8 Local club results

17 Our Town’s Super Bowl – Part II

38 Scottish Senior Open leaves town

39 The First Day

41 Instruction from Garry Forrester of St

Andrews Golf School

50 Locals Road to The Open – Josh

Jamieson

56 Joburg Open review

58 Grand Slam, the five men to have won

it and those got so near, yet so far

from achieving golf’s greatest feat

61 McIl-slam, Rory Slam, Grand Slam?

Rory bids for the crowning glory at the

scene of his greatest defeat

67 Bradley Neil Interview

72 Don’t forget about Bubba

73 Can Matsuyama fulfil Eastern

promise?

74 The challengers to McIlroy

77 Irish Open new sponsor

80 British Masters returns

83 Cadillac Championship review

84 RBC Heritage preview

85 Ryder Cup bids under the microscope

89 ANA Inspiration preview

Editors:

Matt Hooper

Colin Donaldson

LPGA editor: Cristina Panama

Images ©:

Rolex, St Andrews Golf Club, G1 Group, Garry

Forrester, R&A, Northwestern Athletics, Joburg

Open, ESPN Images, PGA of America, Kevin

Kirk Photography, Dan Perry, Lisa Peck,

OMEGA, PGA Tour Media, Royal County

Down Golf Club and Woburn Golf Club

©St Andrews Golf Magazine Ltd 2015

info@standrewsgolfmagazine.com

www.standrewsgolfmagazine.com

The sun is trying to peak itself out between the

clouds on the Fife coast at the moment, the

clocks have sprung forward and now we are

just 22 days away from the official start of the

golf season in St Andrews.

With spring in the air Golf’s First Majors are not

far away and this month we bring you an

extensive preview to both The Masters and the

ANA Inspiration.

At Augusta Bradley Neil will make his Masters

debut as the Amateur champion and we have

the most comprehensive interview of any

magazine with Scotland’s rising star.

Rory McIlroy is attempting to claim the career

grand slam at Augusta and we look at the

history of the grand slam and spell out why

McIlroy can achieve golf’s greatest feat.

McIlroy isn’t the only star at Augusta though

and we look at the group of challengers to the

world number one in the year’s first major.

Our countdown to The Open continues with

the Locals Road to The Open, Josh Jamieson

aims to continue his rise and qualify for both

the US Open and Open.

Andy Sullivan won the Joburg Open, the third

Open Qualifying Series event of the year and

we look back to a dramatic week.

In the second part of our major investigation

into what the businesses of St Andrews are

doing to try and take advantage of hosting The

Open this summer, we focus on the

restaurants and bars.

We bring you all the results from the St

Andrews Golf Club, New Golf Club, Thistle

Golf Club and St Regulus Golf Club.

The infrastructure build for The Open in St

Andrews begins this month and we will be

keeping you abreast of all the developments

on stanrewsgolfmagazine.com and in future

editions of St Andrews Golf Magazine.

On April 20 St Andrews Golf Magazine will be

celebrating #TheFirstDay of the golf season

with comprehensive coverage of the day

across our social media pages and

standrewsgolfmagazine.com

Our Masters coverage on

standrewsgolfmagazine.com begins on April 1

with the first of a special series of articles

leading up to full coverage of the tournament,

which will include a Masters special Google

Plus hangout on Masters Sunday.

Subscribe to St Andrews Golf Magazine at

standrewsgolfmagazine.com or by visiting our

Facebook page and clicking on the sign up

tab.

Co-editors

Matt Hooper Colin Donaldson

Monthly Medal No 2 15/03/2015

Eden Course CSS 72

1st Class

Mr R J May 68 -4 = 64

Class Winner & Lowest Gross

Mr Douglas Allan 77 -8 = 69

Mr T Faja 74 -5 = 69

Mr T Clark 78 -9 = 69

Mr B D Henderson 74 -5 = 69

2nd Class

Mr J M Jenkinson 83 -13 = 70

Class Winner (bih)

Mr A M O'Loughlin 80 -10 = 70

Lowest Gross

Mr C Russell 81 -10 = 71

3rd Class

Mr C G Fleming 86 -15 = 71

Class Winner & Lowest Gross

Mr S Fox 90 -17 = 73

Mr Jim Wilson 97 -20 = 77

Mr S J Wood 94 -17 = 77

Thursday Medal No. 3 19/03/2015

Old Course CSS 73

Mr T Marr 72 -6 = 66

Winner

Mr R L Crane 77 -9 = 68

Mr G D McManus 74 -5 = 69

Dr M R Dickson 69 - -2 = 71

Lowest Gross

New Course CSS 73

Mr S Andrews 80 -12 = 68

Mr N Crate 79 -9 = 70

Mr H Niall Scott 82 -11 = 71

Mr C J Donaldson 70 - -1 = 71

Lowest Gross

Eden Course CSS 73

Mr F L Stephen 85 -13 = 72

Mr R T Jones 82 -9 = 73

Lowest Gross

Mr J Mallon 89 -15 = 74

Mr M D Malloy 85 -9 = 76

Mr A K Lumsden 82 -6 = 76

Lowest Gross

Jubilee CSS 75

Mr S J Wood 88 -17 = 71

Mr A J Gardiner 75 -4 = 71

Lowest Gross

Dr G P Smyth 84 -11 = 73

Mr S Richardson 91 -18 = 73

United Services Cup & Medal 14/03/2015

Jubilee Course CSS 75

Mr Geo Christie 77 -6 = 71

Cup Winner

Mr A Cunningham 84 -11 = 73

Medal Winner

Mr P Martin 83 -10 = 73

Mr S Singer 74 -1 = 73

Lowest Gross

Jock Hutchison Cup 2nd Round & Ancient

City Medal for Juniors 21/03/2015

New Course CSS 74

Mr D J Jamieson 73 -5 = 68

Mr D J McSweeney 84 -15 = 69

Mr J C McBride 78 -8 = 70

Mr A W Houghton 81 -11 = 70

Mr P McBride 79 -8 = 71

Mr D J Bathgate 77 -6 = 71

Mr C R Blair 83 -12 = 71

Mr J W Mitchell 75 -3 = 72

Mr N H M Beattie 72 - -1 = 73

(Lowest Gross)

March 2015 Competition Results

March Medal 5th March - There was a tie in

the 1st Class with Mark Dickson scoring a 77

on the Jubilee and Neil Ronaldson with the

same score on the New, both scores being +1

to CSS. The play off will take place in the Club

Championship qualifier on the Jubilee on the

23rd April. The 2nd Class was won by John

Cunningham with a fine 72, in very high winds,

on the New. Due to the high winds, there were

no other notable scores.

Argyle Brewery Shield 12th March on the

Jubilee - This stableford competition was won

by Neil Ronaldson with 40 points, with Ian

Forbes and Joe Noble close behind with 39

and 38 points respectively.

Neil Westwood Cup 19th March - We have a

play off in this competition as Laurie Crane had

a 68 on the Old, as did Simon Andrews on the

New, both scores being -5 to CSS. The play off

will be played in the Power Vase on the New

on the 14th May. Other notable scores were

Mark Dickson with a 71 and Trevor Trangmar

and Steve Race with 73's on the Old, Paul

Ellison, David Watson, Johm MacLeod and

Neil Beattie all with 74 on the New, Jim Knox

with a 74 on the Jubilee and on the Eden,

Forbes Stephen had a 72 and Roger Jones a

73.

Five Club Trophy on the 26th March on the

Strathtyrum - Was won by Graham Taylor

with a score of 60 with a better inward half

than Gilbert Fraser on the same score. Both

Joseph McMillan and Gerry Wilson shot a 62,

with Jim Smith and Ian Law shooting a 63.

WINTER MEETING – OLD COURSE

7-03-2015

CSS 76

Par 72

1 Mr Keith Sturton 76 - 4c = 72 3.7

2 Mr James Mason 82 - 9c = 73* 7.9

3 Mr G L Morrison 93 - 19c = 74* 18.4

4 Mr Cameron J Campbell 77 - 3c = 74 AWAY

5 Mr Michael Valente 95 - 20c = 75* 19.3

6 Mr Ronald Fowler 86 - 11c = 75 11.1

7 Mr Joseph Paterson 80 - 4c = 76 4.1

8 Mr Alan W Swann 86 - 10c = 76 9.7

9 Mr John Paterson 79 - 3c = 76 2.7

10 Mr E Shannly 75 - -1c = 76 AWAY

Lowest Gross

MEDAL 5- NEW

12-03-2015

Class 1 (12 and below)

CSS 74

Par 71

1 Mr Andrew Stamm 81 - 11c = 70*@ 10.0

2 Mr Ben Hutton 79 - 6c = 73 6.2

3 Mr Stan Scott 82 - 9c = 73 AWAY

4 Mr Peter Higgins 83 - 10c = 73 10.1

5 Mr Sam Heggie 84 - 9c = 75 8.5

6 Mr A S Preedy 87 - 12c = 75 AWAY

7 Mr Andrew W Kyle 77 - 2c = 75 AWAY

8 Mr Colin Loveday 76 - 0c = 76 0.3

Lowest Gross

9 Mr D Binyon 87 - 10c = 77 9.7

10 Mr F McCue 85 - 8c = 77 @ 7.7

Class 2 (13 and above)

1 Mr G Neil M Bell 88 - 14c = 74 @ 13.6

After Count-Back

Mr E Lawlor 87 - 13 = 74 13.0

Lowest Gross

After Count-Back

3 Mr Andrew Proctor 95 - 21c = 74 @ 20.5

After Count-Back

4 Mr Alan I Lee 91 - 15c = 76 15.1

5 Mr Graham Watson 94 - 15c = 79 AWAY

MEDAL 6 - NEW

14-03-2015

Class 1 (12 and below)

