of players such as Nick Price, Jose Maria Olazabal and Nick Faldo, the World Tour never came into being because of the staunch opposition of Tim Finchem and the PGA Tour.

2 years later at the 1996 Presidents Cup representatives of the PGA Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour Organisation, Southern Africa PGA Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia met to discuss the creation of the International Federation of PGA Tours and a World Golf Championships series.

Three initial events were announced; the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, the NEC Invitational and the American Express Championship; the first two were located in California and Ohio respectively and the American Express Championship would be played alternately between Europe and the United States each year.

The series launched to great fanfare in 1999, with each event offering a first prize of $1million, some $300,000 more than any of the Majors at the time. However, the first real chink in the armour of the concept invented by the PGA Tour was the 2001 Match Play staged in Australia.

The 2001 Match Play Championship was played 3-7 January in Melbourne, Australia and due to these two factors an incredible 28 of the world’s top 64 withdrew from the field.

This meant that top ranked competitor was world number two Ernie Els and the lowest ranked competitor was world number 104 Greg Kraft.

The Match Play returned to the United States in 2002 and has been played there ever since.

The American Express Championship continued to alternate between the US and Europe until a change of sponsor led to a change of venue to Doral in Miami.

In 2007 all three individual World Golf Championships were played in the United

States, sparking debate between players and media alike over the future of the series.

In 2009 the HSBC Champions, in China, was elevated to WGC status as part of the PGA Tour’s move into Asia. The tour also created the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, a co-sanctioned event with the Asian Tour to create a two-week stretch for their members to play in Asia, early in the wraparound season which ran from October to September.

Co-sanctioning of events was something the European Tour rolled out fourteen years earlier, beginning with the South African PGA Championship on the Sunshine Tour. The cosanctioning programme has effectively grown the game across Asia, Africa and Australasia.

Several star names have reached the pinnacle of the game through the programme.

Trevor Immelman, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Adam Scott and YE Yang have all gone on to win major championships having made their breakthrough in European Tour cosanctioned tournaments in Africa, Asia and Australasia.

There can be no doubt that the European Tour’s co-sanctioning programme has been more impactful upon the world of golf than the World Golf Championships. In 2012 the PGA Tour and Sunshine Tour failed in their attempts to bring a WGC to South Africa, due to the economic climate and financial commitment required to start such an event from scratch.

However, the longer-established Nedbank Challenge has grown from an elite, unofficial invitational event into a fully-fledged European Tour final series event with the help of cosanctioning.

Following the fallout at Doral with Cadillac pulling out as sponsor and the reprehensible comments of US Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, the PGA Tour and Grupo Salinas created the WGC-Mexico Championship, which will launch in 2017. This is to be applauded, but again can be seen as somewhat of a missed opportunity to place a WGC in Brazil, host of this year’s Olympics, and/or Japan, host of the 2020 Olympic Games.

Perhaps the concept of the WGC’s needs to be overhauled altogether, with the major national Opens of the world being endorsed by the major tours rather than invitational events.

The WGC concept was introduced to create a larger group of golf tournaments with a high global profile by bringing the leading golfers from different tours together on a more regular basis, rather than just for the majors. At the time the publicity spoke of a "World Tour" which might develop on the basis of the World Championships and the majors. The “World Tour” hasn't developed and it could be said that tours are further apart, especially the PGA Tour and European Tour with their competing FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai, if anything these series have lessened the impact and strength of the World Golf Championships.

Even since the creation of the International Federation of PGA Tours in 1996, the tours have been working in different directions, with the PGA Tour having one vision for world golf and the European Tour and Asian Tour having a completely different vision.

Last month the European Tour and Asian Tour announced a strategic alliance: 'Following successful discussions over the past year to develop our joint vision, we are delighted to announce this 'Strategic Alliance' which we believe will be of immense benefit to both organisations” said Keith Pelley, CEO of the European Tour 'We have enjoyed a very strong and prosperous relationship with the Asian Tour over the past 17 years and this formalises that partnership, representing an exciting new era in our association.'

Asian Tour Commissioner Kyi Hla Han added: 'The Asian Tour is delighted to formalise our 'Strategic Alliance' with the European Tour.

This is a very positive step forward in our desire to further grow professional golf in Asia and around the world and we believe it will also greatly enhance the careers of our membership, who have embraced this exciting development.

The PGA Tour and LPGA Tour announced a similar alliance earlier in the year and perhaps this is an indication that any future world tour will be more about co-sanctioning events than

one, top-down organisation dictating terms to the world of golf.

The European Tour could expand its cosanctioning programme to include all of the tournaments of the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia.

The USGA and European Tour/Ladies European Tour have held extremely successful ‘mixed’ events since 2014 and there is no question that golf needs more of these events going forward now it is an Olympic Sport.

Tennis has two separate men’s and women’s tours, but most of the Masters 1000 events and all four of the Grand Slam events feature men’s and women’s competitions. The Masters 1000 events are branded as such for the men, but the women have a different brand within the same event.

Becoming an Olympic sport certainly opens doors to more corporate investment in more countries across the world, and opens a path towards a more unified sport in the future.

MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Golf’s return to the Olympic Games is an opportunity for professional golf to sort itself out and create a product which maximises the potential the sport has.

Unfortunately the tours and major championship organizers made a complete mess of scheduling tournaments for this year,

leaving some of the worlds best to choose to rest rather than tee-it-up in Rio. For these Games it is a missed opportunity, but for Tokyo in 2020 and hopefully future Olympic Games, the game must take advantage to change its arduous schedule.

Tradition has it that The Masters is played in April, the U.S. Open in June, The Open in July and the PGA Championship in August, with the Ryder Cup every two years in Mid-September to early October. However, tradition and history are two very different things, and history tells us that the first U.S. Open was played in October and the USGA didn’t settle on a June/Father’s Day date until the 1930’s.

The first Open Championship took place in October 1860 and it was played in either September or October until 1874 when it moved to April. It was played in either April, September, October or November until 1894 when it was played in June at Royal St George’s. It was played in May in 1897 and the R&A didn’t settle on a permanent July date until after the World War Two. Again, the first PGA Championship was played in October and the PGA of America didn’t settle on an August date until the 1970’s. The format of the tournament even changed in 1958 from Match Play to Stroke Play.

So tradition says one thing but history says another. There is no reason at all for the four men’s major championships to be stuck in four rigid dates for eternity. Golf has to adapt and

the return to the Olympics is the opportunity for large-scale changes to the Major Championship schedule.

The Masters could remain in April, as the traditional curtain-raiser to the men’s season, with the ANA Inspiration the week before. The U.S. Open would remain in its current slot, with the U.S. Women’s Open played in the following week. The Open would be moved back a week to the penultimate weekend of July, with the Women’s Open following on. The biggest change would be to move the PGA Championship and Women’s PGA Championship to the middle of May. This would mean The Players Championship would either have to be moved back to March, or, be played two weeks before this Major Championship.

And it should be the case that the PGA and European Tours fit their schedule around the Majors, Ryder Cup and Olympic Games in the future, not the other way around. The Ryder Cup has been shifted later into the year because of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup, and there is virtually no time for players to rest after Rio because of the FedEx Cup. This is why golf needs a global calendar and all of the major championship organisers, promoters and major tours to work together more closely.

Golfers have long complained at the lack of a proper off-season to recover from the old season and prepare for the new one. Yes,

players don’t play every week and they pick and choose which events and how many they play in, whilst fulfilling the minimum criteria for tour membership. But the entire sport would benefit from down time. It would also give fans and sponsors the opportunity to anticipate the start of the season, just as they do with The Masters each spring.

The World Golf Championships could feature the following national Open championships and have both men and women competing on the same course over a two week period: RBC Canadian Open/CP Canadian Women’s Open Open de France Brazil Open Japan Open Emirates Australian Open/ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open

to include these 10 events on their schedule over a four-year period between Olympic Games’. This would mean that they would avoid burnout through excessive travel, but that they would also compete in each of these events at least once every four years.

They may, of course, choose to play in all of them and build any other schedule requirements around them and the Majors.

Whilst the individual tours could retain their individual identities and season-ending Tour Championships, a concept which could replace the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai, bringing a more unified look to the men’s game, is the World Golf Playoffs.

The World Golf Playoffs could be Match Play and Stroke Play, and feature a smaller group of golfers in legs around the world in an event which would look similar to the FIS Tour de Ski.

HSBC Champions/ HSBC Women’s Champions

32 players would qualify from the Major Championships and Major Tours of the world, and would compete in four groups of eight players, seeded by Official World Golf Ranking. After seven group games (Match Play), the leading four players from each group would qualify for the final round, 18-holes of Stroke Play, with the lowest score being crowned World Golf Champion for that year.

The Players Championship could also be cosanctioned by the European Tour, with members of its tour earning points towards their order of merit. Eligible players would have

The lower number of competitors also enables golf to create more high-profile stars from across the globe, rather than one superstar among 156 also-rans. The World Golf Playoffs

BMW South African Open Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open

could run over a three-week period and each leg would feature a travel day, rest day and practice day before competition. The schedule could look as follows: Group stage leg 1 – New York City 3 September Leg 2 – Rio de Janeiro 7 September Leg 3 – Melbourne 11 September Leg 4 – Tokyo 15 September Leg 5 – Dubai 19 September Leg 6 – Johannesburg 23 September Leg 7 – St Andrews 27 September Leg 8 – Atlanta 2 October The Ryder Cup could be altered to take place in non-Olympic years and would be held at the end of September following the Playoffs, with the start of the Playoffs moved forward to accommodate it. With these changes to the schedule and how the tours work together there would be time for an off-season, from October to December. This would help to ensure golfers are less tired, fitter and more enthusiastic for a busy 8-month season with an end in sight.

Whether it is one, singular body running a singular world tour or two major tours partnering to produce a strong global schedule there is no doubt that golf’s return to the

Olympic programme will put the idea on the table again.

Golf needs time to breathe and relax, golf needs time to reassess and golf needs time to anticipate. With the crammed schedule across many tours it just doesn’t have that and unfortunately that has been to the detriment of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

“Golf and the Olympic movement share the same core values, and this will be a very big opportunity to grow the game around the world.�

When golf returns to the Olympic Games it will be the culmination of the incredible career of the most international golfer to have ever lived. His career has not been about getting the game back into the Olympics, but the incredible number of miles he has travelled and the amazing number of tournaments he has won around the world have no doubt contributed to the spread of the game.

Gary Player, arguably the world’s most travelled athlete, was voted the South African Sportsman of the Century, an incredible achievement for an athlete competing in a nonOlympic sport. He has travelled hundreds of thousands of miles across the globe as both a competitor and golf course designer, and his impact upon the game cannot be overstated.

9 Major Championships, 165 tournament wins, three times a captain of the International Presidents Cup team and part of the World Cup winning South African team in 1965. His legacy is almost without comparison in the game and it is on a global scale. The one thing missing from his golfing CV is an Olympic medal, for which he never had the chance to compete for. “I would have given anything to play

in the Olympics� says Player.

Gary Player is the embodiment of why the game of golf should be part of the Olympic Games. He is the ultimate rags to riches story, he embraces the world and all that it has to offer, he lives his life as an athlete and he promotes the ideals of sportsmanship, integrity and respect. This August he will lead the golfers of his homeland into the Olympic arena for the very first time.

Born in Johannesburg in 1935, Gary experienced a hard childhood with his mother dying from cancer when he was just 8 years old and his father working away from home in the gold mines.

He picked up the game of golf at the age of 14, turned professional when he was 17 and played in his first Open Championship at the age of 20 in the 1956 Open, tying for fourth place. His first professional victory came at the East Rand Open in 1955, and he would go on to break almost every record in Southern African golf. He won 13 South African Opens, 11 South African Masters and 4 South African PGA Championships, part of over 70 wins in his homeland.

But to be a great champion Gary always knew he would have to win abroad, and around the world. He won the Australian Open a record 7 times, part of 18 tournament victories in Australia; he won titles in Chile, France, Japan, Canada, Spain, England, Egypt and Ivory Coast; and of course he won 24 times on the PGA Tour including 9 Major titles.

His achievement of winning the 1959 Open, 1961 Masters and 1962 US Open helped elevate him to the very top of the game, and he became part of the Big Three alongside Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

The trio travelled the world playing in exhibition matches, the Australian Open and the World Match Play Championship, helping to grow the game. And he did it in much more modest transport than today’s pampered stars. “We did not travel around in private jets back when I first turned professional. Imagine traveling from South Africa to America like I did. Tiny airplanes, four stops, six children, no disposable diapers. Players today truly travel in style. It was necessary for me to play all over the world because I had to make a living by playing in as many tournaments as possible even after I won several Majors,” says Gary.

“Today, guys can win one tournament on the PGA Tour, become a millionaire and be set for a long career. But that makes me so happy. It is incredible how far we have come.”

