The Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s Local Clubs’ Gold Medal Competitions 2017

Winners of the Men’s and Women’s Gold Medals, 
Edward Shannly and Fiona Hastie, with Sir Michael Bonallack OBE and Lady Bonallack, 
who presented the prizes.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s Local Clubs’ Gold Medal Competition, regarded as the Men’s Strokeplay Championship of St Andrews, was played over The Old Course on Sunday 14th May 2017. This was the 116th staging of the Gold Medal since first played in 1890 (there being no competition during The First and The Second World Wars).

The maximum starting Field of 60 was made up of 31 Competitors from The St Andrews Golf Club, 18 from The New Golf Club, 5 from The University of St Andrews Golf Club and 6 from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

At the end of Round 1, the joint-lead was held by Neil Moore and Edward Shannly, both from The New Golf Club, with scratch scores of 70, one stroke clear of the Field. The twelve Competitors with the lowest Round 1 scores, and any ties for twelfth place, qualified for Round 2. The qualifying score was 74, and 12 Competitors made the cut. After Round 2 and the conclusion of the Competition, the Runner-up with a 36-hole aggregate scratch scores of 145 (72 and 73 ) was Scott Finlay of The St Andrews Golf Club. The Winner of the Gold Medal, and the “2017 Champion of the Links”, with a 36-hole aggregate scratch score of 144 (70 and 74) was Edward Shannly of The New Golf Club.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s Local Clubs’ Women’s Gold Medal Competition, was also played over The Old Course on Sunday 14th May 2017. This was the first ever staging of a Women’s Gold Medal. A starting Field of 21 was made up of 16 Competitors from St Regulus Ladies’ Golf Club and 5 from The St Rule Club. The Runner-up with a scratch score of 80, was Susan Wood of St Regulus Ladies’ Golf Club (this was on the better inward half from Karen Marshall of The St Rule Club). The Winner of the Gold Medal, and the “2017 Women’s Champion of the Links”, with an 18-hole scratch score of 78, was Fiona Hastie of St Regulus Ladies’ Golf Club.