CSS 73

Par 71

1 Mr Andrew Stamm 77 - 10c = 67* 8.8

2 Mr Calum Bisset 75 - 7c = 68 AWAY

3 Mr G Hotson 80 - 8c = 72 AWAY

4 Mr D Binyon 82 - 10c = 72*@ 9.3

5 Mr Mark R Dickson 70 - -2c = 72 -1.7

Lowest Gross

6 Mr Luke McCartney 77 - 4c = 73 AWAY

7 Mr Michael Clark 83 - 10c = 73 9.5

8 Mr Robert Glashan 85 - 11c = 74 10.7

9 Mr Kenny Lindsay 84 - 10c = 74 9.8

10 Mr Norman Macleod 79 - 5c = 74 AWAY

Class 2 (13 and above)

1 Mr A I V Robinson 85 - 13c = 72 AWAY

Lowest Gross

2 Mr Glenn P Millar 87 - 13c = 74 AWAY

3 Dr Allan Taylor 95 - 16c = 79 16.0

4 Mr T Harrison 99 - 18c = 81 AWAY

5 Mr Peter Ferguson 102 - 21c = 81 AWAY

6 Mr Michael Laws 104 - 20c = 84 19.9

STABLEFORD - JUBILEE

21-03-2015

CSS 75

Par 72

1 Mr Barrie F Moran 39 12c * 10.6

2 Mr Joe Myles 36 14c * 12.6

3 Mr Andrew Stamm 35 9c * 8.4

4 Mr John Kiernan 34 12c * 11.4

5 Mr A I V Robinson 34 12c AWAY

6 Mr John R McLay 34 6c 5.6

7 Mr James Woods 33 -1c -0.6

8 Mr Angus K Graham 33 11c 11.4

9 Mr G J Orr 32 22c 21.7

10 Mr Sam Heggie 32 9c 8.5

STABLEFORD - STRATHTYRUM

26-03-2015

CSS 65

Par 69

1 Mr Drew Renwick 43 11c 10.7

2 Mr Douglas C Scott 42 17c * 15.9

3 Mr Kenny Lindsay 41 10c 9.7

4 Mr Alec Clark 41 13c 12.6

5 Mr J D Logie 41 15c * 14.4

6 Mr T Harrison 40 18c AWAY

7 Mr Graham Jack 40 21c 20.7

8 Stuart Gilmore 40 11c AWAY

9 Mr Bruce Clark 40 18c 17.6

10 Mr David Bateman 40 14c 14.2

March Silver Medal - Jubilee Course

1st Irene Morrison (9) net 77 (bih)

2nd Anja Clark (13) net 77

3rd Irene Ray (20) net 78

March Bronze Medal - Eden Course

1st Angela Forster-Rainey (35) net 67

2nd Chris Randerson (27) net 76 (bih)

3rd Moira Duncan (34) net 76

Next Month

Spectators visiting The Open Championship in

2010 spent £5,859,112 in Fife on Food and

Drink, and with the number of eateries

increasing notably since the last Open

Championship in St Andrews that amount

seems certain to increase in 2015.

The average daily number of spectators who

came to The Open here in St Andrews in 2010

was 9,500 people on the Sunday, Monday,

Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds,

increasing to 40,750 people on the days of the

championship proper.

Of course many of these spectators will spend

most of their money on-site and much of it will

go on Food and Drink. It is the job of the local

businesses, media and government to

encourage these potential customers to spend

their money in the town in addition to on the

course.

Members of the media (£208,039), Event staff

(£782,577) and Players and entourage

(£171,054) contributed to an overall Fife-wide

spend on Food and Drink of over £6million

during the 2010 Open Championship.

In the period since St Andrews last hosted The

Open Rascals Bar, Ham’s Hame, Mitchell’s

Deli, Forgan’s, Prezzo, Pret-A-Manger,

Domino’s, Josper Bar and Grill, St Andrews

Brewing Company, Rocca Deli, Café in the

Square, Black Horn, The Adamson, Mr

Milano’s, Cromar’s, Rector’s Café, St Andrews

Country Kitchen and Nando’s have opened

their doors in the town centre.

Our town centre has over 70 places to eat and

drink and it is vital that during the evenings of

Open Championship week that as many of the

visiting golf fans find their way to these, as well

as retailers.

St Andrews is at the heart of the Fife coast

which is renowned for Sea Food and

restaurants have become an overwhelming

part of the town’s economy in the five years

since the last Open.

Last month St Andrews Golf Magazine

contacted the following restaurants and bars,

asking what plans each business had for Open

Championship week this July:

Zest

Forgan’s

Mitchell’s

The Vic

Doll’s House

Grill House

Glass House

The Blue Stane

Greyfriars

The West Port

We received replies to our inquiry from:

Zest

Forgan’s

Mitchell’s

The Vic

Doll’s House

Grill House

Glass House

Six of the above businesses in the town are

operated by G1 Group (Forgan’s, Mitchell’s,

The Vic, Doll’s House, Grill House and Glass

House), the Glasgow-based company

manages over 40 restaurants, bars, clubs,

cinemas and hotels throughout Scotland.

We also contacted the following retailers and

businesses in the town as part of our ongoing

investigation into how St Andrews’ businesses

intend on taking advantage of the influx of golf

fans into the town in the third week of July.

Fraser Gallery

Scotland’s Secret Bunker

Johnstone’s of Elgin

Auchterlonie’s

St Andrews Golf Company

Byre Theatre

Waterstone’s

Toppings Books

We will be contacting other businesses in the

town over the coming weeks and the upcoming

editions of the magazine will feature

Independent Retailers (May) and Museums,

Galleries and attractions (June).

Many of the businesses which got back to us

are opening earlier and in some cases slightly

later, and are focusing on giving people the

opportunity to watch the coverage on the

television on their premises.

While this is very welcome in exposing more

people to the game of golf, it isn’t necessarily

going to attract people to spend their money in

the town as the vast majority of visitors during

The Open will actually be on the Old Course

watching the action live with the ticket they

have purchased.

‘The Vic’ is St Andrews’ largest

bar/restaurant/club/entertainment venue and is

extremely popular with students, locals and

visitors alike. It is located in St Mary’s Place on

Market Street, opposite the Student’s Union.

The Vic is split into two distinct sections, firstly

the Pub/Kitchen which is open throughout the

day and evening, and secondly the Social Club

which is open during the evenings on busy

nights and especially at weekends or when the

students are in town.

The Pub/Kitchen run a number of regular

social events throughout the week from Bingo

to Ping Pong and Cocktail nights to Wii Golf

Competitions, as well as serving a variety of

food for lunch and early evening dinner.

The Social Club stages club nights each night

of the week catering for different clientele and

opening and shutting at 2am on 6 days of the

week.

Like many venues in St Andrews ‘The Vic’

relies heavily on students but during the

summer it still is very popular because it isn’t

quite as busy.

The Open will be a huge week for The Vic and

its sister venues in St Andrews, all hoping to

capitalize on the increased number of visitors.

Mitchell’s Deli is a restaurant and deli located

in the former Murray Mitchell Butcher’s building

on Market Street. During The Open they will be

Serving Brunch until 12pm Monday 13th to

Sunday 18th and until 4pm on Sunday 19th

July, the final day of The Open.

Live Music will be played from 9pm-11pm on

Friday 17th and Saturday 18th July.

There will be a Set Menu for dinner costing

£25.95 and is available all week during The

Open.

Adjacent to and behind Mitchell’s Deli is

Forgan’s. Opening in 2012, this restaurant is

named after an iconic golfing figure from St

Andrews’ golf history. The site used to be a

Cleek Factory owned by Robert Forgan, and

during the renovation of the site golf clubs from

were found, delaying the construction project.

Forgan’s is famous for its Ceilidhs and live

music, as well as good quality food with

multiple menus. Live music will be performed

from 9:30pm-11:30pm from the 14th-16th July

and Ceilidhs from 10:30pm-1am on the 17th

and 18th and 10pm-12am on the 19th.

They will be running a set menu for lunch

£24.95 and a set menu for dinner £34.95, both

available all week during The Open.

Forgan’s is extremely popular with locals,

students and visitors alike. But it could be said

that during The Open, despite their offering be

attractive to many, Forgan’s had the

opportunity more than any other venue in St

Andrews to try something original.

With its golfing history and being named after

Robert Forgan, the venue could have hosted

an Open Championship party, inviting players,

members of the golf industry and highlighting

their golfing heritage, as well as showcasing

their food, live music and ceilidhs.

A unique feature of Forgan’s are the Bothies.

Bothies can be hired out as private dining

spaces and we are offering a range of day and

night packages. The four bothies can seat up

to 12 people and can be combined for

conferences and private dining for up to 40

people.

Forgan’s will be open until 2am on Friday and

Saturday and 1am on Thursday. More

information can be found at

forgansstandrews.co.uk

From our investigation it does seem that many

St Andrews businesses are not really doing

anything original to attract customers during

The Open, and encourage repeat business in

the future from the visitors to The Open. There

is almost an attitude of taking it for granted that

it will just happen because of the increased

number of visitors.

A major problem with that attitude is that The

Open is not being played on Market Street,

North Street and South Street, it is being

played on the Old Course. Once a spectator

has entered the Old Course with their ticket

there is a no return policy, if a person leaves

the venue then they must pay for another

ticket. The enormous tented village will offer a

wide range of hospitality options catering for

every taste and most budgets.

In 2014 the G1 Group, owners of Mitchell’s,

The Vic and Forgan’s, acquired the Grill

House, Doll’s House and Glass House. The

Grill House is located in St Mary’s Place on

Market Street, and is due for renovation in the

coming months.

The Grill House was born from a Mexican

restaurant previously occupying the building,

which is shared with the St Andrews Tourist

Hostel. Mexican food is still on the menu but

there is now a much wider selection of food on

offer.

Its location as the first specific restaurant on

Market Street helps it attract golfers and

tourists who have come into the town centre

from the hotels near the Old Course and the

Bus Station.

The restaurant has three distinct dining rooms

which can be hired by prior arrangement.

