Nine hole championship before the Open for amateur golfers

A field of 30 amateur golfers will compete in a new nine hole championship at Royal Troon on Saturday ahead of The 145^th Open.

The inaugural event has been organised by The R&A to underline its support for nine hole golf as an ideal way to play either socially or competitively.

The field of men and women golfers are from 13 clubs across Great Britain and Ireland that hosted Regional Qualifying for The Open as well as hosts, Royal Troon and The Ladies Golf Club, Troon.

Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Working for Golf at The R&A, said, “This is the first time The R&A has organised a nine hole championship and we believe this is an excellent way of highlighting that nine hole golf is a perfectly valid form of the game.

“We know many people struggle to find time to play 18 holes as often as they would like so this event serves as a reminder that nine hole golf is an enjoyable alternative which takes less time. We are very much looking forward to welcoming golfers from throughout the country and know they will relish the experience of playing at Royal Troon just days before the Championship.”

The nine hole handicap pairs competition will be played on Saturday 9 July over the 1st to the 5th and the 15th to the 18th holes at the historic Ayrshire links.