The Initial Dozen: Royal And Ancient's First Women Members

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The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews' past discriminatory ways have been belatedly remedied by the admission of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal (Princess Anne), who gains honorary admittance to the club before the Royal Highness of all Royal Highnesses, Her Majesty The Queen. Maybe as an R&A "patron" Queen Elizabeth will get some revenge by revoking Royal status to some courses?

James Corrigan in the Telegraph notes Princess Anne's inclusion is a tad strange because her past deragatory remark that "Golf seems to me to be an arduous way to go for a walk - I'd prefer to take the dogs out."

Perhaps more glaring is the case of St. Andrews University principal Louise Richardson, who remains the first leader of that institution to be snubbed by the club. Something tells me going public about members waving their ties at her did not help the cause. I know, big limb there.

And how about a little posthumous nod to Mary Queen of Scots, the first woman golfer beheaded 457 years ago last Sunday? There's always next year.

Before we get the "ordinary" members who have been added (below the release), let's look at the first women admitted to the club free of financial obligations! Well, except maybe a few token appearances here and there...maybe when cameras are present, even.

Tweeted and also For Immediate Publication...

For Immediate Publication
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club announces new honorary members

10 February 2015, St Andrews, Scotland: The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is delighted to announce that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Dame Laura Davies, Renée Powell, Belle Robertson MBE, Lally Segard, Annika Sorenstam and Louise Suggs have accepted invitations to become honorary members of the Club.

George Macgregor OBE, the Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, said, “It is an honour and a privilege for The Royal and Ancient Golf Club to welcome these remarkable women as honorary members. The Princess Royal enjoys a strong bond with Scotland and has shown great energy and commitment to developing sport through her work in the Olympic movement.

“This is an historic day for the Club and we could not be more proud also to welcome women who have distinguished themselves in golf over many years and have been great players and champions. They are extremely worthy additions to our roll of honorary members and will become ambassadors for the Club as they have been for the sport of golf throughout their careers.”

The Princess Royal follows Their Royal Highnesses The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke of York and The Duke of Kent in becoming an honorary member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

For those of you keeping score, the highnessess in order: Princess Anne, Prince Phillip, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

Having herself competed in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, The Princess Royal is a member of the International Olympic Committee and was a member of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games. The Princess Royal is a Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle in Scotland and has been Patron of the Scottish Rugby Union since 1986.

In September, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s members voted by an 85% majority to admit women as members for the first time in its 260-year history. Today’s announcement follows that historic ballot and, in addition to the honorary members, a number of women have been admitted as members of the Club with more set to follow in the coming months.

Dame Laura Davies, is widely regarded as Britain’s greatest female golfer having won four Major Championships and 79 events around the world. Davies won the Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale in 1986 and the US Women’s Open in 1987, becoming the first and only player to hold both titles at the same time. She played in every Solheim Cup match from 1990 to 2011 and is the leading all-time points scorer. A former world number one, Davies was the first non-American to finish at the top of the LPGA money list and she also won the LET Order of Merit a record seven times. In 2014 she was appointed DBE for her services to golf and in July 2015 she will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at a ceremony in St Andrews.

Renée Powell played in more than 250 events on the LPGA Tour. In 1979, Powell became the first woman to be a head professional at a golf course in the United Kingdom, at Silvermere, near London. After leaving the LPGA Tour in 1980, Powell developed inner-city youth golf programmes in the United States and in 1995 she became the first African-American female Class A member of The PGA of America and the LPGA. In 2003, she received the Professional Golfers' Association’s First Lady of Golf award and four years later the inaugural Rolex For the Love of the Game Award. In 2008 she was made an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University of St Andrews.

The great Scottish amateur golfer Belle Robertson won the British Ladies Amateur Championship in 1981 and the Scottish Ladies’ Close Amateur Championship on seven occasions. Robertson represented Great Britain and Ireland in seven Curtis Cups and was part of the first team to win the match on American soil in 1986.  She captained the team twice. Robertson was voted Scottish Sportswoman of the Year on four occasions and Woman Golfer of the year three times. In 1973, Robertson was appointed MBE for services to golf and was named as one of the 50 inaugural members of the Scottish Sport Hall of Fame in 2002.

Lally Segard (née Vagliano) is one of France’s greatest golfers, winning the British Girls’ Championship in 1937 and, as Vicomtesse de Saint-Sauveur, 15 international titles including the British Ladies’ Amateur in 1950. As President of the Women’s Committee of the World Amateur Golf Council (now the International Golf Federation) she helped found the Espirito Santo Trophy, the women’s World Amateur Team Championship. She was France’s non-playing captain from the inaugural event in 1964 until 1972. Segard is an Officer of France’s National Order of Merit and a Commander of the Order of Sporting Merit.

One of the most successful golfers in history, Annika Sorenstam is a former world number one who won 89 events around the world, including ten Major Championships. She won the Rolex Player of the Year award on eight occasions and represented Europe in the Solheim Cup eight times between 1994 and 2007, before serving as vice-captain for the victorious European side in 2011 and 2013. Sorenstam was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003 and retired from competitive golf in 2008 to focus on establishing the Annika Academy and the Annika Foundation, which support aspiring junior golfers.

Louise Suggs, a co-founder and former President of the LPGA, won the US Amateur in 1947 and the British Ladies’ Amateur in 1948, before turning professional and winning 58 events, including 11 Major Championships. Suggs was an inaugural inductee into the LPGA Hall of Fame, established in 1967, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1979. The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award, given each year to the most accomplished first-year player on the LPGA Tour, is named in her honour. In 2007, Suggs received the Bob Jones Award, given by the USGA in recognition of great sportsmanship in golf.

Enough about the freebies, below is the notice to members on new dues-payers. Mrs. Bonallack finally gets to see where her husband's office used to be!