Because Gary and his peers were prepared to make the arduous journeys across the world the game has grown and it is now at a stage where it can go to Rio and hold its head high among other global sports.

“In my mind golf has and always will be a global game” says Gary.

“The fact that we went 100 years without one of the world’s most popular and important sports in the Olympics was a crying shame. I am so thrilled the appropriate governing bodies took action to really push golf to be included beginning in 2016, 2020 and hopefully beyond.”

Many of the world’s top golfers have turned down the chance to compete in Rio, some due to the worry over the Zika Virus but many also due to prioritising the Majors over the Olympics. It is fair to say that golfers have never dreamed of an Olympic medal, and that the Majors are golf’s Holy Grail. I asked Gary if he thought the Olympics should be treated like a Major Championship.

“No. It should never happen. The career Grand Slam only consists of the four Majors: The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship. Because the Olympics only occurs every four years, it just would not fit in correctly.

And this is fine for me personally because as we know, golf was not included in the Olympics for more than 100 years so I never had the opportunity. No living golfer has ever played in the games.”

Bearing this in mind I asked him where winning an Olympic Gold would have ranked in his career, had he had the chance to compete in an Olympic Games.

“Perhaps it would be up there with my finest achievements in golf, which I consider to be winning the career Grand Slam on the Regular Tour as well as on the Senior Tour. Winning it on the Senior Tour actually is tougher because I am the only man ever to do it,” beams Gary.

“I wouldn’t see it as important as our four Majors but what a thrill to have a gold medal. I am always proud to represent my country. That would be my biggest reason.

To represent and compete for South Africa on the biggest stage in sports.”

So given that he doesn’t view the Olympics as important as a Major and many of the players agree, I asked Gary what he thought the governing bodies could do to ensure Olympic Golf was important to the players.

“They should not have to do anything special. Players need to take pride in their country, and not think about it as an individual achievement. You are representing your homeland. What an honour this should be for every person, men and women.

competing against the whole field, rather than match-play style where you only play a few others during the week.

It is different with golf coming back to the games for the first time in 100 years. The spotlight is on us. Maybe it will just take time for players to be fighting for a spot within the professional ranks. It has been welcomed by the top tennis professionals and I think participation will help make our top golf pros feel the same way.

Once it was announced golf would return to the Olympics it was clear a golf course would have to be built for the competition, and to leave a legacy in Rio. From the outset it looked perfect for Mr Player to enter the competition to design and build the course, as a designer of over 300 courses on five continents, but he lost out to the American Gil Hanse. I asked Gary how disappointed was he to miss out and what would he have brought to the table that was different.

But it is important for golf to have a good showing with lots of public interest and high ratings to keep golf as an annual Olympic sport. We need to make sure golf will be an Olympic sport for the next 100 years. The game will grow in many smaller countries because of our participation in the Olympic Games.”

Given that much of professional golf worldwide is based on 72-hole strokeplay I asked him whether the format for Olympic Golf is correct “This is currently a big debate,” says Gary “Perhaps not but the best in the world should be invited to play while involving as many countries as possible. The strokeplay format is good to start with for golf first appearance back in the Olympics. I have always felt it is tougher to win a tournament

No doubt the Olympics brings the best in the world to compete, so I anticipate a very entertaining tournament.”

“Traveling all over the world as a professional, I’ve been to many countries that take part in the Olympic Games. No doubt we wanted to design the course. We had some great ideas. With nearly 400 courses all over the world, Gary Player Design would have brought decades of experience to the fold. I have not yet seen the course, but looking at the photos the designers did a world-class job.”

Aside from golf’s return to the Olympic Games, I asked Gary how he thought golf could grow around the world and how the World Golf Championships could improve.

“It is interesting they are called World Gold Championships. Three out of four this year

are played in the United States. Identical to how the four Majors are set. In my opinion, three of the four WGCs need to be played around the world.

Why not rotate them to different countries each year? Australia, Europe, Africa, South America, there are so many other places to grow the game. Bring a prestigious matchplay event to a place like Abu Dhabi and golf will reap the benefits of the global exposure.”

As of August 2016 we now have World Golf Championships in Mexico and China, and a few years ago the PGA of America talked openly about taking the PGA Championship on tour around the world.

“I have always encouraged the PGA of America to host the PGA Championship outside of the United States. It seems unfair to not involve the rest of the world. The US hosts three Majors annually. Why not bring this as an extra element while golf continues to grow in popularity around the world?” Gary asks.

“A Major in Africa, Asia, South America or Australia would be tremendous for golf.

Each continent can take turns hosting the PGA Championship. This needs to happen.

I guarantee it will increase the game’s popularity and increase the importance of the championship as well.”

For the vast majority of the competing athletes at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, this will be their first visit to Rio and maybe even Brazil.

But for South Africa’s golf captain it is a welcome return to somewhere he enjoyed record-breaking success in over 40 years ago.

“No South African had ever won the Brazilian Open so I saw fit to put my name next to previous winners like Sam Snead and Billy Casper. From the beginning of my career, I wanted to win on every corner of the globe. I had my eye on South America.

It would have been easy to move my family and life to America, and only play on the PGA Tour. But I love my home country and wanted to be golf’s global ambassador.

Looking back on my career, I say with certainty that I did my part.”

Player not only went to Brazil with a mission he left with the trophy, twice in three years.

“During my prime this was a very popular tournament to play in. I had never won in South America, so this was one I wanted to add to my worldwide wins. When I won in 1972, I told my wife we would come back so I could win it again, Plus, Brazil is a beautiful country,” In 1972 the tournament was played at the stunning Gavea Golf Club, located some 13 miles east of the Olympic Golf Course, with breathtaking Atlantic views.

Five birdies on the back nine on Sunday saw him surge to a whopping 10-stroke victory over former U.S. Amateur champion, Steve Melnyk. “I played my best round ever as a professional in 1974 when I shot a 59. Not only my best round, but no man had ever broken 60 in a professional national tournament. I had shot sub 60 before in practice rounds, but not under that kind of pressure.�

It is testament to the outlook and passion Gary Player has that he treated the Brazilian Open with such respect. The tournament has never had a large prize fund and never attracted a truly deep, world class field, but he wanted to showcase his talent to the world. Not just through television, but to people on the ground and outside the ropes.

Rio de Janeiro has a special place in the history of the colour television age of the game, as the city and Gavea Golf Club was host to the first ever match in the Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf. It featured Brazilian legend Mario Gonzalez and 3-time major champion Billy Casper. The Brazilian won convincingly.

Now this August Rio is set to play its part in the history of the game once again, and Gary Player is set to be a huge part of launching a new era for golf in the Olympic Games.

GREAT BRITAIN

“It’s is pretty cool to have the opportunity to compete for an Olympic medal.”

“I think golf in the Olympics will have a big impact on participation in the UK.”

“Representing my country and meeting all the other amazing athletes will be an unforgettable experience.�

GERMANY

Heike Henkel, Lene Neuner, Steffi Graf and Sabine Spitz are some of Germany’s Greatest Female Olympians, and historically Graf added an Olympic Gold to her grand slam of Major Tennis titles in 1988, the year in which Tennis returned to the Olympic Games. For golf, the sport and its performers have always been on the outside looking in, and in a sports-mad nation like Germany that is even harder for a golfer.

With the achievements of Michael Schumacher and Sebastien Vettel, Formula 1 emerged from the shadows in the 1990’s as a popular, mainstream sport, and with the immense popularity of Football and the incredible success Germany has had on the global stage, Golf is very much down the pecking order.

Even the vast success had by Bernhard Langer in the 1980’s and Martin Kaymer in the 2010’s, both reached world number one and both have won 2 major championships, golf has struggled to fulfil its potential in this vast nation at the heart of Europe.

So, with so many other inspirational sports stars and far more popular sports to choose from, why did a young, German girl take up the game? “My dad got us into playing golf, after he stopped skiing. It wasn’t a popular sport and still isn’t in Germany” said Sandra Gal. Sandra was born in Dusseldorf, in the Western region of Germany in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in 1985, just one month after Bernhard Langer became the first ever Germany winner of a Major Golf Championship – The Masters.

She grew up in the countryside, some 30 minutes from Dusseldorf, and as an only child her interest for golf flourished. “We are a very small family and I am an only child. That is probably one of the reasons I was able to do so many different hobbies - I did ballet, played the violin, wake-boarded, loved to paint and played golf growing up.”

“My dad is definitely the one who inspired me to play golf. He was smart and let me drive the golf cart at a very young age and I loved it”, said Sandra, who took up the game at the age of 5, whilst on family holidays with her parents.

Very quickly Gal showed promise at the game, and at age 17 she joined the German National Team and at 18 won the German National Girls Championship. It was clear that golf was her future, and from 2005 to 2007 she attended the University of Florida, on a golf scholarship, competing for the Florida Gators.

In 2007 she won four NCAA individual titles, was named an All-American and she also showed talent academically, being named an NGCA Academic AllAmerican from 2005 to 2008. She stopped competing in College golf during 2007 to focus on qualifying for the LPGA, and did so by finishing tied for 14 th at the LPGA Qualifying Tournament.

She turned professional immediately following the tournament, but completed her degree in 2008 alongside competing on the LPGA. “My first year on the LPGA tour was quite challenging, because I had to get used to the number of tournaments, the travel and the competition”, Gal said.

She made 17 of 22 cuts in her rookie year, with a best finish of tied for 14th, finishing 68th on the LPGA money list and 124th on the Rolex Rankings. Her second year on tour was to see a slight improvement, as she got used to competing at the highest level, recording two top-ten finishes on her way to breaking into the top fifty of the LPGA money list for the first time.

2010 though, was a frustrating year in which she made just 15 cuts out of 22 events and slip back down the money list and Rolex Rankings.

2011 however, was to be the breakthrough year for the then 25-year-old German.

At the season-opening Honda LPGA Thailand she finished in a tie for 26th, then at the RR Donnelley Founders Cup she produced a promising performance to finish in 10th place before heading to California for the KIA Classic.

That year the KIA Classic was staged at Industry Hills Golf Club, at Pacific Palms in Los Angeles and the field featured the majority of the world’s best female players including Yani Tseng, Michelle Wie and Suzann Pettersen.

Sandra made a blistering start, following up an opening bogey with six birdies in seven holes to post an opening round of 67 to lie in second place behind Amanda Blumenhurst.

A second round of 68 gave her the lead, and two steady rounds of 70 and 71 held off the challenge of Ji-Yai Shin in what turned into a duel between the pair, finishing 5 and 4 shots respectively ahead of the field.

It seemed like that first win would be a springboard to greater success for the leading female German golfer, and she finished in the top 20 of the LPGA money list that season. However, in the five years since the 2011 KIA Classic Gal hasn’t won again.

Something which is both a source of frustration and inspiration for the Orlando, Florida resident.

“I have very vivid and beautiful memories of my first win in 2011. In a way I do think that I should have won more tournaments by now, but I also think that everything happens at the right time.”

“I have made so much progress in the past few years, not only in my game, but also in my personal growth. Winning tournaments is rewarding and what we all play for, but learning about yourself and growing as a person is something that will last forever.”

Despite enduring a long winless drought, 2015 saw one of the highlights of Gal’s career, playing in the Solheim Cup in her homeland, in front of passionate German golf fans. It is something which she believes will stand her in good stead for the future. “It was one of the highlights of my career, and definitely the most intense and exciting experience I have ever had on the golf course.”

“I loved playing on such a big stage in front of my home crowd and especially playing so well that week. I enjoyed every second of it.�

“Hitting clutch shots and making putts under pressure is the best preparation you can have for any tournament, as well as the Olympics. I will surely keep those in my memory bank.”

As the women’s game grows and the pool of talent gets ever deeper, the competition is ever more ferocious, and Gal’s two main career goals are to win a Major Championship and Olympic Gold.

“The Olympics haven’t changed my practice motivation because I have always worked hard, but they have certainly put another goal in my mind” Gal says.

“I am very excited to be a part of the German team. Finally after 112 years, golf is included in the Olympic Games again. As golfers, we will feel like rookies at the Olympics, but I am sure we will enjoy every second of it.”

“Representing my country and meeting all the other amazing athletes will be an unforgettable experience.”

A major attraction for most of the golfers at Rio 2016 is the prospect of mixing with the other athletes in the Olympic Village. “As of now, I plan to stay at the Olympic village for about 10 days”, says Sandra, but due to golf’s hectic worldwide schedule she, like many, will not be attending the showpiece occasions of the Olympics.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend the Opening or Closing Ceremonies, since we play in the second week of the Olympics and I will be playing in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in the week after the Games.”

The Tours have worked to move their major events away from the period of the Olympic Games, with the RICOH Women’s British Open and Men’s PGA Championship being played in the week ending 31st July. This gives Sandra nearly 10 days to prepare for the Olympics, which begin for the women on Wednesday 17 August.