The plans for both The Vic and The Grill House

were still to be confirmed when our

investigation was undertaken. Once we

receive these and plans from other restaurants

and bars we will include them in future

editions.

Four of G1’s St Andrews venues are on Market

Street, but if you venture a little bit further away

you won’t have to look far to find two other

unique venues which we are sure will be full to

bursting during The Open.

The Dolls House is centrally located in Church

Street behind Holy Trinity Church and was

recently refurbished by its new owners, the G1

Group. The restaurant opened in 1995 and

offers a wide range of food on its menu. During

The Open they will serve a lunch menu costing

£30 per person for a 3-course lunch between

10am and 4pm each day.

From 4pm to 11pm The Open dinner menu

offers a 3-course dinner from £45 per person.

The Eden Mill Private Dining Room is upstairs

and available all day throughout The Open, it

includes a set 3-course menu and a Doll’s

House Gin for £50.00 (A minimum number of

14 guests are required to reserve the Private

Dining Room)

All of the G1 Restaurants and Bars offer venue

hire for private events, something which they

can use to tap into the event staff market,

players and guests and the media during The

Open.

Much of the focus will be on the spectators at

The Open, but in 2010 members of the media

(£208,039), Event staff (£782,577) and Players

and entourage (£171,054) spent over £1million

on food and drink across Fife during The

Open. This market is something which all of

our restaurants and bars should be looking to

capture.

The Glass House is a restaurant located on

North Street with stunning views of St

Salvator’s Tower at the heart of the University

of St Andrews.

Part of the selling point of the Glass House is

its composition and location, their website says

“Located in a former Salvation Army church

hall opposite the historic university quad, the

sleek glass structure and open layout makes

the perfect setting for any occasion.”

The Glass House also has an outdoor patio for

dining, and they will certainly be hoping for

traditional July weather this year during The

Open.

The Glass House stays open from 12pm until

11pm, and its location may help it to become

one of our town’s most in-demand restaurants

during The Open.

Throughout the week they will be offering a Set

Menu for lunch at £17.95 and dinner at £25.95.

G1 Group should have a very successful Open

week, given that they can promote their

collection of bars and restaurants to customers

across the 6 venues. Other eateries need to be

smarter and target a specific market, as it

seems Zest are doing.

The only non-G1 Group owned eatery to get

back to us was Zest. Zest is an independent

café in the heart of St Andrews, with a

presence on South Street and Market Street.

The owner, Lisa Cathro was kind enough to

detail her plans during the week of The Open.

“Zest Cafe on South Street will be opening one

and a half hours earlier at 6.30am for the Open

week. We can also do breakfasts for larger

groups of up to 20 with notice the day before if

needed. We have a Breakfast Special for

£7.95 which is a Full breakfast (bacon,

sausage, haggis, eggs, beans, tomato & toast)

with a tea, fresh brewed filter coffee, or freshly

squeezed orange juice.

Zest Salad Bar on Market Street (opposite

Subway) will be open from 7.30am and will

have a packed lunch deal on. 1 x Regular

Salad, 1 x snack (crisps/cake/nut bar) and 1 x

bottle of water for £5.99 (which would usually

cost £7.75 purchased individually). The salads

are high quality and freshly prepared on the

premises every day, and they can choose all of

their own ingredients.”

Zest is trying to catch the morning wave of

Open spectators who are living, working or

staying in St Andrews during The Open. With

play beginning at 6.30am on Thursday and

Friday of the championship Zest, and most

businesses in St Andrews will miss out on the

commuter spectator. It is those spectators

which St Andrews needs to catch and

encourage to stay in St Andrews for at least

one evening after play has finished.

The economic impact assessments of The

Open in 2005 and 2010 have shown a

significant increase in spending on Food and

Drink in Fife by spectators. In 2005 £1,470,000

was spent on Food and Drink in Fife during

The Open Championship. As we mentioned

earlier in the investigation £5,859,112 was

spent on Food and Drink across Fife during the

2010 Open. With the additional number of bars

and restaurants opening in St Andrews it is

assumed that this number will increase

dramatically again.

St Andrews has a wide range of restaurants

and bars, and there is little doubt these will be

full during the week of The Open. But who will

it be filling these venues?

Will it be the locals who already live and work

in the town?

Will it be tourists who are in the area on

holiday, not specifically here for The Open?

Or will it be the golf fans who have come to St

Andrews for The Open?

The visitor, from outside Scotland had a daily

spend of between £59 and £66 in Fife during

The Open in 2010, so it is clearly vital for our

restaurants, bars and other businesses to

attract these visitors to come to The Open and

stay in the town during the evenings.

Perhaps a way of doing this is by running a

free taxi service from the business premises to

major destinations such as Dundee, Edinburgh

and Glasgow if a customer spends a certain

amount in your bar or restaurant.

This will negate the problems of visitors being

discouraged from eating and drinking in the

town during the evenings of The Open

because of drink-driving. It will also encourage

the visitor to spend more money, because they

don’t have to cover the cost of their journey

home or journey to a major transportation hub.

This is perhaps a scheme which could be run

collaboratively by the restaurants, bars and taxi

companies.

Aside from the restaurants and bars under the

G1 Group banner, the majority of businesses

of St Andrews seem to be working individually,

rather than collectively. Each Super Bowl host

city/state has a Super Bowl Host Committee,

which brings together organisations and

businesses across the host city and region.

“The mandate of the Host Committee is to

galvanize local stakeholders in a united

approach to hosting the largest single-day

sporting event by maximizing positive media

exposure, fuelling the economic engine of

Arizona and leaving a lasting legacy long after

the Big Game. The Host Committee serves as

liaison between the NFL and all regional

efforts.”

Visitors of Super Bowl XLIX & Verizon Super

Bowl Central: Additional service will be

provided in Glendale on Pro Bowl and Super

Bowl game days.

Certain local and Express/RAPID bus

routes will be extended to support late-

night festivities. The extended

Express/RAPID service will activate eight,

regional park-and-rides, providing greater

parking options.

A potential St Andrews Open Championship

Host committee could feature: The St Andrews

Links Trust, University of St Andrews, ICLC

(Inter-club liaison committee of Local Golf

Clubs), The St Andrews Partnership, Fife

Council, St Andrews Hotel and Guest Houses

Association, Fife Chamber of Commerce and

Industry among others. This would help to

organise our town’s activities during The Open,

work together to engage with visitors to The

Open, and increase the economic impact of

the event in the town.

A recently formed body which is attempting to

improve the economy of St Andrews is the BID

St Andrews. BID stands for Business

Improvement District, and over the coming

months businesses in St Andrews will be

asked to vote on whether the BID should

happen. A Business Improvement District

involves businesses working together and

investing collectively in local improvements, in

addition to those delivered by the statutory

authorities. These improvements will benefit

the businesses involved whilst contributing to

the wider aspirations of the local residential

community and the growing local economy.

A BID, which is funded by the private sector,

allows a partnership working with statutory

authorities to deliver a wider variety of projects

and services to improve the local economy. It

also gives local businesses a unified voice and

provides an arena for businesses and local

authorities to increase their understanding of

each other’s priorities.

The St Andrews BID website claims that a BID

can cover almost any project or service that

local businesses agree would be of benefit, as

long as these are additional to services

provided by the statutory authorities.The vote

on whether the BID is successful has been

moved back to October in order not to clash

with the UK General Election this May.

But they are still developing potential ideas

around this July’s Open Championship, and St

Andrews Golf Magazine will keep you updated

on their plans to engage with the visitors to

The Open, and encourage them to spend their

money in the town once the golf is over.

The BID, although not yet an official body prior

to the vote, is in many ways what a St Andrews

Open Championship host committee would

look like.

Organisations and Institutions represented:

University of St Andrews

Fife Council

St Andrews Links Trust

St Andrews Partnership

Merchants Association

Companies and businesses represented:

The Adamson

Fife Cottages

Castlemount B&B

St Andrews Coach Houses

Thorntons

Luvians Bottle Shop

Boots

Hardies

Bonkers Gifts

Fraser Gallery

Jannettas

Ryman

The Seafood Restaurant

The overall aim of the BID is to encourage

more tourists to spend money on our streets,

not just in the bars and restaurants, but in the

shops and stores.

It is certain that this Open will be successful for

our bars and restaurants, but it could be even

more successful if they work together.

However the story hasn’t been the same for

retailers in past Open’s and in May’s St

Andrews Golf Magazine we will be featuring

the retailers of St Andrews.

For the restaurants and bars The Open

actually to some extent plays into their hands,

helping to create a ‘festival of the night’ but for

the retailers The Open will be a much

harder week. We will investigate how they

intend on getting a slice of The Open

Championship pie.

Last month it was confirmed by the European

Tour that the SSE Scottish Senior Open was to

be played at Archerfield Links in 2015, bringing

to an end the six year association with the

home of golf and the Fairmont St Andrews.

Glenn Ralph, Barry Lane, Anders Forsbrand,

Santiago Luna and Mark Davis won over the

Torrance Championship Course between 2009

and 2014. The venue was synonymous with its

incredible views over the town of St Andrews,

and high winds which made scoring very

difficult.

The Fairmont St Andrews is some 2 ½ miles

South East of the town centre and

unfortunately because of this never really

fulfilled the potential it had by being played

near the home of golf,

Whenever a significant professional event is

played in St Andrews it is played on the Old

Course, but the Scottish Senior Open could

have been played on the New Course or

Jubilee course, showcasing the other great

links courses in St Andrews.

The event could have galvanized the senior

golfing community in St Andrews, involving the

senior sections of the St Andrews Golf Club

and New Golf Club.

The Scottish Senior Open could have offered

an invitation to the winner of the St Andrews

Senior Open, which is played each summer

and hosted by the New Golf Club.

The New Course has arguably the best mix of

beauty and difficulty of all the courses within

the town, and has the Links Clubhouse as the

backdrop to a fantastic final hole.

