For the fourth year Women and Girls in Golf Week will return from August 16-22. This will take place at the same time as the AIG Womens Open at Carnoustie. This successful week online aims to promote female participation in golf at all levels. Look out for the #whyigolf hashtag on social media and englandgolf.org/whyigolf. Women will be encouraged to share their stories via videos and Instagram stories.
This year there will be a different focus each day on: careers in golf indistry, volunteering, health and wellbeing, competing, role models, newbies and join the club. The event has huge support from multiple organisations and manufacturers within golf.
Lauren Soray, Women and girls manager at England Golf says:
“Telling stories of women and girls in golf brings their experiences to life and helps destroy negative stereotypes that belong in another era. The sport is far more modern and progressive in its outlook. It’s been great to have so many positive contributions from men in the game who see that golf is a game for everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or ability”.
Fine words, but the words “background” or “circumstances” would have made the sentiment even more complete. Because until golf is available, without question or comeback to someone of any background or circumstance, it will always be perceived by people outside the game as elitist and not for them. These worcs are very important.
While we’re used to galleries of 100,000 a day, 32,000 fans a day have been glad to get in at all, even though its been stop start with the covid and security checks. But there’s definitely been a difference this year.
Very few international broadcast staff and press are here. I saw some from Ashai TV from Japan and Golf Channel in America have about 20 staff. We’re used to fans coming from all over the world, and American supporters in particular. Apart from the players and their 4 person support teams I’ve barely heard an American voice.
Which sort of exposes just how posh Royal St Georges is. The members and their “lady wives” have been visible but generally there have been more posh people here in one place than you would see see in an episode of Made In Chelsea. The voice, which commands authority, has been heard a lot this week. But it is a posh venue, The club was in established in 1887 as an extension of a London’s gentlemans club and it’s only been six years since women members have been allowed. There is a long waiting list for membership, although if you buy a house on the Lord North’s estate, you are awarded restricted playing rights at the club.
Indeed I remember coming down to RSG to watch the final of the Amateur Championship, the year Trevor Immelman was in the final. And I remember sneaking into the clubhouse to use the facilities, because I needed to, and shifting out quickly before a man told me off. I just accepted that that was the way it was.
I notice that the R&A are planning to review all the applications for the 150th Open at St Andrews so that people from every demographic and geographic are represented. Good idea. But this year’s Open has been uniquely English. Within the roars of the excited, passionate, smaller galleries there has been the occasional “Yaaaaaah, go Raaaaaahm”
Though not all the English people present are posh, or abide by dress rules…
American broadcaster NBC put up this map with Royal Lytham and St Annes placed in Leeds. Two great courses there – former Ryder Cup venue Moortown, and Alister Mackenzie designed Allwoodley, but no where near the sea.
23 year old Matthias Schmid is the low amateur of this year’s Open Championship. On Friday he had a magnificent round of 65 to tie Tom Lewis for the all time lowest round at The Open by an amateur. He had five birdies and no bogeys. Today he is +1 for the championship.
Playing in his second Open, the University of Louisville senior is on a good run of form. He qualified to play in the recent US Open at Torrey Pines and achieved 14th place as an amateur in the BMW International Open in Germany. He is also twice European Amateur Champion.
His stats this week show a 336 yard longest drive, 69% fairways hit, 76% greens in regulation and 1.77 in putting, slightly above the field average of 1.67.
Matthias turns pro tomorrow and will tee up at the Wales Open on the European Tour this week.
Although he tossed his club in frustration on the 13th, and the finish of his round wasnt what had been what had promised, I walked all the holes with Rory yesterday and it was one of the best experiences on a golf course for a long time.
His front nine was nrilliantly played, and shows that he can still perform at the highest level. The crowds were roaring his excellent iron shots and brilliant putting on his way to five birdies. The crowd were breathless with excitement and although it didnt last, it did everyone the world of good.
The former President of the United States, Donald Trump, used his taxpayer funded office to issue a statement about why the R&A wasn’t using Turnberry as part of The Open rota any longer.
Turnberry last hosted in 2009, when Stewart Cink won, but after the Capitol Hill riots in January, the R&A issued a statement about Turnberry from Chief Executive Martin Slumbers.
“We have nomplans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do somin the foreseeable future.We will not return until we aremconvinced that the focus will be on the Championship, the players and the course and we do not believe that is achievabke under the current circumstances.
This fokkows the USGA’s decision to remove the 2022 PGA Championship from Trump National Bedminster.
Personally, I would love the 2027 championship to be held at Turnberry, 50 years on from the Duel In The Sun. But we’ll have to see what happens next.
Rory McIlroy called a few of the pin locations diabolical, but it was Jon Rahm and third round leader Louis Oosthuizen who were the most critical.
Louis said he was glad he wad able to hold hos round together. Having scored the lowest two round score in Open history, 129, he said he knew the R&A weren’t happy with the low scoring. “some of the pins put there were very questionable”.
Jon Rahm said some of the pin positions were no joke. They were some of the hardest pin positions collectively, I’ve ever seen”.
We could not be happier to partner with EA to bring golfers and players from all over the world to our celebration of The 150th Open via EA SPORTS PGA TOUR,” said Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A. “EA SPORTS plays an important role in taking golf to a wider audience through its highly realistic and immersive game.”
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