The captain’s position dates back to 1754, the year of the club’s founding, when local merchant Baillee William Landale won the inaugural “Challenge for the Silver Club.” Winners of that competition earned the captain’s title until the early 1800s, when it became an elected position. Dowling’s selection by the past Captains of the club was announced on Wednesday.

A career amateur, Dowling has a résumé that includes winning the Irish Championship five times. She played four times for Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup, including on the team that won for the first time on U.S. soil in 1986, and was also captain in 2000. She also played in the World Amateur Team Championship twice.

Dowling then transitioned from player to golf administrator. She was an advisory member of the R&A Amateur Status Committee from 1997-2001, and later chaired England Golf’s Handicap and Course Rating Committee from 2012-15.

In 2015, she also was one of the first women to become a member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, eventually serving on the rules committee from 2015-19 when the modernization of the rules was put into place.

Seven times, Dowling has served as a referee at the Open Championship, including in 2021 when, with her husband Peter, they became the first married couple to referee in the same Open.

Dowling will begin her year in office after the traditional “Driving In” ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course Sept. 25.

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In an era where the sites of the 1935 PGA Championship, 1937 Ryder Cup and 2051 U.S. Open already have been announced (plan your trips to Oak Hill, Congressional and Oakland Hills, respectively), it was an oddity that the site of the 2028 Open Championship was still unknown a little more than two years before it is to be played. That is until Monday when the R&A announced that Royal Lytham & St. Annes would be the site for the 156th playing of the game’s oldest championship.

Located 50 miles north of Liverpool along England’s west coast, Lytham will be hosting the Open for the 12th time, the most recent coming in 2012 when Ernie Els won for the second time, claiming the claret jug as Adam Scott stumbled with bogeys on the final four holes. The dates for the event are Aug. 3-6, later than the Open is traditionally held in order to accommodate the 2028 Olympics being played that July in Los Angeles.

Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club.

The stage is set for 2028. pic.twitter.com/iqZZNWe94a

— The Open (@TheOpen) April 27, 2026

“This is one of golf’s most cherished and historic venues and The Open’s return to these famous links will spark huge interest among fans to be part of one of the world’s great sporting events and celebrate the rich traditions of golf’s original Championship,” said R&A CEO Mark Darbon in a press release. “We are grateful to the members of Royal Lytham & St Annes and the local authorities for their support in making this happen. We look forward to enjoying another fantastic championship on England’s golf coast in 2028.”

Past Open champions at Lytham include Bobby Jones, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Bob Charles, Tony Jacklin, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Lehman, and David Duval.

“We are honoured to be chosen as the host venue for the 156th Open in 2028. The Club has a long and successful association with The Open, and we take great pride in our place within the Championship’s history,” said Tim Walker, Chairman of Council at Royal Lytham & St Annes, who made a nod to Lytham’s Open history. “It is fitting that this announcement comes as we mark 100 years since Bobby Jones’ victory here in 1926 and the granting of our Royal status. We look forward to welcoming the world’s leading players, together with spectators and audiences from across the globe, to our links on England’s golf coast.”

This summer, Lytham plays host to the AIG Women’s Open from July 29 to Aug. 2.

2028. Royal Lytham and St Annes.

It's time to remember again. pic.twitter.com/7khswaLHpH

— The Open (@TheOpen) April 27, 2026

FUTURE OPEN SITES

2026 — Royal Birkdale, Southport, England

2027 — The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland

2028 — Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Lancashire, England

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Europe’s only Senior Major Championship will visit the South Wales venue for the fourth time when the 40th edition of the ISPS HANDA Senior Open takes place from July 22-25, 2027.

The venue offers stunning views across Swansea Bay to the Gower Peninsula and offers a true test of golf. It has previously hosted prestigious Championships such as the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, The Amateur Championship and the Walker Cup.

The ISPS HANDA Senior Open was held at Royal Porthcawl for the first time in 2014, four years after the country hosted its first Ryder Cup at The Celtic Manor Resort.

Germany’s Bernhard Langer, the most successful player in Senior Major Championship history, triumphed by an incredible 13 shots ahead of Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, before winning for a second time at Royal Porthcawl in 2017.