The event would have inevitably attracted

more spectators due to its accessible location,

and perhaps a sponsor who would have

invested more money to help attract the stars

of the Champions Tour.

However the chance to do this and more has

now gone, and while the six years at the

Fairmont were a success, there will always be

a feeling of missing an opportunity to create

something truly special.

The Scottish Senior Open will take place at

Archerfield Links from 27 to 29 August 2015.

By Matt Hooper.

This month the golf season officially begins in

St Andrews and St Andrews Golf Magazine will

be bringing you a unique day of coverage

across our social media channels and

standrewsgolfmagazine.com. In our May

edition we will bring you the best of the day

and preview the first major event of the

calendar at the home of golf – the St Rule

Trophy.

The 2015 season officially begins on April 20.

St Andrews Golf Magazine’s Matt Hooper will

be in the ‘queue’ in the wee hours of the

morning, as golfers from around the world

attempt to secure a tee-time on the Old Course

on the first day of the 2015 season, and caddie

John Boyne will recount his first day of the

season.

We will also be speaking to members of the

golf industry in the town including hoteliers,

barkeepers, shopkeepers and PGA

Professionals among others as the town

begins the final countdown to The Open

returning in July.

Watch for details on our Facebook, Twitter and

Google Plus pages.

Key dates in the 2015 St Andrews golfing

calendar:

R&A Foundation Scholars’ Tournament – April

6

19th Hole Golf Club Spring Meeting – May 2

R&A Spring Meeting – May 4-7

New Golf Club Spring Meeting – May 9

R&A Local Club’s Gold Medal – May 17

Thistle Golf Club Spring Meeting – May 21

St Rule Trophy – May 29-31

St Andrews Links Trophy – June 4-7

Rotary International Golf Tournament – June

8-11

New Golf Club Summer Meeting – June 13

St Regulus Golf Club Ladies Open – July 4

Faldo Series – July 6-8

THE OPEN – July 12-19

Boyd Quaich – July 21-23

St Andrews Golf Club Autumn Meeting – July

25

St Andrews Boys and Ladies Junior Open –

August 6

Eden and Strathtyrum Tournaments – August

9-11

Thistle Golf Club Autumn Meeting – August 13

New Golf Club Monthly Medal’s Final – August

15

St Andrews Senior Open – August 17

New Golf Club Autumn Meeting – August 22

St Regulus Golf Club – September 5

R&A Calcutta Cup and Sydney Plate –

September 7-11

UK Public Courses Championship –

September 12-13

Bing Crosby Tournament – September 18

The Town v The R&A – September 19

R&A Autumn Meeting – September 21-25

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship –

October 1-4

Thistle Golf Club Medal Finals – October 8

St Andrews Golf Club Medal Finals – October

10

Okay, with ‘The Masters’ coming up I feel it’s a

perfect opportunity to go through a topic you

don’t read very often and presumably don’t

practice either. That fruitful topic in question is

sloping lies, they include:

• Ball above your feet

• Ball below your feet

• Uphill lie

• Downhill lie

The reason I bring this topic up in time for this

annual event at Augusta National, Georgia is

there is not a flat hole on the course. I have

never been fortunate enough to play Augusta

(it’s on my bucket list!!!) but I do appreciate

how undulating the course actually is after

watching The Masters a couple of years ago

on a 3D television. In fact I was overwhelmed

at the severity of the slopes on the course,

something you don’t appreciate on regular

television!!!

So, moving onto the ‘how to’ when we have an

uneven lie, firstly I’m going to discuss is the

uphill lie. When approaching different lies the

first thing to think about is ‘how will the ball be

affected by this lie?’ With uphill the main

change in the ball flight is the height which

depending on the severity of the slope will

increase. As the height increases the distance

is reduced, for example a 7 iron will perform

like an 8 iron, this means we have to take more

club.

Your spine angle at address is perpendicular

to the slope with the weight feeling more on

your lower foot (see photo).

Ball position is centre or slightly forward of

centre because when you swing it is quite

difficult to complete your swing as normal with

your weight remaining predominantly on your

lower foot (see photo). The feeling of the swing

is more arms and we want to encourage the

feel of swinging up the slope!

The next lie I’m going to discuss is what I think

most golfers will regard the most challenging of

lies and that’s the ‘Downhill’. The reason most

find it challenging I feel is the difficulty in not

only getting a solid strike but getting the ball

airborne! Conversely to the uphill lie the height

of the ball flight is greatly affected which leads

where this leads to a much lower ball flight.

Because of this the ball will run more so the

first decision is to take a more lofted club.

When you take your setup the ball position will

be further back in your stance with again your

weight predominantly on the lower foot (see

photo). What this produces is a steeper angle

of attack to help connect with the ball more

solidly.

The key in this is to keep your body weight on

the lower foot during the swing especially

when coming in to impact. Most golfers

because of the lack of height in the ball flight

fall backwards onto the higher foot which

results in mishits either by thinning/topping or

hitting it fat (*see photo). You might also see

the shape of ball flight fade slightly too.

The ball above your feet will produce a draw.

Why? If you didn’t know, when you change the

lie angle of the club the face aim of the club

changes, in this case the clubface will close.

This also depends on which club you are using

ie the more loft a club has (pitching /sand

wedge) the more the face aim is affected. This

means we aim our body accordingly.

Your swing shape will also be affected

swinging flatter than normal. The clubface

closed to the flatter swing naturally shapes the

ball with a draw spin (right handed golfer). Grip

the club shorter, legs slightly straighter and

position your weight slightly towards your toes.

This counterbalances the affect the slope has

and should help maintain good balance during

the swing.

Conversely to the ball above your feet, this lie

angle creates an open clubface. This along

with the shape of the swing naturally steeper

will create a fade spin.

To get the ball to target we have to change our

body aim to accommodate, in this instance we

aim slightly left of target (right handed golfer).

A common flaw with the ball below your feet is

to either lose balance towards your toes or

conversely your body lifts when striking the

ball. Maintaining your spine angle and balance

(which you would put slightly on your heels) is

key to good striking from this lie.

Aim left of target to accommodate the

fade/slice ball flight, also more knee flex.

Uphill Lie:

• Ball flight will be higher select a longer

club

• Spine angle perpendicular to the slope

• Body weight on the lower foot

• Ball position centre or slightly forward

in your stance

Downhill Lie:

• Ball flight will be lower, select a shorter

club

• Spine angle perpendicular to the slope

• Body weight on the lower foot

• Ball position centre or slightly back in

your stance

Ball Above:

• Ball above changes lie angle of club

and creates a closed clubface at

setup.

• Swing shape will naturally be flatter

and ball flight will draw/hook

• Aim your body right of target (right

handed golfer)

• Grip the club shorter

• Legs straighter, weight slightly towards

toes

• Ball position generally centre in stance

• Maintain good balance and spine

angle during the swing

Ball Below:

• Ball below changes lie angle of club

and creates an open clubface at setup.

• Swing shape will naturally be steeper

and ball flight will fade/slice

• Aim your body left of target (right

handed golfer)

• Hold the club at full length

• More knee flex, weight slightly towards

heels

• Ball position generally centre in stance

• Maintain good balance and spine

angle during the swing

Finally, as mentioned earlier when you practice

it’s usually at the driving range or practice

ground and play is usually from a flat lie. If you

practice these four different lie angles you will

be surprised how much better understanding

and ‘feel’ you have for a standard lie!

In the second part of our series on local golfers

attempting to qualify for The Open at St

Andrews we focus on a young rising star who

is aiming high.

In many ways Josh Jamieson was destined to

be a golfer; he grew up in St Andrews, the

home of golf, with a wealth of golf available on

his doorstep unlike almost anywhere else on

earth, and he has ancestral ties to a great

golfing family.

Josh was born in Dundee in 1993 and cites his

father as the main inspiration behind him

taking up the game. “I started golf pretty much

as soon as I could walk! My Parents would

take me down to the Balgove with my older

brother with these plastic clubs and we'd hit it

around. I guess living in St. Andrew's really

lends itself to playing from a really young age.

My dad had a very solid game when I was very

young and remember wanting to hit it like him.

As I say, he would take us down to knock it

around and I'm certain if it weren't for him I

wouldn't be playing Golf so it's all down to

him.”

“I have an older brother, Ben who is a good

player. Somehow he plays 7 times a year and

beats me who plays 7 times a week. I guess

that's what big brothers are there for”

Josh’s path into golf wasn’t solely down to his

parents, his grandparents and ancestors’

status in the game means the 22-year-old is a

part of the golfing fabric of St Andrews.

“My Grandmother was Helen Ayton, the sister

of Laurie Ayton Jnr, and the Daughter of Laurie

Ayton Snr. I take great pride in being a part of

the Ayton family- even if it does belittle any

achievements I may have!”

Laurie Ayton Jr was a successful junior and

amateur golfer before turning professional, he

went on to qualify for the 1949 Ryder Cup for

Great Britain, but did not play in the matches.

He played 21 times in The Open

Championship, with a best finish of a tie for

15th in 1947.

His father Laurie Ayton Sr. played in 7 Open

Championships and 6 PGA Championships,

finishing in the top ten on 5 occasions. Ayton

Sr. was a descendent of William Ayton, one of

the eleven founders of St Andrews Golf Club in

1843.

Laurie Ayton Sr. and his brother Alex were

among the St Andean’s who emigrated from

Scotland to the Northeast of the United States

in the early 1900’s (1918).

Laurie went on to become professional at

Evanston Golf Club near Chicago and Alex

became his assistant, the course and club

would play a major part in the emerging career

of Josh Jamieson nearly 100 years later.

Josh has been a member of the New Golf Club

since his junior days and he played an active

part in the junior competition schedule, winning

three successive Junior Championships at the

club. He also played in junior open’s around

Fife and East Lothian, and was also a member

of North Berwick Golf Club.

Josh says “The New Club have had a number

of good Junior Convenors who have all been

helpful for Junior’s coming through and I enjoy

being a part of the club.

