R&A Creates 9-Hole Amateur Championship, Event to be Held Saturday Before The Open

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, one of golf’s two governing bodies, has created and nine-hole championship that will be played for the first time the Saturday before The Open Championship, at Royal Troon Golf Club.prestwick-large

The nine-hole tournament will be held July 9 at Troon.

According to the European Tour website, “This year’s event will see 30 golfers playing a nine hole championship at Royal Troon. Two players will qualify from events held at each of the 13 Regional Qualifying venues for The Open throughout Great Britain and Ireland with host venues Royal Troon Golf Club and The Ladies’ Golf Club, Troon each providing two players. The handicap event will be open to men, women, boys and girls who are members of the clubs taking part.”

Qualifying will expand in 2017 when golfers in Great Britain and Ireland be able to qualify at nine-hole events held by The R&A’s affiliated national associations in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

“One of the messages that came through clearly from the survey and the Time for Golf conference is that people would play more golf if they could do so in significantly less time,” said Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A. “Nine-hole golf is not new but we feel it is often overlooked as a perfectly valid way to play the sport either with your family and friends or competitively.”

No word if the USGA plans to follow suit.

Irish golf writer Ivan Morris wrote in a Facebook post that he might have had a role in the R&A’s decision.

“I’m claiming some of the credit. My book about 9-holes golf was put in the hands of R&A supremo, Martin Slumbers, six months ago with a personal challenge ‘to read it and think about 9-holes golf in a different light.’  The message seems to have got home,” he wrote.

One Response to “R&A Creates 9-Hole Amateur Championship, Event to be Held Saturday Before The Open”

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  1. Jeff Stern

    This development of the R&A Nine Hole Amateur should be emulated by the USGA. Even with the Play Nine initiative, it is unlikely that those in Far Hills would facilitate such an event. Why not? The rationale against a Nine Hole championship would probably cite the numerous events encompassing golf participation already staged by the organization; that one “celebrating” golf played over a stretch of nine-holes would be superfluous.
    As specious as this sounds, it comes off better than the USGA spokesman saying that if an event can not enhance the image of the Association, make money or might profit from being televised, why take the lead in such a tournament. It could come down to not wanting to be perceived as an R&A copycat.
    Having enjoyed numerous rounds on a variety of nine-hole courses, I support the idea of a Nine-Hole course championship. However, I would like to see the results of this R&A national tournament over the next few years to evaluate whether such an event could be viable for the U.S. market.
    Here in the former colonies, we already have national championships staged on nine-hole layouts. These come courtesy of national organizations dedicated to the expansion of Hickory golf. So many Nines were laid out during the wood shaft era that playing big events at these venues is perfectly acceptable. To be sure, the number of applicants to play pre-1935 equipment golf are not nearly as numerous as those desiring to qualify for big USGA tournaments, but the action in these events is just as intense.
    Nine is fine by me, Jeff

    Reply

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