Royal and Ancient names first female captain in 272 years

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has ended 272 years of history by appointing its first female captain, 12 years after it opened its membership to women.

Claire Dowling will serve as the club's captain in 2026-27, having been nominated by its past captains.

She will begin her one-year term in office after the traditional driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course on Friday, 25 September.

Dowling was one of the first women to join the club, signing-up in 2015 after a vote opened up membership.

She has served on the club's rules committee and general committee, including as deputy chair for both bodies, and is currently on their membership committee.

As an amateur player, Dowling represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup on four occasions and was part of the 1986 team which secured a first victory over the United States on American soil with a 13-5 win at Prairie Dunes.

She went on to captain the GB&I Curtis Cup team at Ganton in 2000, where they lost 10-8, and has also led the Vagliano Trophy team and the Irish team.

Born and raised in Dublin, she represented Ireland in the home internationals from 1979 to 1992 and played in six European Team Championships.

She won five Irish Championships, the first in 1983, the Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship in 1986 and the Spanish Amateur Championship in 1987.

Dowling has also chaired England Golf's handicap and course rating committee and has acted as a referee at The Open on seven occasions, including at Royal St George's in 2021 when, with her husband Peter, a retired District Judge, they were the first married couple to referee at the same championship.

As the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2004, it devolved responsibility for the administration of the rules of golf, the running of The Open and other key events, to a newly formed group of companies collectively known as The R&A.

As a separate entity The Royal and Ancient remains as a private golf club with a worldwide membership of more than 2,400.