The R&A is golf's world rules and development body and organiser of The UK Golf Open Championship . It operates with the consent of more than 125 national and international, amateur and professional golf organisations, from over 110 countries and on behalf of an estimated 28 million golfers in Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and The Americas. The United States Golf Association is the game's governing body in the United States and Mexico.
The R&A takes its name from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, which has continuous records dating back to its foundation in 1754, and although the Club continues its long history with 2,400 members throughout the world, The R&A has become a separate entity to focus on its governance role.
The R&A took over the running of the Amateur and Golf Open Championships in 1920 and has since acquired responsibility for a further nine championships and international matches from the Boys to the Seniors, the Junior Open to the Walker Cup. Authority for administration of the Rules was accepted by The R&A in 1897 and, since 1952, it has jointly issued the Rules with the United States Golf Association.
The Golf Open Championship has developed as one of the world's great sporting events and an outstanding commercial success, The R&A is able to invest an annual surplus through The RInternational Final Qualifying (IFQ) events for The Golf Open Championship were introduced in 2004 and are held on five continents to give more players from around the world the chance to gain direct entry into golf's oldest championship.&A Foundation into grass roots development projects around the world. Particular emphasis is placed on the encouragement of junior golf, on the development of the game in emerging golfing nations, on golf coaching and the provision of open-to-all golf courses and golf practice facilities.
The R&A also provides best practice guidance on all aspects of golf course management, with specific reference to ecological and conservation issues, to help the growth of the game in a commercially and environmentally sustainable way.
IFQ for the 2008 Golf Open Championship at Royal Birkdale will be held as follows:
Africa - Royal Johannesburg and Kensington, Australasia - The Lakes, Sydney, Australia, February 5; Asia - Sentosa, Singapore, March 25-26; America - TPC Michigan/Dearborn, Michigan, USA, June 30 South Africa, January 15-16; and Europe Open Golf - Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, June 30.
IFQ is open to players holding Official World Golf Ranking points who have not gained exemption into the Championship by any other qualification. The field for each IFQ is limited to 120 players and if the entry exceeds this number, players with the highest world ranking will gain the places. Players are free to choose any of the five international venues irrespective of where they normally compete. Those players eligible include world ranked amateurs, who may enter IFQ or Local Final Qualifying (LFQ).
IFQ in Africa, Asia and Australasia will have four qualifying places. America carries six qualifying spots at each of the two courses, giving a total of 12 places, and Europe also has 12 qualifying golf spots.
IFQ is in addition to the 16 Regional Qualifying (RQ) UK Golf Open competitions that are played in Great Britain and Ireland, and three LFQ events. There will be 12 guaranteed places from LFQ and those golfers eligible can enter either IFQ or LFQ but not both.
The starting field for the UK Open Golf will be 156.
OPEN GOLF OPEN REGIONAL QUALIFYING
Regional UK Golf Open Qualifying will be played on July 2, 2008, at Ashridge, Berwick upon Tweed (Goswick), Coventry, Effingham, Enville, Ferndown, Gog Magog, Lindrick, Musselburgh, Old Fold Manor, Pannal, Pleasington, Prestbury, Rochester & Cobham Park, Royal Ashdown Forest and Royal Dublin.
Local UK Golf Open Final Qualifying will be played on July 7-8, 2008, at Hillside, Southport & Ainsdale, and West Lancashire.
The starting field for each LFQ is 96 players, and there will be four qualification places from each venue into The Open Golf at Royal Birkdale.
As exempt uk golf open players submit their entries for The 137th UK Open Golf Championship in 2008 their names will be added to this page, together with the names of those golfers who qualify through International Final Qualifying and Local Final Qualifying. A total of 156 golf players will compete at Royal Birkdale with the leading 70, and those tied for 70th place after two rounds, qualifying for the final 36 holes.
UK OPEN GOLF COURSE GUIDE
The UK Golf Open will pay its ninth visit to Royal Birkdale this year, having first visited the club in 1954. The event was originally due to be played at the course as early as 1940, but the outbreak of war meant that the championship was not held that year and it took a further 14 years for the Open to come to this corner of North West England. Since then, however, it has proved a superb and extremely popular venue, and of the golf courses which are currently used for The Golf Open only St Andrews has hosted the event more often.
The golf club was founded in 1889, though the current layout was created in 1922 by renowned golf course architect Fred Hawtree in partnership with one of the ‘great triumvirate’ of the late 19th and early 20th century, J. H. Taylor; a man who himself won The Golf Open five times.
At the time, designs for links golf courses tended to ask golfers to play up and over the sand dunes, which while interesting often lead to the creation of blind shots. At Birkdale Golf Course however, this approach was rejected in favour of a routing which allowed the holes to follow the valleys running between the dunes. This makes for flatter lies on the fairways, giving rise to the golf course’s reputation for fairness that contributes to its popularity among professionals. It also creates an impression of seclusion, with many golf holes being routed in such a way that you see no other hole except the one that you are playing; and it leaves the golf dunes free for spectators to enjoy some of the best vantage points available at any of the golf courses which host The Golf Open.
Changes to Birkdale Golf Course
All but two of Royal Birkdale's golf course holes have been altered in the preparations for the staging of the 2008 Open Golf Championship. These alterations are focused on tightening rather than lengthening: at 7,173 yards, the golf course will be playing just 155 yards longer than it did when Mark O'Meara won in 1998.
More on the UK Open Golf Tournament 2009 coming soon..
© 2008 UK Golf Open
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