Only players with handicaps of +1.8 or better have made the final starting list which includes competitors from a record 20 countries. And included in that list of countries are several firsts, with competitors making their debuts from the Ivory Coast, Slovenia, Bahrain, India and Malaysia.
"We are delighted with the size and quality of the entry," said Niall Flanagan, Golf Services Manager of St Andrews Links. " This year's field justifies our beliefs that it was possible to widen the scope of the entry and to underline our claim to be one of the world's top amateur stroke play tournaments. However we will not be stopping there and next year fully intend to widen the net and bring in even more quality players from further afield."
Competitors play 18 holes on both the Old and New Courses on Friday and Saturday, 11th and 12th June and the top 40 and ties will play a further 36 holes on the Old Course on the Sunday.
Richard Finch was the 2003 Trophy winner but has since turned professional.