The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has announced that His Majesty, King Charles III has accepted the club’s sponsorship.
After her accession in 1952, Her late 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: “Presiding over the club for 70 years was a great source of pride for its members. We are delighted and honored that the Lord has accepted the patronage of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. We now look forward to His Majesty’s support for the club’s work and our commitment to the game of golf around the world.”
NEW R&A CAPTAIN
The IR&A also announced that Ian Pattinson will serve as captain in 2024/25, nominated by the Club’s Past Captains.
A member of the R&A since 1989, Pattinson has served the club and the R&A Group in a number of roles over the past 30 years, including as Chairman of the Rules of Golf and Service Standards Committees, and as the first Chairman of the World Handicap. Board. From 2018-2022, he was Chairman of the General Committee and Chairman of the boards of the R&A Group.
He served as the Rules Officer at The Open from 1995-2018 and several times at the Masters between 1997-2019. He has also been a Rules Officer for the US Open, PGA Championship, Women’s Open and Solheim Cup, as well as leading amateur events including the Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, and World Amateur Team Championships.
In addition to his umpire duties, Pattinson was the R&A’s Rules of Golf consultant on the BBC’s The Open from 2004 to 2015 and held a similar role for Sky Sports from 2016-2018.
He will begin his year in office on September 20 after the usual Old Course taxi driving event.
He is an Honorary Member of Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Club, where he served as captain in 1993, and plays off a 4.9 handicap.
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