It was good I played in a few of them (Junior

Championships) that had really good fields I

remember, and I just wanted to get my name

up there once. Then I think I lost the Juvenile

Club Championship final once, then lost the

Junior Club championship final the year before

But I was fortunate enough to win the 3 times!

The final was always a lot of fun on an evening

on the Old Course playing in front of all of the

other finals (Club Championship, Salver and

Medallion)”.

Being a junior golfer in St Andrews is like a

young Tennis player living on the grounds of

Wimbledon. They are blessed with having

access to some truly great courses and world-

class practice facilities, but it shouldn’t be

taken for granted that a junior from St Andrews

will be a great golfer without hard work.

“I'd say growing up in a place like St. Andrews

with all the great courses and practice facilities

on offer. Combined with the great coaching I

received from SGU coaches Spencer

Henderson/Neil Marr growing up, and Parents

who understand the game and my enjoyment

of it. I think that all I needed to do was stay

interested and work hard. The circumstances

really force you to improve, so I wouldn't say I

did anything out of the ordinary.

I don't think I'm inherently talented, I just enjoy

it and work hard” Josh said.

In 2011 Josh claimed the biggest title of his

young career by winning the Scottish Boys

Strokeplay Championship. He birdied the final

five holes to win by a single stroke, a true sign

of something special. For a promising young

golfer in the UK the options of combining

competitive golf and a higher education are

limited, although improving with the help of

places such as Myerscough College, Cornwall

College, Birmingham University and Elmwood

College. It is still the case that many talented

youngsters from Europe look towards the

United States.

In 2012 Josh was taken on a golf scholarship

by Northwestern University, in Chicago. The

University has famous golfing alumni such as

Luke Donald and David Lipsky. “I was

speaking to my Coach Neil Marr about my

plans after school” said Josh. “And he said

he'd been in touch with David Inglis (the

Northwestern Coach) and David was

wondering if Neil knew anyone interested in

going to the States. I never put much thought

into it and just exchanged emails with David,

primarily just to get a feeling for college golf in

general, not with any view to go to

Northwestern in particular. However, we

continued to talk and a place came open at

Northwestern and I was fortunate enough to be

offered it! From there it was an easy decision.”

I would have just gone to University in

Scotland - Edinburgh/St. Andrew's/Glasgow or

Stirling if the offer had not come from

Northwestern. It was the easiest decision I've

ever made to accept the offer - it seemed

perfect.

Northwestern is in a Suburb of Chicago called

Evanston where my Grandmother grew up and

her father was the club pro of the local Country

Club for 15 years (Evanston Golf Club- the

club we play and practice at once a week).The

academic opportunities at Northwestern are

world class and getting an education was

always important to me and my parents, and

the golf programme is great. We have the best

coaches in the US, of that I'm certain. I felt

Coach Pat Goss could help my weakness

(short game) as he is a world renowned short

game coach- which he has.”

“I also felt Coach Inglis could help as he too

has been through the same process as I have.

As a Scottish guy going through College Golf

in the States and staying out there. Seeing a

player like Luke Donald going through

Northwestern and achieving the success he

has, and has achieved whilst staying with

Coach Goss surely helped me decide.”

Josh says that it hasn’t taken that long to

adjust from playing on links courses to

predominantly playing on inland layouts. “The

biggest difference was the change in green

speed. Greens in Scotland are considerably

slower and I struggled a lot out here at first,

and also thick bent grass around greens where

you have to pop it out of the rough with soft

hands- I could never had played that shot were

it not for my coaching here. As simply, you

never face them in Scotland.”

Josh’s play has developed and his results

have continued to improve each year since

joining the programme at Northwestern. His

average score is now 72.55, some 2 strokes

lower than his freshman year in 2012-13, and

his current handicap is +3. “This year I've had

2 6th place finishes- Erin Hill Intercollegiate

(Marquette's Tournament)/ Jones Invitational

(Pepperdine's tournament) and a top 5 my

freshman year” Josh said. Josh really first

came to our attention last summer at the

Fairstone Scottish Amateur Championship at

Downfield. Jamieson made the semi-finals in a

memorable week which included a fine victory

over The Amateur Champion Bradley Neil in

the Quarter-Finals.

“I'd never gone past the first round before and I

felt it was a good measure of how far I'd come

as a player under Coach Goss and Inglis. Not

that there was much doubt in my mind before

that, but it gave me extra confirmation that was

I was doing was correct- which is nice. I felt all

my results last summer confirmed to me that I

have improved and matured” said Josh.

This summer Josh hasn’t just got qualifying for

The Open at St Andrews on his mind, he is

also entering US Open qualifying for the

championship at Chamber’s Bay. “I've got a

number of College events before the US Open

qualifiers - Stanford, Ohio State, Purdue, Big

Ten Conference Championship, and then

NCAA Regionals. Then I'll play the British

Amateur at home then the Open Qualifier! It

would be unbelievable to qualify for either, you

grow up watching them on TV and they are the

pinnacle of the game, especially to play one in

St. Andrew's would be surreal. As long as I

play my best and have fun, that's always a

success- the results take care of themselves if

you do that.”

Playing the Old Course for many years gives

our local golfers the insider’s knowledge on the

world’s most famous course, and Josh has

already tasted championship success over the

links. “In one of the Junior Club Championship

finals I won 4/2 and was around 9 under

through 16, so that'd the best I've played out

there, but I haven't played many competitive

rounds on the Old Surprisingly, so I'd say in

Strokeplay around 69. And in non-competitive

rounds I've shot a few 66s and 67s. I think”

said Josh.

Josh is in little doubt about his favourite hole

on the Old Course “17! Requires 2 good shots,

and sometimes that isn't enough. The wind can

change the hole so much that sometimes

bogey is a decent score. The Green is as good

as you'll get in golf as well, and so tricky with

the road past it. You can have any kind of

short game shot around that green also, it's

never the same.”

Should Josh’s form continue the upward curve

and finish the NCAA season well he may well

find himself teeing it up in front of hundreds of

friends and his family.

The journey which has taken in a course of

historic significance to his family could well end

on a course with historic significance to the

game, and Josh Jamieson could write another

chapter to the Ayton family’s golfing history.

Words by Matt Hooper with Josh Jamieson.

Andy Sullivan will be playing in his first Open

Championship this July after winning the

Joburg Open last month. The event played at

Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club

is the third of 14 Open Qualifying Series

events. David Howell and Anthony Wall also

qualified for The Open to be played here in St

Andrews.

The win is Sullivan’s second of 2015 and

second in South Africa, following his defeat of

Charl Schwartzel in a playoff for the South

African Open Championship in January. A final

round of 66 saw the man from Nuneaton

triumph by 2 shots over five players including

David Howell, Anthony Wall, Wallie Coetzee,

Kevin Phelan and Jaco Van Zyl.

The next Open Qualifying Series events are

played from 28-31 May, the Mizuno Open in

Japan and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in

Northern Ireland.

Image: Kevin Kirk Photography

2014 was a year never to forget for Bradley

Neil; he won The Amateur Championship at

Royal Portrush, he was part of the Scottish

team which won the European Nations Cup

and on the Great Britain and Ireland team

which won the St Andrews Trophy.

Then in September Neil completed his junior

career by playing for Europe in the Junior

Ryder Cup on his home course, the

Rosemount course at Blairgowrie Golf Club.

His Amateur Championship victory enabled

him to make his Open Championship debut, at

Hoylake last July, and later this year he will

travel to Chambers Bay for a first appearance

in the US Open Championship.

But arguably the greatest prize for winning The

Amateur Championship is an invitation from

The Augusta National Golf Club to participate

in The Masters Tournament.

The year’s first major, more than any other,

encourages, rewards and honours amateur

golfers and keeps the spirit of its founder,

Bobby Jones, alive.

Recently I caught up with Bradley, here in St

Andrews, to discuss his Masters debut and the

road towards turning professional.

You must have been looking forward to this

week ever since you qualified last June at the

British Amateur. What did you feel like when

you received the invitation?

“Yes, when the invitation came there was

actually a great sense of relief. By tradition

you do get an invite but you don’t want to

get your hopes up too much just in case

they decide not invite the British Amateur

Champion!

When I received the invite of course I was

excited and started to think ahead to this

April, and planning when to go over and

started mentally preparing for the

experience.”

You recently visited Augusta for the first

time, what did it feel like driving down

Magnolia Lane and was it as good as

everyone says it is?

“It was better than the expectations I had,

the closest I have been to it before was

seeing pictures and it’s the closest most

people think they will ever get to it. Even at

that time of year it was very beautiful, not

everything is in bloom yet but it was still

immaculate.”

Who did you play with and how many times

did you get to play the course?

“I was there at the end of January and I

played two days in a row. It was a part of a

12-day trip to the US, I spent a few days in

Atlanta then travelled up to Augusta for two

days then went across to Sea Island for the

Jones Cup.

I played by myself for the two days, unless

you are a member’s guest competitors play

on their own. I had a local caddie but Phil

McKenna, who will be caddying for me in

The Masters was there as well.”

How was the first tee-shot?

(Laughter) ”I didn’t hit it too well, but it was

good to imagine how it will be during the

tournament, with crowds and how much

tighter it will be. It was good to picture what

everything will be like and hopefully I will

do better next time!”

In general how do you feel about the first

experience of the course, which holes do

you like and which are going to be a real

test for you?

“To be honest the whole way around I was

pretty excited, especially on the first day. I

couldn’t get it out of my head that I was

actually playing on one of the world’s best

courses. I will never forget my first steps

onto the course, and each hole I will never

forget it.

I wasn’t really focussed on scores, the

purpose of the two days was hitting shots

to certain places, making notes and doing a

lot of work on the greens. It took about 6

hours to get around because we were doing

such thorough preparation for The

Masters.”

What would be success for you at The

Masters?

“Playing all four rounds and making the cut

and/or to be low amateur.”

