The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has announced that His Majesty, King Charles III has accepted the patronage of the club.
Following her accession in 1952, Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II accepted the patronage of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, which has been accepted by reigning monarchs since King William IV in 1834.
Martin Slumbers, Secretary of The R&A, said: “Her late Majesty’s 70-year patronage of the club was an immense source of pride for its members. We are delighted and deeply honoured that The King has accepted patronage of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. We now look forward to His Majesty’s support for the work of the club and our commitment to the sport of golf across the world.”
NEW R&A CAPTAIN
The R&A has also announced that Ian Pattinson will serve as captain in 2024/25, having been nominated by the Past Captains of the Club.
A member of The R&A since 1989, Pattinson has served the club and the R&A Group in numerous roles over the last 30 years, including as Chairman of the Rules of Golf and the Equipment Standards Committees, and as the first ever Chairman of the World Handicap Board. From 2018-2022, he was Chairman of the General Committee and Chairman of the R&A Group boards.
He served as a Rules Official at The Open from 1995-2018 and on multiple occasions at the Masters between 1997-2019. He has also been a Rules Official at the US Open, the PGA Championship, the Women’s Open and the Solheim Cup, as well as leading amateur events including the Walker Cup, the Curtis Cup, and the World Amateur Team Championships.
In addition to his refereeing duties, Pattinson was The R&A’s Rules of Golf advisor to the BBC for The Open from 2004 to 2015 and he performed a similar role for Sky Sports from 2016-2018.
He will begin his year in office on September 20 after the traditional driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course.
He is an Honorary Member of Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Club, where he served has captain in 1993, and plays off a handicap of 4.9.
