Few places in golf have witnessed more historic moments than St Andrews. And on Friday morning, the “Home of Golf” marked another historic day when Claire Dowling, the first ever female captain of the R&A, began her captaincy with the club’s traditional driving in ceremony.
At 8am sharp, in front of a crowd of over a thousand people, Dowling hit a drive down the first fairway at The Old Course, a rite of passage for all incoming R&A captains since 1863.
“All I know is that I hit it!”, said the new captain shortly after the tee shot. “It got airborne and I think it was a good shot.”
The new female captain isn’t a stranger to nerve-wracking first tee shots. Dowling played on four Curtis Cup teams and compared today’s experience to that at Muirfield in 1984.
“I had a few moments in the trophy room before walking out and I was so nervous. It reminded me of playing in the Curtis Cup, it’s like there’s a washing machine going off inside you.”
Dowling will become the 271st member to captain the R&A but is the first female. An accomplished player herself, a 4-handicap and five-time Irish Amateur Champion, the 68-year-old said after her tee shot that she has been overwhelmed by the messages of support and letters she’s received.
“I’ve had such a lot of messages from women saying that it is inspirational and encouraging and that it has given them something to aim for, which is fantastic.”
History in St Andrews.
The R&A’s first female captain officially “drives in” on the first tee at the Old Course. pic.twitter.com/LX3ASGU3md
— Jamie Kennedy (@jamierkennedy) September 25, 2026
So what does the first day in office look like?
After a breakfast with her friends and family in the R&A clubhouse, she has a 10am tee time on The Old Course in a club competition. After that she is eager to begin her role as captain of the club.
“I think it’s going to be an amazing year. I’m hoping to engage with the members as much as I can. I’m hoping to work with the R&A to develop golf across the world and encourage people to play. If I can achieve any of that, I’ll be delighted.”
As for the ball Dowling hit, that was retrieved by 30-year-old caddie Dillon McCarron. In yet another tradition of the day, St Andrews caddies line the first fairway and race to get their hands on the ball. The ball is then returned with the captain having to symbolically ‘buy back’ their ball, gifting the successful caddie a gold, sovereign coin.
And, of course, there is a strategy to be the one who gets the ball.
“There was a cameraman setting up in the fairway and he told the caddies they should move closer to the tee,” McCarron told me. “A lot of caddies went across the road but I knew she was a good player so I thought she can’t be that short. I was lucky it came straight to me.”
And so, at 8am on September 25th, 2026, with the sound of a tee shot and a cannon, the first female captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club was welcomed into office. A historic day for a historic town.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