This will be her first visit to South America, in what is sure to be the most important event staged in the history of women’s golf. It will be a chance to prove that golfers are indeed athletes and dedicate many hours of their lives to their sport in the pursuit of excellence. “I work out almost every single day. Usually, it is a work- out geared towards strengthening the muscles that I need for golf and improving my cardio”, says the world number 48. “…I also love to keep my body and mind healthy with yoga, which I do on the road as well.”

Much of the hyperbole around getting golf back into the Olympics was to increase participation, and Sandra believes that it will have an impact upon the children of Germany.

“There is a chance that kids will be more motivated now to start playing golf, because they could one day represent their country at the Olympics.

However, a few things still need to change in Germany to make golf more accessible to children”, Sandra believes.

Golf in Germany may not have the popularity of other sports, but nevertheless Germany has the second highest number of golfers across Europe, after England. Nearly 640,000 Germans are registered golfers across the country, and of those some 47,000 are juniors.

Germany’s license system, known as Platzreife, has its pros and cons; firstly it means golfers across the country have to achieve a certain level of proficiency at the game to play on the courses, as well as an understanding of the etiquette and rules of the game; but it deters youngsters from simply picking up a club and visiting the local course, and its cost is prohibitive to many across the country which may take up the sport.

Sandra believes that young people across the world should play golf because “Golf is one of the few sports that teaches so many values and life skills to a kid, such as honesty, discipline, creativity, concentration and many more, it can be played as a team or individual sport, the kids are outside all day and it is fun!”

The Olympics can create heroes in the golfing world, and inspire young children and even lost

teenagers, Ernie Els was an inspiration for Sandra growing up “I loved watching his swing”, she says.

Golf also has great social benefits, and you can make friends for life from playing it with many different people, Sandra said “we had a great group of friends that played on the teams at the golf club.”

Whilst this Olympic opportunity can bring glory to an individual golfer, it also has the chance to inspire the next generation and grow the game in countries not renowned for golf, or strengthen it in countries with a few stars, such as Germany.

The women’s game is full of outstanding role models, just like Sandra Gal, who act with integrity and play with style and class. This summer is a chance to take the young German’s career to the next level and achieve one of her career goals.

Seriously, I think that winning an Olympic medal could be a very important step in my life.

RUSSIA

Russia is a country of mystery, and a country which covers two continents and a country which has hosted the 1980 Olympic Games and 2014 Winter Olympics. It is a country which will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup and a country which is a sporting superpower.

The former Soviet Union were a major force in Ice Hockey and the modern Russia is at the heart of Europe’s Kontinental Hockey League.

Its Football teams are regular competitors in the UEFA Champions League, and the country is one of the most powerful on the political stage.

But golf? Golf is played by an estimated 1,341 people, which includes just 251 women. That equates to 0.0009% of the population. 1 of those 251 women is Maria Verchenova.

Maria is currently the leading Russian female golfer, making her Ladies European Tour debut in 2012 at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open. She has recorded just 3 top 10 finishes in her three years on the tour, but as you will read in our interview, she doesn’t lack ambition and drive.

Maria begins by talking about her young life and family, before going into detail about her background, ambitions, golf in Russia and her aims for the Olympic Games.

“I was born in Moscow in a family of ordinary Russian people still in the times of Soviet Union. My family was very always very busy, my father used to be an engineer and my mum was dealing with antique sales.

So since they really lack time to look after me, I was sent to Tambov, a small very authentic city in the Central Russia where I spent my early childhood with my dearest grandmother until I reached the school age of 7 years old.”

“This might sound weird to people outside of Russia, but in our childhood most of kids were brought up by grandparents.

I remember myself living in between a vegetable garden and the kitchen, helping my grandma to pick up fruit and vegetable and fighting with Colorado bugs that would attack every summer our most popular meal potato.”

“But when I reached 7 years of age, I returned back to Moscow and started my schooldays and lessons of ballet dance.

My grandma always wanted me to dance and introduced to the world of

ballet, so I started to train for classical dance and spent all my time after school in the ballet rooms.

Meanwhile I had a younger sister Anna whose company I enjoyed. We had always very good and warm relationship with her, nowadays she is also a golfer.”

“It was a total accident that I started to play golf. Nobody in my family knew anything about golf, I never heard about the game and was totally dedicating myself to ballet. But once when I was 12 years old and travelled with my father to visit his friends in Czech Republic, we stayed overnight close to the golf club.

Both of us were intrigued by the beautiful scenery opening from our windows. We were fascinated and totally curious what is it all about.”

“Then the friend of my father offered us to drop by the golf club on our way back from Prague. We agreed just to come for a tea break. As you see, I am still sipping that cup of tea.

Who were your sporting heroes growing up?

“My family was never involved in sports and was not sporty. So no one was really interested in any particular sports hero or any type of sport. Since my childhood was surrounded by ballet stories.

I, of course, was dreaming to become a dancer like a great Maya Plisetskaya. Also the iron curtain started to lift up and I learnt the stories of Nuriev and Baryshnikov. They were like stars from other Galaxy. At the same time tennis started to become really popular and all young girls were getting crazy seeing Andre Agassi on the court.

Then Russian stars appeared and we saw the shining glory of Yevgeny Kafelnikov and many others! Who would have believed me as a teenager that once upon the time I would win the Russian Golf Championship with Yevgeny and become his good friend.�

What are your interests outside of golf?

“Honestly, with my training schedule I truly did not have time for anything but school, ballet and golf. I would stay in school until one o’clock in the afternoon, have my ballet training every day for three hours and after 4-5pm in the evening I would start my golf lessons for another 3-4 hours.

Believe it or not, I barely had time to think of anything but these two things in my life.”

Did you have a group of friends as a youngster which you played golf with, or was it an individual thing to play golf?

“In the school certainly no one had ever heard about golf, so I was not surrounded by golfing friends. However later when I started to train with female junior team, I made several good friends. With Galina Rotmistrova and Nastya Kostina we are still the closest friends today since our teenage years.”

You turned professional in 2006, at the age of 20, do you think you are now approaching your peak, and do you think you have underachieved so far?

“Unfortunately, I started playing in Russia too early. There were not too many facilities, coaches, golf courses or prominent competitions. So I simply lack the experience that my competitors had in their countries. In a certain sense, I was a total pioneer for Russian golf. There was no one to guide me professionally and to become my coach.

So I think that only now when I am 29 years old I have caught up with other, much younger girls from LET in terms of professional golf experience. Yes, I am approaching my peak and hope that my game has so much more potential now. As I mentioned, I destined to be the first Russian golfer on the international arena. I believe it is already a great achievement from where I came.”

Is it hard being the sole Russian member of the Ladies European Tour?

“In the beginning of my first couple of years with LET, I was unprepared for that much attention from European media about me.

My story was phenomenal for everyone and I felt stressed about all of the attention and did not know how to cope with the sudden popularity. As time went by, I got used to it and now being Russian in LET is totally business as usual for me.�

You are renowned for your glamorous look and fashion on and off the golf course, would you rather be known for being a great golfer? How important is image? “Sports and show business are so incorporated nowadays. There are plenty of sportsmen and women who are rather known for being glamorous than really being sports champions. You have to be one who attracts the attention, for me it is easy and natural. I never thought about doing anything special. I just liked it this way - young, funny and bright.

To retain the attention you also have to add the personality and lots of hard work. I think, I am doing fine.�

How big of a thrill will that be to be part of the Russian team?

“You might be surprised but emotionally I do not yet feel any excitement about Olympics. It is still just a big and serious competition for me. Maybe because there is still some time to go and my mind is still busy with other short term goals. In terms of public attention, in Russia golf is still a very minor sport.

I know that am full heartedly supported by Russian Association of golf (AGR), however in nongolf circles people would not even know about my existence.”

Does that motivate you to practice harder and play better?

“Olympics motivates in any case, also we are all responsible for the successful introduction of golf to Olympics agenda. It is the first time, all players shall show their best motivation. The whole world is going to watch us.”

Have you ever been to Brazil or played much golf in South America?

“No, I have never been to South America or to Brazil. Therefore I am looking forward to it and would like to view there as local. Some of my costumes might have Brazilian motives.”

Do you think the inclusion of golf into the Olympics will help increase participation in golf across Russia and make it more accessible?

“I hope that I can become an Ambassador of the game after Olympics.

Finally, all Russians will learn what golf is all about. People will get to know me and my story that might inspire so many more. Olympics will surely bridge my way to public career in sports and sports education.”

Why should a young Russian play golf?

“I have never thought about why young Russians should play golf, but I surely know why elder Russians do. Golfers on average live seven years longer than non-golfers and in the country where the male life expectancy reaches only a mere 56 years old, golf might be a solution to longevity.”

What are your career ambitions? Olympic gold, Major title, Solheim Cup?

“Of course, all three. Seriously, I think that winning an Olympic medal could be a very important step in my life. It would really open many doors and give me a different perspective in life.”

Golfers will be more in the spotlight than ever before, especially their status as athletes, what are your thoughts on fitness in golf?

“I am lucky enough to have grown up through the times when Tiger Woods was rising to the top of golf. His example as a brilliant golfer and passionate athlete inspired me to always look after my body shape. I wanted to have his strength and ability to compete in multiple sports if I want.

Then later there will be Martin Kaymer, Rory Mcilroy, now Jordan Spieth, Jason Day , endless list… All of them dedicating lots of attention to their physical form because they want to look attractive for their fans worldwide. Why then I being a woman shall not think the same. I think all ladies who do golf seriously will significantly improve their game by going to gym at least two times a week” Fit, beautiful, talented and unique. Maria Verchenova has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to inspire a generation of young Russians to take up golf. With her focus solely on getting to Rio in the best condition and form possible, this August could see a Star from the East come up big in the West as Golf Returns to the Olympic Games.

NETHERLANDS “It’s very exciting to be playing, it’s as big as it can get and it’s great that golf is part of it now. I am really looking forward to the Olympics.”

“I adjusted my schedule to make sure I am available for Rio. I think it can have a huge impact upon golf in the Netherlands, golf is still a relatively small sport and I think it is great that is going to be an Olympic sport and hopefully it will get some more attention and people will realize how great the game is.”

INDIA

“Right now golf is the second largest sport in India, so obviously it is growing.”

“Golf is now a more socially acceptable sport because of many new players coming to the fore, and the Olympics will highlight this.”

IRELAND

“10 months ago I always had this dream to play in Rio, it was a goal and a very tough one to achieve.”

“We were so keen to get the game back into the Olympics because in the developing golfing countries it needs to be an Olympic Sport to get the funding.”

“It should have a decent impact but it doesn’t have to happen all in the very first time, this can happen over a longer period of time. With Tennis it didn’t start off as big as it is now, but it has got bigger.”

“We shouldn’t be worried if it doesn’t go right for the first time, I quite like the format as it is because it is tough to find the time for a team event or another format.”

IN THE ABSENCE OF WORLD NUMBER ONE JASON DAY, AND OTHER LEADING AUSTRALIANS ADAM SCOTT, MARC LEISHMAN AND MATT JONES, THE APPEAL OF OLYMPIC GOLF WAS TOO MUCH FOR SCOTT HEND AND MARCUS FRASER TO RESIST. Interview by MARTIN BLAKE, Golf Australia on behalf of St Andrews Golf Magazine Images by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images and Warren Little/Getty Images courtesy International Golf Federation (IGFGolf/Flickr) and AOC Media Centre

How excited are you about the opportunity to represent Australia in Rio? FRASER: “I can't wait. It's going to be huge. I can't wait to get down there and experience the whole Olympics.”

HEND: “It's pretty awesome. I'm proud to represent my country, and hopefully I'll do my country proud and do the best that I can. It'll be different being in a team atmosphere. It's great.”

With exemptions into all of the 2017 Majors on offer, where do the Olympics sit as a priority for you?

FRASER: “The majors are still the No.1 priority for me, but the Olympics is right in behind them, I think. To play in that team, a two-man team from Australia is pretty special, and to get your hands on a medal would be pretty cool.”

HEND: “Well, since the Olympics hasn't been on the golf radar, or on the schedule for such a long time, it's hard to say what the importance is, because it's not been a traditional tournament. It hasn't got the history of the other golf tournaments, so we'll see how it plays out. Obviously things have different importance for other people, and I'm sure if you're the one who's fortunate enough to hold the gold medal, I'm sure it'll be very important.”

Unfortunately due to a number of reasons there have been several high profile withdrawals from the Olympics, do you think these players will regret their decisions and going forward do you think the Olympics will become one of the most sought after prizes in the game?

FRASER: “Yes I think it will, eventually. It's going to take time for it to become sought-after. The whole Zika virus thing is not ideal, you've got a lot of guys who are at the age with young families and thinking about having more kids. For me family comes first, but we've got kids and luckily they're nice and healthy. We're not looking at having any more kids so Zika is not an issue for us.”