Will you be staying in the Crow’s Nest?

“I will stay there one night, probably on the

Monday night. I have a lot of friends and

family going over so I will be renting a

house for the week, I would rather share

that experience with the people who have

helped me get to this stage than sharing a

room with amateurs which I don’t know

really well.

The great thing is I will be leaving the golf

course once I have finished my round and

range work. If I am staying in the Crow’s

Nest I will have the urge to go out and

watch or practice.”

When will you go to Augusta?

“I will meet my caddie just before the

Georgia Cup then travel up to Augusta.”

The Georgia Cup is a match between the US

Amateur Champion and British Amateur

Champion, played at the Golf Club of Georgia

on Tuesday March 31.

When did you first watch The Masters on

television and who was the inspirational

figure for you?

“The oldest memory I have was of Mike

Weir winning in 2003, I don’t remember a

shot he hit or anything of the tournament.

The earliest vivid memory was obviously

Tiger Woods’ chip-in on the 16th in 2005.

I have watched all the official films and I

have a really good idea of the history of the

tournament.

Tiger is the main figure of inspiration, and

he has been there as an amateur like I will

be.”

Do you have any practice rounds lined up

with top players?

“I know I will be playing with Justin Rose

on the Tuesday of Masters Week, I have

had guys like Tiger and Rory say they will

play nine holes but you cannot really book

a practice round. It is down to who is there

at the time really.”

Your coach is Kevin Hale, based here in St

Andrews. How often do you work with him

and how regularly do you come through to

St Andrews?

“I won’t get to see him again until Masters

Week really, as a rule we would see each

other once or twice each week but we are

always in contact. I send him videos every

week and I am always working on

something, he is always available to speak

to wherever he might be.”

After The Masters which events can we

expect to see you playing in?

“I will probably play Lytham Trophy as the

first big event, and I will likely use the

Battle Trophy at Crail as the build-up to the

Lytham Trophy. It will help me readjust to

events with less spectators and links

conditions.

Then I will probably look at going across to

Royal Dublin for the Irish Amateur, and

then from there I am not that sure.

I won’t be playing in The St Andrews Links

Trophy this year as I have had an invite to

play in The Memorial Tournament, which is

two weeks before the US Open.

Maybe the last amateur event I will play in

is the Men’s Area Teams Championship,

which ironically is played at my home club

at Blairgowrie. It is strange how it has

worked out how the last junior event and

last amateur event of my career are played

at my home course.”

When will you get to look at Chamber’s Bay

for the first time?

“Probably in the week following The

Memorial Tournament after a few days

relaxing.”

When do you aim to turn professional?

“I have two dates set in my mind. It could

potentially be after the US Open or it could

be after the Walker Cup. It is something you

cannot really predict in terms of when you

will be ready to turn professional. I want to

be the right mind-set.

There isn’t a rush, I am only 19.”

Your fame has increased over the last few

months after being nominated for the many

awards, how are you coping with the extra

spotlight?

“I have always had a good team around me

but last year I got the people I wanted

around me and that I knew. The good thing

is that it has been a progression, it hasn’t

happened all at once. I have always felt I

have been able to cope with it. It comes

with success. If you can’t deal with it then

you are in the wrong job.”

It is quite clear that Bradley is taking success

and failure in his stride, at times since the

British Amateur he has had disappointing

results among many other positive ones. But

his focus remains on performing to the highest

level he can, and this rounded young man

looks like he can cope with anything that is

thrown at him.

Last December he made his first cut in a

European Tour event, at the Alfred Dunhill

Championship in South Africa, and this year

the spotlight increases even more.

Nowhere else will the spotlight be greater than

at Augusta National. But as he has done

before I am sure he will take to it like a duck to

water, and with that attitude more success is

surely not far away.

8 years ago Rory McIlroy burst onto the scene

at Carnoustie, now he has four majors and is

going for the career grand slam at Augusta.

Maybe in 2023 we will be looking at Bradley

Neil, 4-time major champion.

By Matt Hooper with Bradley Neil.

Image: Kevin Kirk Photography

World Number Three bids to join Nicklaus,

Faldo and Woods as a repeat champion

All the hype is about Rory McIlroy coming to

Augusta this month, so much so it could be

easy for most golf fans to forget about the

current Masters Champion. Bubba Watson

claimed an emotional but convincing second

win in The Masters last April, and he has had a

good start to the year in 2015.

In November he produced a stunning victory at

Sheshan International in the WGC-HSBC

Champions and he is ranked third in the world

at the time of publication.

All the talk is about the McIl-slam or the Rory

Slam, but what about the Bubba Slam? The

major calendar of course begins at Augusta

National, and Bubba has won twice here

already.

Then in June the US Open is played at the

unusually wide-open Chambers Bay, and The

Open is coming to the equally wide-open Old

Course this July.

Then in August the PGA Championship returns

to Whistling Straits. In 2010 Watson was

defeated in a playoff by Martin Kaymer at the

Wisconsin venue. The courses fit his eye, he

has had success of sorts at two of them and

the others are certainly courses you would

anticipate Bubba loving, as long as the wind

does not blow.

The eyes of the world might be fully on Rory

McIlroy right now, but it wouldn’t surprise many

if they started to wander to the 2012 and 2014

Masters Champion soon enough.

4 to 5 years ago all the hype was about a

young Japanese golfer by the name of Ryo

Ishikawa, he became the youngest winner of

an Official World Golf Ranking event and

recorded a round of 58 among his 10 wins as a

teenager on the Japan Golf Tour.

Ishikawa could not replicate his form at home

on the global stage in Europe or the United

States, and is currently ranked 134th in the

world. In 2009 Augusta National Golf Club and

the R&A established the Asia-Pacific Amateur

Championship, creating a pathway to The

Masters for the best amateur in the region.

In 2010 and 2011 the tournament was won by

Hideki Matsuyama, who was aged just 18 and

19 respectively. The wins guaranteed him

invitations to the 2011 and 2012 Masters

Tournaments and he made the most of his

opportunity, earning Low Amateur honours in

2011.

The Asian Amateur victories and experiences

at Augusta kick-started his career and he went

on to win as an Amateur on the Japan Golf

Tour at the Taiheiyo Masters in November

2011. He turned professional in 2013 and soon

was winning with great regularity on the Japan

Golf Tour, lifting four trophies in 2013 on the

way to being leading money winner on the

Japan Golf Tour in his rookie season. His total

of ¥201,076,781 was the most earned on the

tour since 2001 and only the fourth season

ever that a player earned over ¥200million.

His performances as a non-member earned

him a PGA Tour card for 2014, he finished in

the top 25 in six of seven counting events

including a tie for 6th at The Open in 2013.

Then in June of 2014 he broke through on the

PGA Tour with a spectacular playoff victory in

The Memorial Tournament.

Matsuyama is now a fixture in the world’s top

20 golfers and his performances have been

consistent, unlike the much hyped Ryo

Ishikawa. The three most famous Japanese

golfers of all-time are Jumbo Ozaki, Tommy

Nakajima and Isao Aoki, all of which performed

well at Augusta but never seriously contended

to win.

Despite combining to win 193 Japan Golf Tour

events the big three of Japanese golf only won

once on the PGA Tour, and only finished in the

top ten of 14 majors.

Matsuyama, as a full-time PGA Tour member

and winner of one of the premier events

outside the majors, has shown more than

talent. He has shown a winning mentality

outside of his home country. Winners at Jack

Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village have a history of

good performances at Augusta and there is

every chance that Hideki Matsuyama can

continue that tradition this month.

Fifteen years ago Tiger Woods won his second

PGA Championship, third major in succession

and the world of golf had some 8 months to

look forward to The 2001 Masters. That week

Woods had the opportunity to win a fourth

successive major and become the first player

in history to hold all four majors at once.

The anticipation reached fever pitch after he

won The Players Championship and Bay Hill

Invitational and pretty much nobody else was

talked about in terms of winning The Masters.

But three players did emerge as serious

challengers to Woods for the green jacket.

Chris DiMarco, Phil Mickelson and David Duval

all figured in the title equation over the week,

with Mickelson and Duval very much in the

thick of things on the second nine on Sunday.

Duval even tied Woods for the lead on the 15th

hole but Woods held on for victory, birdieing

the final hole for a two stroke win. It was a

thrilling Masters, with the expected outcome.

This time McIlroy heads to Augusta with the

aim of completing the career grand slam and is

the overwhelming favourite. But there are a

group of players which will fancy their chances

of contending for the title themselves.

Martin Kaymer, winner of 2 Majors including

the 2014 US Open by 8 shots, is looking to

complete the set of all four of the United

States’ big four tournaments (The Masters,

The Players, US Open and PGA

Championship). Jason Day has come close

before, notably in 2011, when Charl

Schwartzel was victorious.

Rickie Fowler finished in the top five of all four

majors in 2014 and will be confident his

remodelled swing can stand up to the

pressure. Louis Oosthuizen came oh so close

in 2012, his final round featured an albatross

on the 2nd and he lost on the second extra hole

to the extraordinary Bubba Watson.

Adam Scott became Australia’s first Masters

Champion 2 years ago and will no doubt

feature again. Justin Rose will also look to win

a second major and has shown form around

the course in previous Masters Tournaments.

Henrik Stenson is one of the leading players

never to have won a major and the world

number two came close to victory at Bay Hill

last month.

Jordan Spieth finished in a tie for second in

2014 and has since won three times around

the world. The hype may be all about McIlroy,

but if the rest of the cast can keep pace with

the leading actor then this Masters may well be

the best picture in major championship golf.

The PGA Tour visits Harbour Town Links this

April for the RBC Heritage

The global appeal of the

world’s number one golfer

and host of the 2015 Irish Open, Rory McIlroy,

has helped the national open land a major

international company as title sponsor for the

event at Royal County Down next month.

The Irish Open has had a colourful history of

sponsors and in more recent times struggled to

attract and keep a sponsor for a significant

enough time to build the event into what it was

the 1980’s.

