Opening Golf to the World
Royal and Ancient Golf Club
Claire Dowling drives in as Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
25 Sep 26
6 mins
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews welcomed its new Captain, Claire Dowling, at the traditional driving-in ceremony on the 1st tee of the Old Course this morning.
Claire becomes the first woman to serve as Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. At precisely 8am, a cannon fired and Claire launched her opening drive down the fairway to officially commence her term. A large gathering of Members, former Captains and members of the public assembled to share in the time-honoured tradition. As Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Claire will be an ambassador for the Club and The R&A, engaging with Members at events around the world and championing the sport as The R&A brings its new Opening Golf to the World strategy to life. Throughout her year in office Claire will represent the Club at many of The R&A’s professional and amateur championships and international matches, meeting those who contribute to golf at every level.
Claire Dowling hits her ceremonial tee shot on the 1st tee of the Old Course to officially begin her term as the first female Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.
After hitting her tee shot, Claire said, “To begin my year as Captain here in St Andrews, surrounded by friends and fellow Members, is a very special moment. It is a huge privilege to serve as Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and I am honoured to be the first woman to take on the role. The Club has such a remarkable history and tradition but it is continuing to evolve which is so important for any institution.
“I am really looking forward to representing the Club and to everything the year ahead will bring. I'm also excited to be supporting The R&A as it continues its important work to develop and promote golf around the world while celebrating everything that makes our sport so special.”
Claire becomes the first woman to serve as Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. A distinguished amateur golfer, she represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup on four occasions and was part of the team which made history in 1986 by securing the first GB&I victory over the USA on American soil, winning 13-5 at Prairie Dunes.
Born and educated in Dublin, Claire won five Irish Championships, the first in 1983, as well as the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship in 1986 and the Spanish Amateur Championship in 1987.
After a successful playing career, Claire captained the GB&I Curtis Cup team in its narrow 10-8 defeat to the USA at Ganton in 2000. Claire was among the first women to become Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club in 2015 and has served on several committees.
An experienced referee, Claire has officiated at The Open on seven occasions, including at Royal St George’s in 2021 when she and her husband Peter, a retired District Judge, became the first married couple to referee at the same Championship.
Newly installed Captain Claire Dowling with caddie Dillon McCarron, who successfully retrieved her tee shot to earn the traditional gold sovereign.
A prominent figure in Irish women’s golf, Claire is an honorary life member of the Irish Ladies’ Golf Union and holds the same distinction at several golf clubs, including Woodbrook, Cork, Copt Heath, Portmarnock and her home club, East Devon. Claire’s current Handicap Index is 7.6.
Claire and Peter live in Devon and enjoy spending time on the beach.
In the past, the Club Captaincy was bestowed on the winner of the annual Challenge for the Silver Club but by the early 19th Century the Captaincy had become an elected office. Part of the tradition is that the new Captain buys her golf ball back from the caddie who retrieves and returns it with a gold sovereign. The sovereign bears the head of His Majesty King Charles III.
Caddie Dillon McCarron successfully returned the ball to Claire.
“It’s pretty cool to collect the ball,” said the 30-year-old who is from Nova Scotia, Canada. “With Claire being the first female Captain, it’s quite an honour. I didn’t really know where the ball was going to go but it came over my buddy’s head and then came right to me.
“This is my second season caddying here so I learned about this tradition last year. I was excited to come down this morning and I didn’t think there would be much chance of winning with there being so many caddies so it’s quite the honour for sure.”
The retrieved ball will be cast in silver and displayed on the Silver Club.