HEND: “I think everyone's got their own reasons for pulling out and they shouldn't be criticised for that. I mean, guys pull out because of their schedule, guys pull out over health and safety issues.

But I'm quite happy to go there and play. I feel settled about all the conditions and what's going on. I don't think anyone is in a position to criticise the top players in the world for doing what they've got to do. I mean, they've got all the majors stacked up this year and they've got the Fedex Cup straight away. It's something that probably has to be fitted into the schedule a bit better, however it works.

There's a distinct possibility that it will be sought-after down the track, but it's hard to say where it sits right now because it hasn't been a thing. I'd have to sit down and talk to a (Roger) Federer or an (Andy) Murray, who've won the (Tennis) gold medals, and see where they hold it against their majors.

Will you be attending the Opening/Closing ceremonies?

FRASER: Probably not, just with the scheduling and stuff. It'll be too hard.

HEND: No, I will get in on the Sunday night before the tournament and leaving on the Sunday night when it finishes. I have family commitments; I don't get home much myself, so I'm spending a week at home before the Olympics and then spending two weeks after the Games at home. It's my birthday the Monday after we play, and my kids want to spend time with me for that.

Will you be staying in the Athletes village?

FRASER: “No, the whole golf team is in a house right on the course. We're all together and we don't have to worry about too much traffic�.

HEND: No we're at the golf course, and there's going to be a real team atmosphere. I'll be able to talk with 'Finchy' (manager Ian Baker-Finch) and Frase (Marcus) will be able to chat. Unfortunately it's an individual event. Further forward in the Olympics I'd like them to rejig the format. I'd love to see the gold medal awarded to two or three players as a team. It would be an awesome thing to stand up there as three mates and say 'yeah, we won the gold medal'. Maybe a scramble, a fourball and a foursomes.

Will you watch other sports??

FRASER: Yes, probably on the Monday afterwards, I'm not flying out til the Monday night. Probably any of the athletics or the swimming would be great, but during the week that we play it's too hard.

You're at the golf course for eight hours as it is, so there's not enough time to watch other sports.

HEND: Absolutely, for sure, 100 percent. I mean we can only play when it's daylight, and there are plenty of night events (at the GAmes). It'd be great to do and great to support the Australian team.

Sir Steve Redgrave would be forgiven for being in the ‘keep golf out’ camp when it comes to the Olympic Games. After all it is at the Olympic Games where the British rower made his name, winning five gold medals in five Olympic Games across three decades.

The kind of thrill he got from crossing the finish line first is equitable to a golfer holing the winning putt in The Open or the Ryder Cup.

“The Olympics is a pretty special event and since it has been on the cards for the last seven years I know that golfers have been really excited about playing and whoever wins the medals will treat that as a Major.

Sir Steve is playing in the Dunhill for yet another year and I start by asking him if he thinks it is good that golf is back in the Olympics? “I think it is a great thing” he rattles back with. To which I followed up with “There has been a lot of discussion about whether golf deserves to be in the Olympics”, the giant of a man fires back with “Without doubt, what are you saying about us?! Are you saying that we don’t like top sportsmen?

Sir Steve and his partner Matt Pinsent were icons in Rowing, and every four years their sport is transcended to its widest possible global audience, having a huge impact on participation. I asked him if he though being back in the Olympics could have the same impact on an already global game of golf.

From the athletes? (From the media is my response) You go and speak to your colleagues because and I can tell you what the athletes think.

It has been in the games before, why shouldn’t golfers play? We let the multimillion dollar Basketball players and Tennis players play, what’s the difference?”

It is quite clear that this world class athlete has the utmost respect for all athletes from all sports, and as an avid golfer he believes the golf will add to the Olympics and that the Olympics will add to golf.

I have spoken to Rafael Nadal and he treats his medal as a Major, because it is only once every four years.”

“That’s the main reason, the drive for getting golf back into the Olympics, because the development of the sport will move on big time, in a lot of countries which don’t have very big budgets. Golf is a very expensive sport if you are trying to set it up for the first time.

Being as high profile as the Olympics, a lot of countries take it more seriously than other sports.”

It is a wonderful balmy October afternoon in St Andrews at the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and we are stood behind the 18th hole of the Old Course, and Sir Steve looks to his right and points to the iconic building behind the first tee and says “it is down to these guys in here that it is developed because that’s the idea of it.”

GOING FOR

GOLD

WORDS BY MATT HOOPER AND CRISTINA PANAMA IMAGES COURTESY GETTY IMAGES, PGA TOUR VIA INTERNATIONAL GOLF FEDERATION/FLICKR AND BY MATT HOOPER (MARTIN KAYMER, THORBJORN OLESEN)

THE 60 MEN AND 60 WOMEN WHO WILL TEE OFF IN RIO FOR THE GAMES OF THE XXXI OLYMPIAD, THE FIRST OLYMPIC GOLF TOURNAMENT SINCE 1904

MARCUS

SCOTT

SU OH

MINJEE LEE

FRASER

HEND

Marcus Fraser comes into the Olympic Games off the back of a solid season, highlighted by victory in the Maybank Championship in Malaysia. His first win since the 2010 Ballantine’s Championship in Korea is in addition to making the cut in 7 of 13 starts on the European Tour. The 38-year-old is currently ranked 90th in the world.

Scott Hend is enjoying a golden autumn to his career and will be hoping to make it a golden summer in Rio. The 43-year-old from Queensland won the True Thailand Classic earlier this year in addition to the Queen’s Cup on the Asian Tour.

Su was born in South Korea but moved to Australia at the age of 8, gaining the Australian nationality years later. Oh is the youngest player to ever qualify for the Women's Australian Open in 2009 and in 2013 became the best-ranked amateur. She is currently in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour and fills the 41 spot in the Rolex Rankings. The 2015 Volvik RACV Ladies Masters, which is played in Australia, is Su's only professional win.

The Australian golfer was ranked as the highest amateur from February 2014 to September 2014. That same year Minjee competed at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, where she finished as a co-medalist to earn her tour card for 2015. During the 2014 ANA Inspiration she won the low amateur recognition.

Lee holds the 15th ranking spot and has managed to win two times on the LPGA Tour. For Lee the experience of playing in Rio will be unique "There is no other tournament that is going to be like the Olympics."

EMILIANO GRILLO

FABIAN GOMEZ

Emiliano Grillo had his major breakthrough at the Frys.com Open last autumn and the 23-year-old from Resistencia has progressed steadily over the last five years, rising from outside the top 1000 to a career high of 31st in the world. Now ranked 37th, the number one golfer in South America has made the cut in all four majors this year, finishing tied for 17th at Augusta. Grillo could be a surprise contender for a medal in Rio.

Gomez won his second PGA Tour event this January at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and is currently ranked 75th in the world.

The 37-year-old from Chaco has had a long career in South America before graduating to the PGA Tour in 2014.

BERND WIESBERGER

CHRISTINE WOLF

Wiesberger is the most successful Austrian golfer of all-time, claiming three titles on the European Tour to surpass Markus Brier.

Wiesberger has also won in Indonesia on the Asian Tour. The 30-year-old from Vienna was one shot off the lead through 54 holes of the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla, before a final round of 75 took him out of contention.

Wolf is a graduate from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and turned professional in September 2012. She won her first professional title at the Crete Ladies Open on the Access Series that same year. The Austrian player was close to winning her second career title at the 2015 Women's NSW Open but finished runner-up behind England's Holly Clyburn.

Wolf is ranked as the world's No. 318.

SIDDIKUR RAHMAN Siddikur is the number one golfer in Bangladesh and has 8 worldwide wins to his credit. The biggest of those came at the 2013 Indian Open, defeating SSP Chowrasia and Anirban Lahiri by a single stroke. The 31-year-old plays predominantly on the Asian Tour.

THOMAS PIETERS Thomas Pieters had his breakthrough on the European Tour in 2015 with two victories in successive events at the D+D Real Czech Masters and the KLM Open.

The 24-year-old finished 29th on the Race to Dubai last season and is currently ranked 30th this season.

NICOLAS COLSAERTS Nicolas Colsaerts is the most successful Belgian on the European Tour since Flory Van Donck in the 1950’s and 60’s.

The 33-year-old became the first Belgian to play for Europe in the Ryder Cup in 2012, and has won twice including the Volvo World Match Play Championship.

His best season was 2012 when he made 23 of 25 cuts, finished 11th on the Race to Dubai and reached a career-high of 32nd in the world.

CHLOE LEURQUIN Chloe started playing golf at the age of 12 at the Royal Waterloo Golf Club in Belgium.

She joined the national golf team when she was 16-years old. The Belgian player turned professional in 2012 and won her LET card after finishing 4th in the Order of Merit of the LETAS in 2013. Leurquin is the only Belgian woman with a world ranking and holds the 404th place. Chloe was born in Rio de Janeiro and hopes to make some historic memories when she returns this summer for the Olympics.

ADILSON DA SILVA

VICTORIA LOVELADY

MIRIAM NAGL

Adilson Da Silva has had a moderately successful career across many tours. The 44-year-old moved to South Africa as a young man and now plays predominantly on the Sunshine Tour. He has won 12 times on the tour, but only two of those have been 72-hole tournaments. He has only played in 3 Major Championships, with a best finish of T-69 at the 2012 Open.

Lovelady clinched her ticket to the Rio Olympics after the Netherlands’ national Olympic committee decision to not entering its two qualifying athletes, Christel Boeljon and Anne Van Dam. Victoria played college golf with the University of Southern California and was part of the victorious 2008 NCAA Women's Golf Championship team. The Brazilian player is ranked 464th in the world. Victoria believes that she will have a great performance at the Olympics and admitted that she will have tears rolling down her face when she stands on the first tee in Rio. “It is something I have been working towards for the past six years.”

Nagl holds a dual German-Brazilian nationality but since 2015 has represented the Carioca country when competing in golf. It was in Berlin where Miriam started playing golf at the age of 10 and asked to join the German National Team in 1994.

She attended the Arizona State University and was part of the First All American Team during her freshmen year. She turned professional in 2001 and won her first tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

She is currently ranked 444 and is one of the only two players in the field that participated in the test event for the Olympic course in March of 2016.

He has represented Brazil at the 2011 and 2013 World Cups and has a career-high world ranking of 215th.

DAVID HEARN

GRAEME DE LAET

The 37-year-old from Ontario contended at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, but fell 2 shots shy of Jason Day, 1 behind Bubba Watson. He has won once on the Web.com Tour and once on the former Canadian Tour.

The 34-year-old from Saskatchewan has won three times on the former Canadian Tour and once on the Sunshine Tour, but despite career earnings of over $8million, has never won on the PGA Tour.

He is currently ranked 136th after reaching a career-high of 105th in 2015.

He is currently ranked 145th after reaching a career-high of 32nd in 2013.

BROOKE HENDERSON At only 18 and only in her second year as a professional the Canadian has managed to make a name for herself on the LPGA Tour. After winning the first major of her career Henderson gained just enough spots to be called the world's No.2. From the early stages of her career Brooke displayed talent, which led her to a 10th place in the 2014 US Women's Open at age 16. Henderson has 8 victories as a professional, 5 on the LPGA Tour, including the 2016 KPMG Women's PGA Championship and a Symetra Tour title. The Canadian player hopes to make history in Rio "it is an opportunity of a lifetime, which only comes around every four years."

ALENA SHARP Alena is a graduate from the New Mexico State University and turned professional in 2003. Sharp played for two seasons on the Futures Tour before gaining LGPGA status. The Canadian has nine professional wins but as yet none on the LPGA or LET. She is now ranked as the world's No. 85 and hopes to emulate the Olympic success of her countryman George Lyon. "The Olympics will be the top of my career thus far."

FELIPE AGUILAR Felipe Aguilar is the only Chilean to have won on the European Tour. The 41-year-old has won twice and also has experience of multi-sport events winning the Gold Medal in golf at the 2014 South American Games in his homeland of Chile, he also won the Bronze Medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Canada.

WU ASHUN

LI HAOTONG

SHANSHAN FENG

XIYU LIN

Wu Ashun has won twice on the European Tour, including this year’s Austrian Open where he became the first Chinese man to win a tournament on European soil. The 31-year-old has also won twice in Japan, where he became the first Chinese man to win on the Japan Golf Tour and has represented China in the World Cup.

Li Haotong has shot to prominence in the first half of this season on the European Tour. He dramatically won the Volvo China Open this spring with a final round of 64. The 20-year-old also plays on the Web.com Tour in the United States and has won on the PGA Tour China and OneAsia Tour.

Feng started playing golf at the age of 10 and became the first player from China to earn LPGA status after finishing tied for ninth at the Qualifying School in 2008. She is currently ranked No.13 in the world and was part of the world's top ten from 2012 to 2015.

