Irishwoman Claire Dowling has made golfing history after being named the first-ever female captain at the 272-year-old St Andrews Royal and Ancient Golf Club.
Dowling will serve as captain in 2026/27, starting her year in office after the traditional driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course on Friday, 25 September.
St Andrews will host the Open Championship in July 2027.
Dowling, born in Dublin, represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup on four occasions and was part of the 1986 team that won the first GB&I victory over the USA team on American soil with a 13-5 win at Prairie Dunes.
She was one of the first women to become a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in 2015, serving on the rules committee from 2015 to 2019. She has also served as a referee at the Open on seven occasions.
At Royal St George’s in 2021, Dowling and her husband Peter became the first married couple to referee at the same Open Championship.
