Claire Dowling: First Woman to Serve as Captain at St. Andrews

At exactly 8 a.m., all eyes in St. Andrews were on the first tee of the Old Course. Following a cannon shot, Claire Dowling hit her first ball as captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. With this traditional “driving-in,” she assumed a position that no woman had ever held since the club’s founding in 1754.

“It is a great privilege to be Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, and I am honored to be the first woman to assume this role,” Dowling told The R&A after her tee shot. A large group of members, former captains, and spectators watched the ceremony. The ball hit by Dowling was retrieved by caddie Dillon McCarron. In keeping with club tradition, Dowling purchased it with a gold coin; the ball will later be cast in silver and displayed in the “Silver Club.”

Captain Claire Dowling: First Woman to Hold the Position

Dowling is not only making history as the first woman to hold this position, but she also brings decades of experience in golf to the role. She won five Irish championships, the first in 1983, and claimed the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship in 1986. In 1987, she won the Spanish Amateur Championship. She represented Great Britain and Ireland four times in the Curtis Cup. She was part of the 1986 team when GB&I won on American soil for the first time against the U.S.—by a score of 13–5.

After her playing career, Dowling took on additional roles. In 2000, she captained the GB&I team at the Curtis Cup in Ganton; the match against the U.S. ended in a close 8–10 loss. She also served as a referee at The Open seven times. In 2021, she officiated the tournament alongside her husband Peter—according to The R&A, they were the first married couple to serve as referees at the same event.

Talent Development and Representation

Even outside of major tournaments, Dowling has supported young female players, according to the R&A: As county captain in Warwickshire in 2000, she specifically sought out girls who played golf. Felicity Johnson, then 13 years old, entered the county system this way. She later played at a high level herself and became a referee. Johnson describes Dowling as a role model in both phases of her career. She also sees her appointment as a signal to women who, until now, could hardly have imagined taking on such a role: “Until now, this highest representative office was not an option for women. And if you don’t have it in sight, you can’t become it either.”

As captain, Dowling will represent the club and The R&A at events and championships. During her term, she hopes to involve as many members as possible and promote the sport of golf internationally. The first tee shot on the Old Course was thus more than just a ceremonial kickoff: It marked the beginning of a new term—and a first in the club’s history.