Shanshan has four LPGA wins including the 2012 Women's PGA Championship, in addition to 11 worldwide wins. The Olympics will be a huge opportunity for the Chinese sports and Feng would not miss out on them, "China's golf needs these Olympic Games. As a Chinese golfer I must take part."

Lin started playing golf at the age of 8 and credits Shanshan Feng as her one of the individuals to have most influenced her career. Both players will be part of the field this summer and will team up to represent China in Rio. At the age of 14 she was selected to play for China at the Asian games and turned professional a year later, becoming China's youngest professional golfer.

The Chinese player has two LET wins, as well as two China LPGA Tour victories. Xi Yu owns the 52nd spot in the world and is sure that the Olympics will benefit golf in many ways. "The Olympics is a dream for all athletes and I am happy to be a part of this huge event."

MARIAJO URIBE Uribe is the only player from Latin America to have ever won U.S. Women's Amateur; she took the title in 2007 after defeating Amanda Blumenherst. The Colombian played college golf for UCLA and was named All-American First Team selection in 2008 and 2009. Uribe turned professional in 2009 and joined the LPGA and the LET in 2010 but has not recorded any official career wins. She is now ranked as the 103rd player on the world ranking and will be the only Colombian female golfer in the Olympics. "To represent Colombia in the Olympics is an honour and a dream come true."

SOREN KJELDSEN Soren Kjeldsen is enjoying a glorious autumn to his career as he bids to make the European Ryder Cup team next month.

The 41-year-old won last year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Royal County Down, and has finished in the top ten at both The Masters and The Open in 2016.

THORBJORN OLESEN

NICOLE BROCH LARSEN

Thorbjorn Olesen enjoyed the biggest win of his career at the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews. The 26-year-old has won three times on the European Tour and has two top ten finishes in Majors to his credit.

Nicole started playing golf aged 9 and was also a high level badminton player until she was selected to the Danish National Golf Team aged of 14. The Danish golfer turned professional in 2013 and won her first two tournaments as a pro on the LET Access Series at the HLR Open and Norwegian Open. Larsen maintains the 86th spot on the Rolex Rankings and took the 2015 Player of the Year honours. The Dane has one win on the LET and is considered to be one Europe’s rising stars.

NANNA KOERSTZ MADSEN The Danish golfer just recently turned professional in 2015 and plays mainly on the LET. She played collegiate golf for the University of Southern California, where she recorded one win. In her rookie season she finished 9th on the Order of Merit and in 2016 clinching her first and only title at the Tipsport Golf Masters.

Nanna is now ranked as the world's No.111 and will be part of the Danish team in Rio 2016.

SERGIO GARCIA Sergio Garcia comes to Rio off the back of a consistent season which has seen him claim the 9th PGA Tour win of his career. Victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May saw him overtake the mark for most PGA Tour wins for a Spaniard, previously held by the late, great Seve Ballesteros.

Garcia has also won 11 times on the European Tour, 4 times on the Asian Tour and 3 times on the Sunshine Tour.

The 36-year-old has previously been ranked number two in the world and has finished second at four Major Championships.

RAFAEL CABRERABELLO Rafael Cabrera-Bello is enjoying the most consistent season of his career, highlighted by a semi-final appearance at the WGC-Dell Match Play in March. The 32-year-old has won twice on the European Tour and is currently set to play in the European Team at the 2016 Ryder Cup.

CARLOTA CIGANDA

AZAHARA MUNOZ

The Spanish player started the game when she was just 5 years old and turned professional in 2011 after playing for the Arizona State University in the United States. Carlota is one of the longest hitters on tour but has never won on the LPGA. In her debut season on the LET she won the Order Merit and was named Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. She is the best-ranked Spanish player and holds the 37 world spot. Ciganda has four LET wins.

At the age of 14 Azahara won the 2004 Girls British Open Championship. Just of graduating from Arizona State University she won the 2009 British Ladies Amateur championship. As a college player Munoz took the 2008 NCAA Individual Champion title. The Spaniard has one career win on the LPGA and is now the world's No. 44.

She was close to clinching her second victory at the 2014 HSBC Women's Champions put lost in a playoff to Paula Creamer. Munoz is definitely committed to the Olympics. "I cannot wait to be down there and experience it all."

MIKKO ILONEN Mikko Ilonen is one of the most underrated golfers in Europe, having won five times on the European Tour including the 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship.

The 36-year-old has two Major top ten finishes to his credit.

ROOPE KAKKO Roope Kakko has won once on the European Tour in 12 years as a professional. He became the first amateur to win on the Challenge Tour in 2004

URSULA WIKSTROM

NOORA TAMMINEN

As an amateur Wikstrom won the Finnish Amateur Open Championship in 2001 and played college golf for the New Mexico State University. Ursula plays mainly on the LET and turned professional in 2003. She has been close to winning her first title on tour but has finished runner-up in five occasions, most recently at the 2012 Deloitte Ladies Open. The Finnish player holds the 264 in the world rankings.

Tamminen won as an amateur the World Cup bronze medal in 2012 with the Finnish team. Noora's consistent game earned her the rights to play on the LET in 2012 and started her rookie season in 2013. The Fin played in ten tournaments in her debut season and made seven cuts to retain her card for 2014. Her best result was 6th at the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open. Tamminen is ranked 280 in the world.

GREGORY BOURDY Gregory Bourdy has enjoyed a long career on the European Tour, winning on four occasions. The 34-year-old has also won in South Africa and has represented France three times in the World Cup.

JULIEN QUESNE Julien Quesne has won twice on the European Tour in 2012 and 2013. The 35year-old also has wins on the 2nd and 3rd tier tours in Europe.

KARINE ICHER

GWLADYS NOCERA

Icher turned professional in 2000 and finished first at the LET Qualifying School, earning her card for the 2001 season. As an amateur the French was part of the European winning team that held the Vagliano Trophy. She was also a member of the victorious French team at the European Team Championship in 2000.

Karine is one of the most recent French golf successes and is ranked at the world's No. 58. Icher has five professional wins, all of them on the LET.

As an amateur Nocera became the youngest ever winning captain in the 2000 Espirito Santo Trophy with French Team.

Gwladys turned professional at the age of 27 and earned her LET status in 2009. The Frenchwoman has played for Team Europe in four Solheim Cup and defeated Cristie Kerr in single matches in her debut event.

Nocera has 14 LET wins and one more ALPG Tour title. She is maintains the 135th spot in the rankings. “The Olympics will be a once in a lifetime chance."

DANNY WILLETT

JUSTIN ROSE

CHARLEY HULL

Danny Willett made his major breakthrough in this April’s Masters Tournament, after a final round of 67 saw him overtake the defending Champion Jordan Spieth. Willett has won five times on the European Tour and has a commanding lead in this year’s Race to Dubai. Currently ranked ninth in the world he is the number one British golfer entering the Olympic Games.

Justin Rose has had a fantastic career spanning nearly 20 years back to the 1998 Open at Royal Birkdale. The Englishman, born in Johannesburg, became the first Brit in 43 years to win the US Open, when he did so at Merion in 2013. The 36-year-old has won 11 times across the PGA Tour and European Tour including a World Golf Championship. In 2007 he won the European Tour Order of Merit.

The English player has made most of her career in Europe, where she has had great success. Hull turned professional in 2013 and was awarded LET Rookie of the Year honours later that year. The British golfer now holds the 26th sport on the world rankings. Charley became the youngest ever to compete in Solheim Cup matches in 2013, where she had an outstanding performance. The British golfer has one professional win on the LET and will be seeking to make history in Rio. "What a buzz, to contribute to Team GB and I would love to stay in the Olympic village to take it all in."

Rose has been a prominent member of the European Ryder Cup team and is regularly ranked inside the world’s top ten.

CATRIONA MATTHEW Catriona is one of the veterans on both the LPGA Tour and the LET. The Scottish player turned professional in 1995 and has eleven worldwide wins since then. She has four LPGA titles, including the 2009 Ricoh Women's British Open, in addition to five LET victories. Matthew has eight Solheim Cup appearances and was just recently named vice-captain for the 2017 edition of the event. “Beany”, as her close friends call her, is one of the most successful Scottish female players and currently hold the 65 ranking spot. "It has been a goal of mine all year to try and make the Olympics and it is going to be a tough competition."

MARTIN KAYMER

ALEX CEJKA

SANDRA GAL

CAROLINE MASSON

Martin Kaymer is treating the Olympic Games with the most respect of any golfer in Rio this summer. “In my career I've only maybe twice, hopefully three times, a chance to win a gold medal. The majors, I will have a lot more. I have time to win one of those again”. The 31-year-old has won 2 Major Championships and been ranked number one in the world.

He has also won one World Golf Championship, the European Tour Race to Dubai and The Players Championship. As well as this he has been part of three winning European Ryder Cup teams, holing the decisive putt in 2012 at Medinah. All that is left to crown a glittering career is Olympic Gold.

Alex Cejka’s longevity is incredible. The 45year-old is the only player in the field who would have been eligible to play in the Olympics had it been on the programme in 1996. The Czech-born golfer now plays full time on the PGA Tour but has won four times on the European Tour, three of them in 1995 including the Volvo Masters.

Gal turned professional in December 2007 after a distinguishing college golf career University of Florida, where she won four events in NCAA competition; received AllAmerican honors in 2007, and was an NGCA Academic All-American from 2005 to 2008. The German player gained full exempt status as an LPGA player in 2008 and finished 68th on the LPGA 2008 money list in her rookie year. Sandra has one professional win on the LPGA and is the highest ranked German female golfer; she is now 57 in the world. "It is a big honour to be part of the German team."

The German golfer had a decorated amateur career and was part of the German team at the 2006 Espirito Santo Trophy tournament. Caroline accepted a scholarship from the Oklahoma State University but only played there for a year; she then turned professional in 2009. It was not until 2013 when Masson joined the LPGA Tour after finishing tied for 11th at the Qualifying School. Caroline has been part of the European Team in Solheim Cup twice and has won the cup once. She is ranked the 84th in the world and one professional win on the LET. "Being an Olympic athlete is way different and being able to represent my country on the biggest stage is absolutely huge."

GERMANY

ANIRBAN LAHIRI

SSP CHOWRASIA

ADITI ASHOK

Anirban Lahiri is the undisputed star of Indian golf heading into the Olympic Games, and a victory for the 29-year-old could spark a golfing boom in his homeland. He shot to prominence in 2015 with two wins in European Tour cosanctioned events, including the Hero Indian Open. He has recorded a further five wins on the Asian Tour and 11 on the Indian Professional Golf Tour.

SSP Chowrasia has won three times on the European Tour, all in co-sanctioned tournaments with the Tour in India. He has enjoyed a friendly rivalry with Lahiri in their national Open for the last two years, with both players defeating each other to win the last two Hero Indian Open titles. All of Chowrasia’s professional wins have come in India.

Ashok turned professional in 2016 with the Olympic Games set as a goal. She finished amateur career as world's No. 11, now as professional she owns the 445 position in the rankings. In 2015 she became the first Indian to play the Sime Darby LPGA. She has been playing for India's National Golf Team since she was 12-years old. Aditi will be looking to make her first year as a pro a stellar one. "Making the Olympics was one of my dreams, but more than just qualifying for the Olympics I want to go there and do well."

In 2015 he earned his PGA Tour card and now plays on both major tours. He finished in a tie for fifth place at the 2015 PGA Championship and became the first Indian to represent the International Team in the Presidents Cup.

NINO BERTASIO Nino Bertasio qualified for the 2016 Race to Dubai via the European Tour Qualifying School. In his rookie season on the tour the 28-year-old has made 11 cuts out of 13 events. His best finish is a tie for fifth in the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco.

MATTEO MANASSERO Matteo Manassero was one of Europe’s rising stars three years ago when he won four times in his first four seasons on tour, highlighted by the 2013 BMW PGA Championship. Injuries have hampered his progress and 23-year-old has not developed to contend in the Majors as he was expected to.

GIULIA SERGAS Sergas grew up playing golf in northern Italy and was part of the runnerup teams of Espirito Santo Trophy in 1996 and 1998. During the 1999 Women's British Open she was awarded the low amateur honour, where she tied for 24th place. Giulia turned professional in 1999 and joined the LET in 2000. In her rookie season she won the LET Order of Merit and represented Europe in the 2013 Solheim Cup. Sergas gained LPGA status in 2002 and is now ranked 321st in the world.

GIULIA MOLINARO Molinaro had a remarkable amateur and collegiate career. She played for the Arizona State University and was named the 2012 PAC 12 Player of the Year after her senior season. Giulia also earned FirstTeam All-America honours and was named First-Team All PAC12. The Italian turned professional 2012 and joined the Symetra Tour that in 2013. During her rookie season on the Symetra Tour she was able to capture one win and was awarded as Rookie of the Year, which was enough to earn status on the LPGA Tour. Molinaro is now ranked 256 in the world and will represent Italy in the Olympics. "It is a dream come true and one I never thought I would have the honour to actually live and experience."