Upon the revival of the Irish Open name in

1975 Carroll’s, one of Ireland’s leading

cigarette manufacturers, sponsored the event,

overseeing the greatest period in Irish Open

history. Under their sponsorship the

championship was played at Portmarnock and

Royal Dublin for 15 years, and was won by

Ben Crenshaw, Ken Brown, Mark James, Sam

Torrance, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer,

Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal.

Carroll’s and the European Tour moved the

event inland in 1991, with Nick Faldo claiming

an historic hat-trick of wins at Killarney and

Mount Juliet.

Upon the ban on advertising and sponsorship

for tobacco brands in the early 1990’s Carroll’s

was replaced by Murphy’s Irish Stout as title

sponsor.

The championship was played at some of

Ireland’s premier inland courses such as

Mount Juliet, Druids Glen and Fota Island, as

well as the iconic Ballybunion in 2000. The

1999 event saw Sergio Garcia claim his first

ever win, at Fota Island.

Nissan stepped into the breach in 2003 and

took the championship back to Portmarnock,

with Michael Campbell lifting the Waterford

Crystal trophy. The championship remained on

the links in 2004, this time at County Louth. In

2005 and 2006 the event was hosted by

Carton House Golf Club, the new home of the

Golfing Union of Ireland.

Adare Manor hosted two editions of the

tournament in 2007 and 2008 and assumed

the title sponsors role, overseeing the first Irish

win in 24 years, when Padraig Harrington

claimed the title.

In 2009 Mobile phone network 3 assumed title

sponsorship, providing the biggest purse in

Irish Open history. The event was played at

County Louth (amateur Shane Lowry won in

2009) and Killarney (Ross Fisher) for two years

before 3 ended their contract early.

Failte Ireland took up sponsorship of the Irish

Open in 2011, dramatically reducing the prize

fund. From 2012-2014 the European Tour

underwrote the event to keep it going. Then

last year the Tour announced that Rory McIlroy

and the Rory Foundation would host the event

in 2015.

Whilst the championship has shown glimpses

of its potential, becoming the first ever sold-out

European Tour event in 2012 at Royal

Portrush, the 2015 edition at Royal County

Down has the chance to be the dawn of a new

era for the championship which was first

played in 1927.

Last month Rory and the European Tour

announced that Dubai Duty Free would take

up the role of title sponsor.

Rory said: “its great news that Dubai Duty Free

has come on board as the title sponsor for this

year’s Irish Open. Dubai Duty Free is a strong

global brand with great experience in sports

sponsorship through golf, tennis and horse

racing.

The European Tour and I both have strong

links to Dubai, and I am sure Dubai Duty Free

will bring a lot to the event and add to its

already great prestige.”

One of the world’s leading airport retailers with

a turnover of US$1.9 billion in 2014, Dubai

Duty Free is already associated with The

European Tour as sponsors of the DP World

Tour Championship and the Omega Dubai

Desert Classic.

Dubai Duty Free’s golf portfolio also includes

the Dubai Ladies Masters, as well as a series

of high-profile events including the annual

Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup, Dubai Duty

Free UAE Nationals Cup, Dubai Duty Free Golf

Cup and Dubai Irish Golf Society tournament.

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of

Dubai Duty Free said, “Sports sponsorship

plays a huge role in our overall marketing

strategy, it fosters goodwill and allows our

brand to travel all around the globe. We are

delighted to become the title sponsor of the

Irish Open hosted by The Rory Foundation.

The tournament has a tremendous history and

is the flagship golf event in Ireland providing

thrilling golfing action for spectators, golf fans

and television viewers around the world. This

year’s tournament features a fantastic line up

and we are very much looking forward to

working with Rory McIlroy and his Foundation,

The European Tour, Tourism Northern Ireland

and the members and management of Royal

County Down on this prestigious sporting

event.”

Northern Ireland’s Enterprise, Trade and

Investment Minister, Arlene Foster, said: "I

welcome the announcement that Dubai Duty

Free is to become title sponsor of the Irish

Open. The partnership with Dubai Duty Free

will further raise the profile of the tournament

when it takes place in Northern Ireland this

year, and again in 2017, and will help to

increase our reputation as a fantastic golfing

destination. This sponsorship announcement is

further proof that we are establishing Northern

Ireland as the home of great events with which

world class brands wish to be associated.”

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The

European Tour, said: “We are delighted to

welcome Dubai Duty Free as a title sponsor on

The European Tour and look forward to

expanding our partnership with another

powerful global brand which has vast

experience in the sports sponsorship market.

“By becoming the title sponsor to the Irish

Open, Dubai Duty Free is making its mark on

golf’s world stage and further showcasing the

close collaboration that exists between so

many of Dubai’s leading companies and The

European Tour. With many of the game’s

biggest names competing on the iconic links of

Royal County Down, we believe the Dubai

Duty Free Irish Open hosted by The Rory

Foundation will deliver superb value to Dubai

Duty Free and all of our event partners.”

Dubai Duty Free joins Moy Park, BMW,

Emirates Airline, Heineken and Tourism

Northern Ireland as sponsors of the 2015 Irish

Open.

Padraig Harrington will join Rory McIlroy,

Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els and

Lee Westwood at Royal County Down for this

May’s Irish Open, the 2007 champion

confirmed his entry last month. Cadillac

Championship winner Dustin Johnson is

rumoured to be considering entering the Irish

Open too, he played in the 2007 Walker Cup at

Royal County Down.

The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open is an Open

Qualifying Series event on the Road to The

Open, here in St Andrews this July.

As part of our extensive Open Championship

coverage we will bring you a preview to the

Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in May’s edition, full

coverage on standrewsgolfmagazine.com and a

review in our June edition.

We will of course have an exclusive interview

with Rory McIlroy ahead of the event and his

defence of the Claret Jug in St Andrews.

After an absence of 7 years it was confirmed

last month that the British Masters will return to

the European Tour schedule.

The tournament was one of the longest

running and prestigious in European golf after

The Open, and has a history to rival any

tournament outside the majors.

First played in 1946, the tournament was the

first to use the ‘Masters’ moniker after the

Augusta National Invitational became The

Masters in 1935.

Bobby Locke, 4-time Open champion, tied for

the first title with Jimmy Adams in 1946 and the

tournament has continued with iconic winners

throughout the years.

Norman Von Nida, Harry Bradshaw, Dai Rees,

Max Faulkner, Christy O’Connor Junior,

Bernard Hunt and 5-time Open Champion

Peter Thomson were among the winners in the

first 20 years of the event.

Then in 1967 future Open and US Open

champion Tony Jacklin was victorious at Royal

St George’s and recorded the first televised

hole-in-one on British television at the 165-

yard par three 16th hole En route to the title.

Then in the 1980’s the tournament went to the

next level with Bernhard Langer, Greg

Norman, Ian Woosnam, Lee Trevino, Seve

Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle and Nick Faldo won

the title, combining for 8 wins in 9 editions.

In the 1990’s newcomers like Robert Allenby,

Peter Baker and Bob May were crowned the

British Master, along with the European Tour’s

dominant figure of the decade, Colin

Montgomerie.

The highlight of the first decade of the new

century came in 2002 when Justin Rose and

Ian Poulter, in their early years on the tour,

duelled at Woburn for the title. Rose won by a

single shot at Poulter’s home course.

The tournament’s final three years were staged

at The Belfry and Lee Westwood won in 2007

before losing out in a playoff against Gonzalo

Fernandez-Castano in 2008. ISM took up

management of the event from 2003 until the

landscape of professional golf changed with

the PGA Tour introducing the FedEx Cup, and

the event struggled to attract the once stellar

field it had regularly in the 1980’s.

Now, with the help of four star British golfers

and the leading golf broadcaster in the UK, the

British Masters is set to return this October.

Fresh off signing an historic deal to broadcast

The Open from 2017, Sky Sports have

stepped up their investment in the British game

by becoming presenting sponsor and

supporting partner of the British Masters.

Sky Sports will work with The European Tour

and its leading players to engage and excite

new and existing golf fans through its on-air

coverage, promotion and staging of the event.

Ryder Cup players Luke Donald, Ian Poulter,

Justin Rose and Lee Westwood will each take

it in turn to host the prestigious tournament

and will help to select the venue each year.

This is the second prestigious event from

yester-year to return to the European Tour,

after the announcement the European Open

will be played in Germany this September.

Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky

Sports, said: “As the home of televised golf, we

are proud to take our commitment to the next

level by bringing back the British Masters. We

hope that the support and investment of Sky

Sports will make the tournament popular with

new and existing golf fans both at Woburn and

at home.”

Three-time European Tour winner Nick

Dougherty has agreed to become an

Ambassador for Sky Academy, and will help

engage young golfers across a range of

different activities, including working with Sky

Sports Living For Sport.

The support of Sky Sports for the British

Masters is another landmark for the

broadcaster, becoming the first US or UK

broadcaster to sponsor a leading event on

either the European or PGA Tours.

This adds another event to an already strong

autumn on the European Tour, starting at the

European Open in Germany this September.

The European Open also has a strong history

on the Tour, and is followed by a second visit

of 2015 to the home of golf, with the Alfred

Dunhill Links Championship.

The British Masters is the final event on British

soil before the tour heads to Portugal and

Hong Kong ahead of the Final Series. With

Poulter, Rose, Donald and Westwood almost

guaranteed to be in action at Woburn it does

remain to be seen just how many other stars of

the game touch down just north of London this

autumn.

With The Presidents Cup being played in

Korea in the same week, almost all of the

leading Americans, South African and

Australian players will be unavailable, but other

stars could be enticed to return to the UK.

Rory McIlroy will likely play in the Alfred Dunhill

Links Championship, which follows the PGA

Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs, so may not play.

The likes of Ernie Els, Angel Cabrera and

Retief Goosen are currently outside the

qualifying mark for the International team and

Dustin Johnson, Billy Horschel, Webb

Simpson, Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan, Nick

Watney, Brooks Koepka and Keegan Bradley

are all outside the top ten for the US team too.

