A high standard of play will be seen across St Andrews Links next week when this season’s Boys’ and Junior Ladies’ Opens take place at the Home of Golf.
Both tournaments give an early indication of emerging young golfers with former Boys’ Open champions including 2005 winner Chris Wood, who recently finished fifth at The Open at Royal Birkdale and has just turned professional.
‘We look forward to welcoming an international field to St Andrews Links this year,’ said golf manager John Grant. ‘The courses are in great condition and I am sure we are in for some fabulous golf.’
Entries have come in from near and far as local talent competes with players from the rest of the UK and around the world. The backmarker in the Boys’ Open is Rudy Hercik from the Gaudet Luce club in Worcestershire who has a +0.5 handicap. The favourite in the Junior Ladies’ event will be France’s Emilie Alonso, who plays off +2.3.
The Eden Course will be closed from 10am on Sunday 3 August to Tuesday 5 August for practice and competition in the Boys’ Open while there will be limited times available on the Strathtyrum on the same days to allow the Junior Ladies to play.
The finals of both competitions will be held on the Old Course on Thursday 7 August.
The August Tournaments season continues the following week with the staging of the Eden and Strathtyrum Tournaments. The New Course is closed from Sunday 10 to Tuesday 12 August. The Eden is closed Sunday 10 August to Friday 15 August.