PADRAIG HARRINGTON Padraig Harrington was an integral part of the team which successfully bid to have golf reinstated to the Olympic programme in 2009 and is one of the most successful European golfers of the last 70 years. He has won three major championships including becoming the first European to defend The Open in over 100 years when he won in 2008. Harrington has won a further 14 times across the European Tour and PGA Tour, as well as winning in Japan and Malaysia.

The 44-year-old has played for Europe in six Ryder Cups since 1999.

SEAMUS POWER

STEPHANIE MEADOW

LEONA MAGUIRE

Seamus Power is a rising star of Irish golf who is aiming to take advantage of the opportunity he has been given following the withdrawal of Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell.

The 29-year-old has won on this year’s Web.com Tour and is hopeful of making it onto the PGA Tour for the 2017 season.

Meadow started golfing when she was 7years old and played collegiate golf for the University of Alabama. She turned professional in 2012 and made her pro debut at the U.S. Women's Open at Pinehurst, where she finished in solo third.

The player from Northern Ireland is ranked 465 in the world and is another of the late additions to the Olympic field after the withdrawals Christel Boeljon and Anne Van Dam. “I am super excited. What an awesome opportunity, to be able to represent your country at the Olympics.”

Leona is one of the three amateurs on the field for the Olympic competition and made her way into the field thanks to the game displayed with the University of Duke. The player from Northern Ireland is an ANNIKA Award winner and has just finished her sophomore college season. She holds 2nd spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and the 357 position in the Rolex Rankings.

Maguire has an older sister, who is also a talented golfer and plays for Duke Women’s golf team. “The Olympics has been a goal of mine since I was a little kid.”

YUTA IKEDA

SHINGO KATAYAMA

HARUKYO NOMURA

SHIHO OYAMA

The 30-year-old has won 14 times on the Japan Golf Tour including the Japan PGA, Japan Open and Dunlop Phoenix Tournament. Ikeda has won every year since 2009.

The 43-year-old has had an immensely successful career on the Japan Golf Tour, winning 29 times. He has also finished in a tie for fourth place at both The Masters and PGA Championship.

The Japanese golfer started playing golf at the age of 11 and almost four years later won the Japan Junior Golf Championship. Nomura grew up in South Korea but took her father's Japanese nationality in 2011. She has shown some consistent golf in recent seasons but it was not until the 2016 season where she was able to claim her first tour win. With her wins Haru has been able to jump the rankings and is now 22 in the world. She has two titles on the LPGA Tour, as well as three other worldwide wins.

Oyama plays mainly on the LPGA of Japan Tour where she has had a remarkable career. The Japanese player turned professional in 2000 and hoisted her first trophy in 2003 at the Beruna Ladies Cup Golf Tournament. Shiho played on the LPGA Tour in 2009 but suffered from an elbow injury later that year. She is the world's No. 46 and has 17 LPGA of Japan Tour wins.

BYEONG HUN AN An is a rising star of worldwide golf having won the US Amateur in 2009 and the 2015 BMW PGA Championship. His parents both won medals in Table Tennis at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

INBEE PARK The former world No.1 and now Hall of Famer started playing at the age of 10 and made history in 2008 by becoming the youngest ever to win the U.S. Women's Open at 19 years of age. Inbee is now the third ranked player in the world and has 25 professional wins. She has ten on the LPGA Tour, four in the JLPGA Tour and three more in the LET. The South Korean has also won seven major championships throughout her career with victories at the 2008 and 2013 U.S. Women's Open, the 2013 ANA Inspiration, the Women's PGA Championship in 2013, 2014 and 2015 as well as the 2015 Ricoh Women's British Open. If her thumb injury heals on time Inbee will be ready for Rio “competing in the Olympics has been my dream and goal.”

SEI YOUNG KIM JEUNGHUN WANG The 20-year-old burst onto the European golf scene in 2016 with wins at the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco and Mauritius Open in May.

Kim secured her LPGA Tour card after finishing tied for ninth at the 2014 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament and is now ranked world No.5. During her debut season she won three times to earn the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year award. Sei Young has ten professional victories, five of them on the LPGA Tour and five more in the LPGA of Korea Tour. Before kicking off the 2016 season she had one clear goal on mind, the Olympics. "It feels like a dream to join the Olympics."

AMY YANG After her victory at the ANZ Ladies Masters in 2006 and still as amateur Yang became the youngest ever to win on the Ladies European Tour at the age of 16. The now 6th ranked player in the world competed in the LPGA Qualifying School in 2007 but did not earn full status on tour until 2009. The South Korean player has had a great run at the U.S. Women's Opens but has fallen short after finishing within the top ten in her last seven appearances. Yang has two LPGA titles, as well as three LET victories and a one KLPGA Tour win.

IN GEE CHUN The winner of the 2015 U.S. Women's Open took the golf world by surprise after her victory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After accepting her LPGA card for the 2016 season the American fans have been getting to know her game and she has not let them down. In Gee is ranked 8th in world and has 12 professional wins, one on the LPGA, 9 nine on the Korean Tour and two more in Japan. Despite not having a win during the 2016 season Chun has shown a solid game and is prepared for the Olympic challenge “it is such a huge honor to be an Olympian.”

DANNY CHIA Chia is 43 years of age and has won twice on the Asian Tour.

GAVIN KYLE GREEN

KELLY TAN

MICHELLE KOH

The 22-year-old had a successful college career in the United States before returning to Asia to compete on the Asian Development Tour. He has won three times on the tour including two in 2016

Kelly qualified for the LPGA in her first attempt in 2015 thru Qualifying School. Tan is the Malaysian No.1 women's golfer and is a 3-time winner of the Malaysian Ladies Open. During her rookie season she played in 20 events and made the cut in 9 cut those. She holds the 157 position in the world rankings. Tan has yet to win on tour but has the 2015 Kingsmill Championship as her career-best finish, where she tied for 25th.

During her collegiate career Koh played for the Campbell University, where she was named A-Sun All-Academic Team in 2009. She then turned professional in March of 2014 and is currently ranked 452nd in the world. Her only professional win came in 2015 at the CTBC Shanghai Ladies Classic on the China LPGA Tour.

RODOLFO CAZAUBON Rudolfo is 26 years of age and won three times on the 2015 PGA Tour Latinoamerica to earn promotion to the Web.com Tour.

GABY LOPEZ In search of a realistic opportunity to qualify for Rio Lopez left college early and turned professional in 2015 after finishing tied for tenth at the LPGA Qualifying School. The Mexican player is now part of the world's top 100 players and holds the 97th spot.

In her rookie season on tour she managed to finish within the top 20 four times and tied for 11th in the recent U.S. Women's Open. Lorena Ochoa, former world number one, is one of Gaby's biggest career influences and she will be of huge support this summer as Lopez pursues for Olympic history. "This is the main reason why I became a professional in December and left the Arkansas team before time. I am super excited to represent Mexico."

ALEJANDRA LLANEZA Alejandra started playing golf at the age of 6 and went on to earn a scholarship at the University of Arizona. The Mexican player first gained LPGA on 2012 but had to go back to the Symetra Tour to improve her status. In 2015 Alejandra played on the Symetra Tour and earned her Volvik Race Card to join the LPGA. In that same season Llaneza won Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women's Health Classic and had five additional top ten finishes. She is now ranked 389 in the world. “I get chills every time I think about representing Mexico. Wearing the colours on the golf course will be the ultimate.�

JOOST LUITEN Luiten is the most successful Dutchman to play on the European Tour. He has won four times on the tour including the 2013 KLM Open in his homeland. The 30-year-old can be one of the most exciting players in Europe on his day and has been a professional for 10 years.

DANNY LEE Lee burst onto the world golf scene as an amateur, winning the 2008 US Amateur and at the time beating Tiger Woods’ record as the youngest ever champion. In 2009, whilst still amateur, Lee won the trisanctioned Johnnie Walker Classic.

Lee then turned his attention to the PGA Tour and after five years without a victory he won the Greenbrier Classic in 2015. He has had a consistent two years which have seen him earn a place on the International Team for the 2015 Presidents Cup and finish 2nd at the Tour Championship.

He is currently ranked 44th in the world.

RYAN FOX Fox comes into the Olympics off the back of a sensational win in the Challenge Tour’s Northern Ireland Open.

His win was the second win on that tour and he has finished in the top ten in 3 of his last 4 starts.

LYDIA KO At just 19 years of age Lydia has become one of most one of the most dominant players in women's golf and is ranked world's No.1. Ko was born in South Korea but gained New Zealand citizenship at the age of 12. At the age of 15 she became the youngest player ever to win on the LPGA Tour. Within four years as a professional player Lydia has 18 worldwide wins, 13 of them on the LPGA, which include the 2015 Evian Championship and 2016 ANA Inspiration, and 5 more on the Ladies European Tour (LET). Lydia is all in for Rio and cannot wait to represent her country this summer “just to be able to compete in the Olympics and play for your country in front of an international stage would be a dream come true."

FABRIZIO ZANOTTI Zanotti became the first Paraguayan to win on the European Tour at the 2014 BMW International Open in Germany.

The 33-year-old defeated fellow Olympic hopefuls Henrik Stenson and Rafa Cabrera-Bello in a playoff.

JULIETA GRANADA Granada moved to the United States when she was just 14-years old and attend the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida.

She had a successful amateur career and was named the AJGA All-America Team from 2001 to 2004. Julieta turned professional in 2005 but did not gain LPGA status until 2006. Her only LPGA win came in 2006 at the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT. She is the only Paraguayan on the tour and ranks 140 in the world. Granada will be carrying Paraguay's flag during the Opening Ceremony. "It is such a big honour. As golfers we never even dreamed to have the possibility."

MIGUEL TABUENA Miguel is the only Philippine athlete in the Olympic golf tournament and the 21-year-old won the 2015 Philippines Open on the Asian Tour. Tabuena was awarded the 2016 Filipino Sportsman of the year award.

RICARDO GOUVEIA Ricardo made a huge impact on the Challenge Tour in 2015, winning twice and earning a place in the 2016 Race to Dubai.

The 24-year-old played college golf in the United States and turned professional in 2014.

JOSE-FILIPE LIMA The 34-year-old has won once on the European Tour. He has represented Portugal twice in the World Cup of Golf.

JACO VAN ZYL

BRANDON STONE

PAULA RETO

ASHLEIGH SIMON

Van Zyl and his countryman Brandon Stone are set on taking full advantage of the opportunity afforded to them by the withdrawals of Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel. Van Zyl withdrew from The Open and PGA Championship to prepare for the Olympic Games. The 37-year-old has won 14 times on the Sunshine Tour.

The 23-year-old won his national Open this year in just his second European Tour start as a full member.

Reto played for the Purdue University and turned professional in 2013 after finishing tied for 13th at the LPGA Qualifying School. In her rookie year the South African competed in 20 events and made the cut in 9 of those. She was seventh in the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year race.

Paula has yet to seal a professional win but had her career-best finish the 2014 Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic after recording a solo third. She currently the second best ranked South African player and holds the 122 world spot.

Simon was one of the most accomplished South African amateurs and became the youngest player to win the ladies’ South African Amateur Stroke Play and Match Play double. She was also the first player in 101 years to win the Ladies South African Open title three times. Ashleigh turned professional in 2007 and joined the LPGA Tour in 2014.

In her short career the South African has already two LET titles in her bag and currently holds the 216 position in the world ranking. Simon made it into the Olympic field after her fellow countrywoman, Lee-Anne Pace, withdrew due to Zika virus concerns.

HENRIK STENSON 40-year-old Stenson claimed his first Major title at last month’s Open at Troon. He has also won The Players Championship, a WGC, the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in a career which makes him comfortably the greatest Swedish male golfer of all-time.

As with Martin Kaymer, an Olympic Gold would crown a glorious career.

DAVID LINGMERTH Lingmerth plays predominantly on the PGA Tour and has had a consistent run.

The 29-year-old won his first title at the 2015 Memorial Tournament.

ANNA NORDQVIST

PERNILLA LINDBERG

Nordqvist had a successful amateur career in Europe and the United States, where she was named Swedish Junior Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. She was earned the Swedish Amateur of the Year honors in 2005. Anna holds the eleventh spot on the world rankings and is now the highest ranked European player. The Swede has six LPGA victories, including the 2009 Women's PGA Championship, which she won on her fifth LPGA start. Additionally, Nordqvist has two LET titles. "It is a dream come true to represent Sweden in the Olympics."

The Swede started playing golf at the age of 14 and was also an alpine ski racer during her youth. Pernilla played college golf for the Oklahoma State University and graduated in 2009 before turning professional. She gained status on both, the LPGA Tour and the LET in 2010. She is ranked 91st in the world and has not recorded any career wins but sees the Olympics an opportunity for herself and the game. "Being able to be around other athletes is and watch other sports is going to be so cool."