Anirban Lahiri, winner of the Maybank

Malaysian Open and Hero Indian Open, was

named European Tour golfer of the month for

February. His victories have all but assured

him an invite to his first Masters this month.

Graeme McDowell, winner in 2013 and 2014,

will attempt to become just the second player

in the 109-year history of the Open de France

to win three successive titles. The 2010 US

Open champion confirmed his participation in

the tournament at Le Golf National last month.

16-19 April – Shenzhen International

23-26 April – Volvo China Open

After 6 months in the wilderness, or leave of

absence, Dustin Johnson has returned to the

winner’s circle with a spectacular victory at

Doral in the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

A final round of 69 was good enough to secure

a 1 stroke victory over JB Holmes; Holmes led

by 3 strokes overnight, but stumbled to a final

round of 75. Johnson was understandably

delighted with his second WGC title.

"It means everything," Johnson said. "It's been

a tough road but I played really good. It feels

awesome to get that W. I played great today."

"Obviously, it's one of my biggest wins,"

Johnson said. "I've been working hard on my

game and been working hard on me, and so it

means a great deal to have some success

right out of the gate. It gives me a lot of

confidence, too."

The week following The Masters can be like

letting the air out of a balloon, but the RBC

Heritage embraces its position as the first PGA

Tour event after Golf’s First Major. The course

is a perfect stage and contrast to the beast

dressed in a beauty’s clothes at Augusta.

Harbour Town Links has hosted the

tournament since its inception in 1969.

The event is organised by the Heritage Classic

Foundation, and since 1983 has traditionally

been played in the week after The Masters.

The tournament has a rich history with Arnold

Palmer, Hale Irwin, Johnny Miller, Jack

Nicklaus, Hubert Green, Tom Watson, Fuzzy

Zoeller, Bernhard Langer, Sir Nick Faldo,

Davis Love III, Greg Norman, Payne Stewart,

Bob Tway, Nick Price, Stewart Cink, Justin

Leonard, Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell all

winners among others.

Aaron Baddeley, K.J. Choi, Retief Goosen and

Charl Schwartzel will all compete in South

Carolina’s signature golf event, April 13-19

over the famed Harbour Town Golf Links on

Hilton Head Island.They are joined by

defending champion Matt Kuchar and past

champions Graeme McDowell, Stewart Cink,

Glen Day, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, Davis

Love III, Carl Pettersson, Brandt Snedeker,

Tom Watson and Boo Weekley. Other notables

committed are Luke Donald, Ernie Els and

Brian Harman.

Ryder Cup 2022 race intensifies as bid

inspections begin

‘History, certainty and passion’ were identified

as the principal cornerstones of the Costa

Brava-Barcelona 2022 Ryder Cup bid during

Ryder Cup Europe’s evaluation visit of Spain’s

candidacy.

The two-day trip consisted of a tour of the

iconic cities of Barcelona and Girona, as well

as the proposed future host venue, PGA

Catalunya Resort. Ryder Cup Europe were

also briefed on the transport, security and

accommodation solutions Costa Brava-

Barcelona would, if selected, implement in

order to host golf’s biggest global event in

Catalunya in 2022.

During their stay, Ryder Cup Europe were also

advised on the operational, commercial and

legacy proposals of Spain’s bid, and had the

opportunity to meet the bid’s most senior

sponsors, including both political and business

leaders.

The trip concluded with a formal reception with

the Mayor of Barcelona and a visit to one of

Catalunya’s unique attractions, which saw

members of Ryder Cup Europe hit some golf

balls on the hallowed turf of FC Barcelona’s

Camp Nou stadium.

Spain’s bid enjoys support from the highest

levels, including from His Royal Highness King

Felipe VI, who has accepted the Honorary

Presidency of the Costa Brava-Barcelona 2022

bid for The Ryder Cup.

Gonzaga Escauriaza, President of the Royal

Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG), said: “It was

with great pleasure that we welcomed our

good friends from The European Tour and

Ryder Cup Europe to Costa Brava-Barcelona.

Our bid is centred on three concepts – History,

Certainty and Passion. No other country in

mainland Europe has contributed more to

European and Ryder Cup golf, and our

proposed venue is one of the finest and best

linked in Europe.

Furthermore, our bid sponsors share a unified

passion to bring one of the world’s biggest

sporting events to Catalunya in 2022.”

Ivan Tibau, Secretary General for Sport for

Catalunya, said: “I am delighted that we were

able to share with The European Tour and

Ryder Cup Europe our vision for The 2022

Ryder Cup Match. In Catalunya, we have a

unique offering which comprises two iconic

gateway cities in Barcelona and Girona, the

beautiful Costa Brava and the Pyrenees, as

well as extensive and recent experience of

delivering some of the world’s largest sporting,

corporate and commercial events.”

Denis O’Brien, owner of PGA Catalunya

Resort, said: “From its inception, our Stadium

course was designed and built to host the

world’s largest events – and hosting The 2022

Match will be the realisation of this vision. This

bid has our full commitment.”

The European Tour will announce the

successful host nation for The 2022 Ryder Cup

in autumn 2015.

After seven tournaments played around North

America and Asia in their 2015 season, Ladies

Professional Golf Association (LPGA) will have

its first Major of the year, the ANA Inspiration.

The event has been renamed and now bears

the initials of its newest sponsor, the Japanese

airline All Nippon Airways. The Mission Hills

Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California will

once again host the tournament from April 2

thru 5.

The history of this tournament began in 1972

when David Foster and the American singer

Dinah Shore founded the yearly event. Shore

was a long-time supporter of women's golf and

contributed to the creation on the event. In

1994 Dinah was in fact elected as an honorary

member of the LPGA Hall of Fame in

acknowledgment to her contributions to golf.

Throughout its 43-years the tournament has

various incarnations in name. It began as the

Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle when it

was established. By the early 80’s the event

was known as the Colgate-Dinah Shore

tournament then became the Nabisco Dinah

Shore Invitational. By 1983 the name changed

yet again and was celebrated as the Nabisco

Dinah Shore, name that continued for 16 years

(1999).

During 2000 the event had a new modification

in its name and was then titled as the Nabisco

Championship. The name didn't last long and

by 2002 it was adapted to Kraft Nabisco

Championship, as it was known until just last

year.

The event is full of traditions like the

celebration of the winner jumping into the lake

at the 18th hole known as Lake Champions or

"Poppie's Pond.” The three-time winner of the

event Amy Alcott was the first to celebrate with

a leap into the lake in 1988. But it was

embraced as a yearly tradition in 1994 with the

Donna Andrews jump.

One of the most significant changes also made

for this year’s edition is the prize for the winner.

In 2014 the purse was $2 million, this year it

will be $2.5 million with great prospects of

increasing in the coming years.

The Dinah Shore Tournament Course was the

first of three courses built in the Mission Hills

Country Club; it was designed by Desmond

Muirhead and first opened in 1972.

The 18th hole is a 646-yar d par 5 with an

island green facing the clubhouse and it’s one

of the most characteristic holes on the course.

We can recall how in 2009 Brittany Lincicome

eagled this same hole walk off with the

Championship title, which meant her first

career Major. This was the only time in history

one of golf’s Majors was won on the final hole

with an eagle.

Mission Hills also has an emblematic bridge

over the 18th green on which you can see a

plate with each of the winners who have lifted

the tournament trophy. There we can find

names as Lorena Ochoa, Morgan Pressel,

Yani Tseng and Karrie Webb.

The ANA Inspiration will be played with a

6,769 yardage and as par 72. The course has

nine par-4, four par-3 five and par-5 in which

the players could get some eagles. This

considering that best ranked driving distance

players on tour registers about 277 yards from

off the tee.

This course is one of the most recognized in

the state of California and has had the

distinction of being the ranked No.1 in the

Coachella Valley for several years. The Major

is also the second oldest golf tournament

continuously held at the same course.

The defending champions are always one of

the favorites to win the tournament even if they

haven’t shown their best performance

throughout the season. This year it will be

American Lexi Thompson who'll be trying to

defend her title. Thompson won in 2014 with a

convincing 14-under par after an entertaining

battle on the course against her countrywoman

Michelle Wie.

Lexi has improved her game throughout the

season, her top ten at the Pure Silk Bahamas

tournament with an 11-under par has been one

of her best finishes. Thompson has also

managed to be once again among the top 10

players of the world in the Rolex Rankings

after finishing tied for 12th place at the HSBC

Women's Champions.

Winning her first title of the season in

Singapore also makes Inbee Park a favorite in

this year's ANA Inspiration. In a thrilling final

round with the top three players in women's

golf: Park, Stacy Lewis and Lydia Ko fought for

the title of the HSBC Women's Champions. But

it was Inbee who won after the last 18th holes

and a 15-under par. The South Korean player

completed the tournament without recording a

single bogey to claim her 13th LPGA title.

Certainly among the already mentioned

players we can’t avoid having Lydia Ko, the

17-year-old who remains as the worlds No.1

player in women's golf. After reaching the

highest position in the rankings Ko won the

ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open. A

week later in her home country she conquered

the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open

trophy and shot a course-record of 61 in her

second round.

Personally one of my favorites to win the

tournament is Suzann Pettersen, the

Norwegian player changed coaches and

starting this season is working with Butch

Harmon. When a golfer works with Harmon we

can’t expect other than good results and

tournament after tournament we’ve seen the

progress Suzann has made with her new

coach.

In 2014 Pettersen couldn't play in the event

due to the back injury she suffered after the

JTBC Founders Cup, which made her miss

three tourneys. She’ll certainly seek for her

15th LPGA title in this year’s edition.

The ANA Inspiration is one of the most

prestigious events on the LPGA and one of

which the ladies always look forward to have

on their titles list so we’ll have to stay tuned

and see who will be taking a leap into Poppie's

Pond this year.