THONGCHAI JAIDEE 46-year-old Jaidee landed the biggest win of his career at last month’s 100th Open de France. The veteran has won 8 times on the European Tour.

KIRADECH APHIBARNRAT

PORNANONG PHATLUM

ARIYA JUTANUGARN

Aphibarnrat has developed into a world class golfer, winning three times on the European Tour. The 27-year-old has shown his versatility by winning on links at the 2015 Paul Lawrie Match Play.

Although she turned professional in 2006, Phatlum is one of the newest faces on the LPGA Tour. During 2015 she has made the cut in 21 of 28 events. Her career-best finish on American soil was tied for second at the 2015 Cambia Portland Classic. The Thai player qualified for the Tour on her second attempt and is now ranked 34th in the world. Pornanong has nine Ladies Asian Golf Tour wins and two LET titles.

2015 RICOH WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN CHAMPION The Thai and seventh ranked player in the world has made the most of her 2016 season. Earlier in her career Ariya had some close calls with her first professional win but it was not until this season when she finally broke through at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic.

She then went on to win her other two titles in in consecutive weeks, becoming the first Thai player to win on tour. The youngest of the Jutanugarn sisters has now four wins on the LPGA and one more on the LET. "I am anxious to play in Rio because I can represent Thailand. I feel excited about it."

CHENG TSUNG PAN

WEN-TANG LIN

24-year-old Pan has won twice on the PGA Tour Canada since turning professional in 2015. He now plays on the Web.com Tour and has the potential to become the finest male golfer Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) has ever seen.

Lin will be forever remembered on the European Tour for his dramatic defeat of Rory McIlroy in the 2008 UBS Hong Kong Open. The 42-year-old has won 5 further tournaments on the Asian Tour.

TERESA LU Teresa Lu turned professional in 2005 had most success playing on the Asian Tour. She is currently ranked has the world's 32 and is the highest ranked Taiwanese player.

Lu has 12 career wins, including one LPGA titles and eleven LPGA of Japan victories.

CANDIE KUNG Kung played for the University of Southern California where she had an impressive collegiate career. She was a two-time NCAA All-American and won the 2000 Pac10 Championship. Kung has American and Taiwanese nationality, but competes for Taiwan. She is ranked as the 33rd player in the world and has four professional wins on the LPGA Tour.

LEXI THOMPSON

STACY LEWIS

RICKIE FOWLER

PATRICK REED

She is the highest ranked player for the United States and at the moment holds the fourth spot in world rankings. She became the youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open in 2007 at the age of 12. Lexi has nine official worldwide wins, seven of them on the LPGA Tour, which include the 2014 ANA Inspiration. Lexi has also won a title on the LPGA of Japan Tour and has one more win on the LET. Since golf was introduced back into the Olympics competing in Rio has been one of Thompson goals. "Winning an Olympics would be better than any major."

Lewis played for the University of Arkansas and had an outstanding college career but missed her freshman year to recover from her scoliosis back surgery. The former world number one and now ninth player in the world has had a two-year title drought despite displaying some good golf.

Stacy's last win came in 2014 at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship where she out righted Cristie Kerr, Lydia Ko and Angela Stanford. Lewis has 11 LPGA wins in her bag, which include the 2011 ANA Inspiration and the 2013 Ricoh Women's British Open. The American is one of the most excited players about golf's return to the Olympics. "An Olympic medal is so special because you only get the chance to win one every four years."

Fowler is one of the great young players lighting up the men’s game since the demise of Tiger Woods. The 27-year-old has won The Players Championship, Wells Fargo Championship, Deutsche Bank Championship, Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship over the last three years and has also recorded top five finishes in each of the Majors.

Patrick Reed is set to be one of the stars of Rio, demonstrating immense enthusiasm for golf’s return to the Olympic Games. The 25-year-old has already won a World Golf Championship in his young career and has won on the PGA Tour in each of the last three years, although is yet to break through in 2016.

GERINA PILLER The American attended the University of Texas at El Paso and had a successful collegiate career. In 2009 she appeared on the Golf Channel's reality television competition The Big Break. That same year Piller earned conditional LPGA status for the 2010 season but it was not until 2011 when she gained the full exemption. Piller made it into the Olympic field right on the deadline mark after finishing tied for eighth at the 2016 U.S. Women's Open, which propelled her to the 15th spot on the Rolex Rankings. Gerina embraces the red, white and blue every time she can and the Olympics would not be the exception. "Representing my country at the world's greatest athletic event would be an honour and privilege unlike any other."

BUBBA WATSON Watson has won two Masters Titles and lost the 2010 PGA Championship in a playoff.

Bubba has been the most enthusiastic player about Olympic Golf, stating that winning any Olympic Medal will be better than winning another Major. The 37-year-old has won 9 times on the PGA Tour.

MATT KUCHAR Kuchar has excelled in recent years, winning a WGC and The Players Championship to establish himself as one of the leading golfers never to have won a Major. The 38-year-old has won 7 times on the PGA Tour.

JHONATTAN VEGAS Vegas is the first Venezuelan golfer to have won on the PGA Tour, winning in just his second start on the tour at the 2011 CareerBuilder Challenge. The 31-year-old won for the second time in the recent RBC Canadian Open and is currently ranked 86th in the world and will be the sole Venezuelan player in Rio.

TIFFANY CHAN Chan is the third and last amateur to qualify for the Olympic field.

The player from Hong Kong is currently ranked as the 15th best amateur in the world, as well as 421st in the Rolex Rankings.

Tiffany is also part of the University of Southern California women's golf team and she cannot wait to compete in Rio. "In the Olympics you do not play for yourself and your own name, you play for your country."

LAETITIA BECK Beck is the first and only female professional golfer from Israel. She started playing golf at the age 9 and grew up living next to Israel's only 18-hole golf course.

Beck moved to the United States when she was 14-years old in search of tougher competition and was then offered a scholarship from Duke University. She graduated with a major in psychology in 2014 and turned professional that same year. She joined the LPGA in 2015 and became the first Israeli golfer on tour. She currently ranks as the world No.222. “Soon, more people are going to know Israel has someone to represent them on the golf course.�

ESPEN KOFSTAD 28-year-old Kofstad won the 2016 Slovakia Challenge to secure his place in the Rio Olympics. He has won three times on the Challenge Tour and earned his European Tour card in 2012 before returning to Q School in 2014. The Olympics could be a Launchpad to a future career at the highest level.

NORWAY

MARIANNE SKARPNORD In her early years Skarpnord was considered one of the biggest rising talents for Norwegian golf. She won the British Girls Championship in 2013 and the Junior Solheim Cup with Europe later that year.

Marianne turned professional in 2005 and joined the LET that same year. It was not until 2010 when she gained status on the LPGA. The Norwegian golfer has three LET win, as well as one ALPGA title and is ranked No. 162 in the world. She will compete in Rio along side one of Norway's greatest golfers, Suzann Pettersen. "It will be great fun and I am really looking forward. I have prepared myself for a while."

SUZANN PETTERSEN In recent years the Norwegian has become one of the most important players for Europe. Suzann began her professional career in 2000 and rapidly gained recognition on the tours. She has never established herself as the number one player in the world but came close in 2013, she currently ranks 18th. "Tutta", as her close friends call her, has 15 LPGA titles including the 2007 Women's PGA Championship and the 2013 Evian Championship, in addition to seven other LET wins. Pettersen was closely involved with golf's Olympic reappearance in 2009 as an IGF delegate in Copenhagen when the Olympic Committee vote was taken to include golf in for Rio 2016. "It is the right thing to have golf in the Olympics. As one of the world's biggest sports we are finally where we really belong. "

MARIA VERCHENOVA In 2007 Verchenova became the first Russian player earn full status on the LET. As an amateur she won the Russian Amateur Championship in 2004 and 2006. She turned professional and 2006 but has not been able to hoist any trophies since. Maria’s career-best finished came in 2013 at the HONMA Pilsen Golf Masters, where she finished tie for 4th. Maria is currently ranked as the world's No. 340. "I have been looking forward to this for years."

RUSSIA

KLARA SPILKOVA Klara showed signs of great talent at an early age and first qualified for the LET when she was 16-years old. During her rookie season as a professional she played in 14 events and finished within the top ten two times. For the 2016 season she received a sponsor exemption into the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Spilkova is the highest ranked Czech player and maintains the 289th spot. She has also competed in the past three Ricoh Women's British Opens and the 2015 Evian Championship. "Just to be a part of the largest sporting event in the world, staged once every four years is ‘no brainer’!”

CZECH REPUBLIC

ALBANE VALENZUELA Valenzuela will be one of the three amateurs to compete in the golf Olympics next to Maguire. The Swiss player is ranked 383rd in the world and currently plays for the Stanford University women's golf team.

Albane earned the low amateur honours at the 2016 ANA Inspiration with a tie for 65th.

She also made the cut at the 2016 U.S. Women's Open at Cordevalle. Valenzuela is excited about taking part in the Olympics and will be with the Swiss delegation in the opening and closing ceremonies. “I want to be there from the beginning to the end."

FABIENNE IN-ALBON Fabienne played college golf for the Purdue University but was only part of the program for a year. The Swiss golfer had to take a two-year break from golf after back injuries and turned professional in 2012. During her 2013 season she won her first tournament as a pro, in addition to two top ten finishes to earn her LET card. In-Albon's careerbest finishes as an LET member came at the 2014 Hero Indian Women’s Open, where she finished tied for second. The world number 419 is looking forward to Rio 2016. "I am ready and so proud to be representing Switzerland at the Olympic Games."

SWITZERLAND

MAHA HADDIOUI Haddioui will be the only Arab golfer in the field for the historic event and will aim to inspire others with her game. During her amateur career Maha played for the Lynn University, where she was the top ranked golfer in NCAA Division II. She turned professional in 2011 and managed to finished 25th on her debut. The Moroccan player is ranked 568th and was the latest addition to the event's field. “My goal is always to be the top player in the world, but playing the Olympics and getting a medal is the ultimate dream.�

MOROCCO

Golf may be returning to the Olympic Games for the first time in 112 years this August in Rio, but two years ago the sport made its debut in the Youth Olympic Games, in Nanjing, China and in a hotly contested competition Italy’s Renato Paratore came away with the Gold Medal.

The Multi-Sport event for male and female athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 made its debut in Singapore in 2010 and consists of 28 sports and 3,579 athletes from 203 nations took part in China.

The golf competition featured male and female individual tournaments, played over 54 holes and a mixed team event, also over 54 holes.

At last year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship I spoke to Renato about winning the Gold Medal and his experiences at the Youth Olympic Games.

What was it like to represent Italy in such a big event at such a young age?

“It was really good experience, good atmosphere and to win was really good.”

Did you go to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies?

“Yes, just to the Opening Ceremony, it was really good.”

Did you stay in a village, like the Olympic Games?

“Yes.” What sort of impact do you think the Olympic Games will have on golf in Italy?

“Really good because in Italy we have to improve the golf, so it will be great for Italy.”

After announcing that golf was going to be back in the Olympics for 2016 and that a new course to compete on was needed organizers chose the American architect Gil Hanse over seven other architects conceive layout. The other seven finalists included prestigious architects such as Jack Nicklaus, Sweden's Annika Sorenstam, South Africa's Gary Player, Mexico's Lorena Ochoa and Australians Peter Thomson and Greg Norman.

American architects Tom Doak and Robert Trent Jones II and Martin Hawtree of England were also part of the mix.

To design and create the Olympic course Hanse worked with his team but also asked the former LPGA player and Hall of Famer, Amy Alcott, to join him in the project. Amy served as a consultant and co-designer of the course. Alcott’s main contribution was focusing on creating a track on which elite women golfers could compete at the highest level. Amy’s involvement also included ideas about raising up the bunkers and putting them in small clusters.

The biggest innovation and design gamble of the course came in the placement of landing areas.

One of the aspects that also needed to be addressed by the Hanse and Alcott was creating a course that could to be fair for all levels of golfers since the Olympic course will be open to the public after the games.

Golf's return to the Olympics will leave its course as legacy being the first public international standard golf course in Brazil. With what is sought to encourage the practice of the sport with development programs that will aim at young people and training infrastructure for elite athletes.

The course resembles the links style and design of the Castle Stuart Golf course in Scotland and will play at about 6,500 yards for the women during the four days of competition. It will be a shorter layout compared to the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, where the LPGA plays the first major of the year and which is usually set just over 6,700 yards.

Tee

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Out

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

In

Total

Par

5

4

4

3

5

3

4

3

4

35

5

4

4

4

3

4

4

3

5

36

71

Men(yd)

604 486 351 191 547 196 493 172 369 3409 590 488 514 479 229 412 303 133 571 3719

7128

Women(yd) 536 435 321 155 493 177 409 154 324 3004 526 420 430 408 190 374 264 120 509 3241

6245

Image ©21st Century Fox

ŠMatt Hooper

Australia Cup the highlight of another memorable week of Fellowship and golf as the New Golf Club welcomes its worldwide membership ahead of Golf’s Return to the Olympics

Last month the New Golf Club of St Andrews welcomed their overseas members to the club and courses of St Andrews for a week of fellowship, food, drink and of course golf.

AUSTRALIA CUP

TEXAS SCRAMBLE - MON 11 JULY 2016

Sunday 10 July - Castle Course Stableford Points competition

Points

1 Miroslav Kucerka (12) Ludka Kucerkova (31) A R H Ferguson (10) Skip Godow (9) Nett score 56.8

56 golfers from Slovakia, the United States, Czech Republic, France, Germany and Australia visited the club and competed in four competitions across the courses of St Andrews Links.

Andy S Brown & John Daly

43

Prize: ÂŁ25 voucher each

Gary Kennedy & Danny Tucker

43

Kevin Hanley & Gary Porteous

43

2 Ian Gust (13) Ian Gardiner (15) Iain Wilson (6) Holger Bross (3) 57.3

Andrew Christie & Robert Aird

43

Prize: ÂŁ10 voucher each

Ladislav Smatana & Ivan Sebok

42

3 Colin Wells (16) Richard McLarty (12) Orma Smith (6) 59.3

Raymond Corr & Alasdair Mackenzie

42

J Galbraith & Jakub Nosek

42

Tom Halpin & A Leckie

41

John McGarva & Rob Bilger

41

Gavin Fletcher & David Aulcorn

41

The week began with a drinks reception in the newly refurbished main bar and featured a Scottish themed evening on the Wednesday and a lavish Prize Presentation night on the Friday.

4 Ian Sharman (13) M Hirst (6) D Aden (11) R Walmsley (4) 61.6 5 Gabriel Varga (20) Laurel Kaddatz (10) Tom Halpin (20) Graham Simpson (8) 61.7 6 Jakub Nosek (20) Filip Zaruba (9) Scott Crouse (13) Marci Crouse (35) 62.0 7 Martin Kaspar (14) Ted Kaspar (30) Colin Guinn (5) Hamish Halley (7) 62.7 8 Vidor Czvedler (17) Ingrid Czvedlerova (26) Bill Davidson (13) Graham Bailie (15) 63.0 9 Matt Hoover (6) Selwyn Robinson (11) Wesley Ritchie (11) Stephen Tither (26) 63.6 10 Josef Kuran (14) Ivan Sebok (12) George Watson (11) Ronnie Dinnie (14) 63.9

FELLOWSHIP QUAICH - WED 13 JULY 2016

MURRAY CUP ROUND 3 – 21 JULY

VICTORY CUP ROUND 1 – 23 JULY

1 Scott Crouse (13) 40

Division 1

Division 1

Leading Long Distance Player

Tang Sinclair 78

10c

68

David Millar

72

5c

67

Whisky Glass

Greg Dunsmore 82

12c

70

Kevin Weir

69

1c

68

2 Eric Lucas (16) 40

Alasdair McDougall

71

0c

Andrew Christie 74

5c

69

3 Ian Gardiner (15) 39

David Millar

76

5c

71

Jason Thomson 72

2c

70

4 Tom Halpin (20) 38

Brian Clough

82

11c

71

Andrew Killean @78

7c

71

Leading Local Player

Robert Bilger

80

8c

72

Mike Todd

83

12c

71

Bottle of Wine

Ian McIntosh

79

7c

72

Andrew Sturton 82

11c

71

5 Peter Morgan (6) 38

Andrew Christie 77

5c

72

Colin Hunter

6c

72

6 George Watson (11) 37 7 Stephen Tither (26) 37 8 Hamish Halley (7) 36 9 Holger Bross (3) 36 10 J Galbraith (9) 35

78

ST REGULUS LADIES GOLF CLUB

©Matt Hooper

Rutherford Salver - 3 Round Eclectic (2/3 h/c) 1st Fiona McEwan (7.33) net 64.67 2nd Kerry Wilson (8) net 65 3rd Sheena Willoughby (6) net 65

Captains Prize (5 Club and Putter Stableford competition) Saturday 16th July - Eden Course 1st Claire Nicoll 42 pts 2nd Marion Mason 39 pts

July Silver Medal Saturday 9th July Old Course (CSS 79) 1st Joan Prentice (19) nett 74 2nd Ruth Hughes (14) nett 79 3rd Yumi Hasegawa (18) nett 80

July Bronze Medal Saturday 9th July Eden Course (CSS 72) 1st Wendy Howden (23) nett 68 (bih) 2nd Claire Nicoll (21) nett 68 3rd Fay Orr (22) nett 70

3rd Barbara Ritchie 36 pts

July Nine Hole Competition Stableford Eden Course 1st Alison Jeffrey (28) 17 points (after count back) 2nd Gwenyth Mitchell (24) 17 points (after count back) 3rd Yumi Hasegawa (18) 16 points

THE ST RULE CLUB

©Matt Hooper

Coronation Medal - New Course 1st K. Keir (8) 38 points 2nd J. Dowie (16) 35 points 3rd J. Graham (9) 35 points

Optional Competition - Strathtyrum Course

65 Vase & Stableford Competitions (CSS 66) – Strathtyrum Course - Stableford

July SG Medal, Keith Mackenzie Trophy and Ada Cunningham Bowl - Old Course, (CSS 79)

1st S. Wright 41 pts

Silver Medal Winner - F. de Vries (3) 75

2nd C. Revell 40 pts

2nd B. Sprot (12) 78

3rd M. Orton 40 pts.

3rd A. White (5) 80

Winner of Lucy Watson 65 Vase - C. Revell 40 pts

Keith Mackenzie Trophy Winner - F. de Vries 78

1st M. Orton (22) 63 2nd B. Wilson (28) 65 3rd H. Black (18) 66

Bronze Medal Winner - J. Dobell (21) 89 Vets Trophy & Stableford (CSS 73) - Eden Course

2nd J. Bird (21) 92, 3rd P Loudon (30) 95

Vets Trophy - Winner: S. Wright 39 pts Fun Tri-Am - Castle Course 1st J. Bevens, A. Paterson & B.Wilson 124

Ada Cunningham Bowl Winner - J. Dobell 110 Stableford Winner: E. Wilson 38 pts

2nd J. Dowie, M. Laird & C. Joullie 126 3rd C. McDougall, S. Wright & P. Loudon 130.

July Optional - Strathtyrum (CSS 66) 9-Hole Competition – Eden Winner: J. Claydon 17 pts 2nd P. Bagnall 14 pts 3rd N. Day 8 pts

Winner - J. Claydon (35) 63 2nd S. Underwood (21) 64 3rd J. Duncan (28) 65

Eat

Reviewed by Matt Hooper with Lisa Turnbull Photography by Matt Hooper

In the heart of St Andrews’ Medieval town centre you will find the quintessentially Scottish restaurant. Situated on Church Square, in the shadow of the Parish Church of the Holy Trinity there really is something quite divine about The Doll’s House.

This year The Doll’s House celebrates its 21st birthday, and like most celebrating their 21st this restaurant really has come of age with a sumptuous renovation and magnificent new menu. The Doll’s House opened in 1995 and was launched as part of the House Restaurants chain across St Andrews and Scotland by restauranteur, Alex Knight. In 2014 the chain of House Restaurants came under the ownership of G1 Group, to add to Forgan’s, Mitchell’s Deli and the Vic.

sourced specials and a wide variety of meals, large and small on offer.

If you need time to Perouse the menu then there is a choice of three nibbles including Local Artisan Bread with Olive Oil and Balsamic, Doll’s House Olive Mix and Roast Vegetable Crisps.

To start there is a choice of 9 different starters and we plumped for the Soup of The Day (£4.25) and the Isle of Arran Haggis with Neeps, Tatties and a Whisky Cream Sauce (£6.95).

Soup of the Day, served with Warm Bread and Salted Butter

An already popular St Andrews venue, The Doll’s House was about to get even better. The décor of the restaurant was changed to be subtly Scottish, with light tartans on the seat backs and comfortable armchairs to create a cosy atmosphere. We visited The Doll’s House on a gloriously sunny Monday evening, and it was fairly busy, even at the start of the week.

We would both agree that The Doll’s House is a great place to dine whatever the weather.

You have the option of sitting outside if the weather is delightful, or warming yourself up inside when the weather outside is frightful.

The new menu has something for every palette, with daily, seasonal and locally

This tasty starter is changed on a daily basis but for our visit the Soup of the Day was Tomato. It was a sensation for the taste buds, however our server didn’t specify what type of Tomato Soup this was and could have been an annoyance to those who don’t like spicy soups.

Isle of Arran Haggis with Neeps, Tatties & a Whisky Cream Sauce When you see Haggis on the menu you imagine it to be too much for a Starter, but this was an ample starter portion with an accompaniment of crisps to really get you ready for your main.

Unfortunately, and this is something we found with Forgan’s too, we had several different servers throughout the evening and the service lacked a personal touch, which to be fair was present at Mitchell’s Deli. Our initial order was taken but no written down by our server, who had to rapidly return and had not taken my order correctly, attempting to tell me I had ordered a Medium Steak rather than a Well Done one.

To accompany your meal there is an

For our mains we ordered the Roast Corn Fed Chicken Supreme (£13.95) and the 8oz Rump Steak.

extensive drinks list.

We had the La Poderosa Sauvignon Blanc. (£16.95 bottle) Made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes the palate is clean and fresh and full of mouth-watering citrus

8oz Rump Steak served with Flat

fruit.

Mushrooms, Grilled Tomato, Thick Cut Chips and Watercress Roast Corn Fed Chicken Supreme with Confit Garlic Potato, Carrot Puree, Sautéed

This Well Done Steak was cooked to perfection and the Mushroom was sumptuous, with an ample portion of chips.

Kale and Wild Mushroom Jus This gorgeous main was soft and juicy, full of flavour accompanied by soft and tender Kale.

The portion was just right as a main for an evening meal.

For Dessert we ordered the Toasted Hazelnut & Salted Caramel Tart, served with Marscarpone Ice Cream and the Isle of Arran Ice Cream. The Tart was a sticky and thick pudding, which is likely a dessert you would usually have as part of a two course, rather than three course meal. The Ice Cream was a nice, light and refreshing dessert to follow my Steak.

That evening was reasonably busy but the layout of the restaurant and atmosphere gave you the impression you had a cosy little spot to yourself. The Doll’s House can cater for larger parties and private groups in its Eden Mill Private Dining Room, located on the upstairs floor.

Whatever the occasion, whether it be a business lunch, romantic date, family outing or friend’s night out, The Doll’s House is open for all.

Perfectly situated near all of the bars and shops of St Andrews, The Doll’s House is a bucket-list restaurant for your trip to St Andrews.

Do

In the heart of St Andrews is an oasis, a lush green environment which can take your mind off the daily struggle or serve as a quiet retreat as part of your visit to the home of golf.

Lade Braes Walk, which stretches from Lade Braes Lane off South Street to Little Carron, off Hepburn Gardens, is 1 and a half miles long and a feast for the senses at all times of the year.

You will pass the rear of the stunning Botanic Gardens and walk along the banks of the Kinnessburn, through acres of mature woodland and end up an old Mill which dates back to the middle ages.

Whether you wish to walk the dog for the entire length of the Lade Braes, or sit on one of the well-placed benches alongside the burn, and listen to the sound of the running water or tweeting birds, Lade Braes has something for everyone.

It is loved and adored by locals and visitors alike, and whilst it isn’t advertised on any tour guide to the town, it is a must visit as part of your pilgrimage to St Andrews.

Visit

Just 7 miles outside of St Andrews is one deep bunker you absolutely must visit.

Scotland’s best kept secret for over 40 years, Hidden beneath an innocent Scottish farmhouse, a tunnel leads to, Scotland’s Secret Bunker. 24,000 square feet of Secret accommodation. The size of two football pitches, one on top of another, on two levels 100 feet underground. Had there been a Nuclear War, this is where Scotland, would have been Governed, from within.

It is as if this facility has stopped in time, with neatly made beds, the command centre in perfect working order and a canteen in the original officer’s mess that cannot be missed.

Two cinema rooms show the visitor exactly how to take shelter from a nuclear fallout and you can see the workings of the Government at the time of the Cold War. We visited Scotland’s Secret Bunker in June and didn’t really know what to expect, we left wanting more and thinking what an awesome day out it was.

For more information please visit SecretBunker.co.uk

What’s on in St Andrews?

1 August to 11 September

23 September

3 to 11 September

5 to 9 August

6 August & 3 September FIFE FARMERS MARKET

FROM St Andrews Coming Monday 3 October

St Andrews Golf Magazine