In 2023 it was another German, Alex Čejka, who defeated Pádraig Harrington in a play-off as he landed his third Senior Major Championship title on a dramatic day in punishing conditions at Royal Porthcawl.

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The 132nd Amateur Championship will be staged at Royal Portrush – host to The 153rd Open last summer – from 14–19 June.

Stroke play qualifying will take place over the Dunluce and Valley links, with the match play stages on the Dunluce. A pre-qualifier will also be held on 11 June over the Valley.

The renowned Northern Ireland venue has held The Amateur Championship on three previous occasions, most recently in 2014 when Scotland’s Bradley Neil triumphed.

Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club – The R&A

The 124th Women’s Amateur Championship will be hosted at Royal Cinque Ports for the third time next year.

The famed links on England’s south-east coast – a Final Qualifying venue for The Open – will welcome the world’s best women amateurs for the first time since 1988. It will also mark the 125th  anniversary of the staging at the venue in 1902.

The R&A Girls’ and Boys’ Amateur championships will be held at Burnham & Berrow and Prince’s respectively from 9-14 August.

The R&A Women’s and Men’s Senior Amateur championships will be played concurrently at Blairgowrie from 6-9 July.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Chief Championships Officer at The R&A, said, “It is important for The R&A to continue to underline the status of our amateur championships and international matches as leading events in amateur golf.

“They provide a pathway for elite golfers and give life-changing opportunities, including those that offer exemptions to The Open and the AIG Women’s Open.

“We aim to attract the best amateur players from around the world in 2027 and look forward to staging our championships at some of the sport’s most prestigious venues.”

International matches between GB&I and the Continent of Europe will also take place in 2027 with the Jacques Léglise Trophy and the Junior Vagliano Trophy contested at Golf de Morfontaine in France from 20-21 August.

The dates and venues for the St Andrews Trophy and the Vagliano Trophy in 2027 are still to be confirmed, as are the dates for The Women’s Amateur Championship.

For this year’s championships in Great Britain and Ireland, entries open at the end of this week.

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Coping admirably with gusting southerly winds that blew many players off course, 18-year-old Yang closed with a three-under-par 69 at Royal Wellington, the best round of a day that saw just three-sub-par returns.

With a 72-hole aggregate of 16-under 272, Yang ended eight strokes clear of Oh, matching the WAAP’s record winning margin set by Japan’s Yuka Yasuda in 2019. She is also the first player to win the championship having held the solo lead after all four rounds.

Thanks to her success, Yang has earned exemptions into three major championships in 2026 – the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, The Amundi Evian Championship in France and the Chevron Championship in the United States – as well as a handful of elite amateur events.

In winning, Yang ended Korea’s victory drought in the region’s pre-eminent women’s amateur championship. Previously, Minsol Kim (2023), Hyosong Lee (2024) and Oh last year all had to settle for second place.

After holing out in driving rain on the 18th green, Yang raised her arms in a rare show of emotion before being warmly embraced by Oh and their Korean team-mates.

Yang, who tied for fourth in last year’s WAAP in Vietnam, said: “I’m very proud to be the first Korean winner. Having the opportunity to play in three major championships is an honour. I grew up watching the other golfers do well, especially the AIG Women’s Open.”

Despite the conclusive final margin, victory was hard-earned for Yang, who began the week in 44th place in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR)®.

After holing a ten-foot putt to save par at the 13th and stay two shots ahead of Oh, it was the short par-4 14th which proved pivotal with a decisive four-shot swing in Yang’s favour.

While Yang holed a 12-foot putt for an eagle-two after driving the green, Oh ran-up a double-bogey six, pulling her tee shot out of bounds. From that point, with weather conditions deteriorating, Yang was able to coast home, adding gloss with her fourth birdie of the day at the short 16th.

Modest and composed – on and off the course – Yang laid the foundations for her triumph with a stunning opening-day bogey-free eight-under-par 64. It was a lead she would not squander. A 67 on day two extended her advantage at the half-way stage to three. An even-par 72 on Saturday meant she led by two going into the final day.

Of her final-round strategy, Yang said, “The bad weather today was anticipated. The winds started getting stronger from yesterday, so I was getting prepared for that. I was playing a bit defensively, not trying to be too aggressive, aiming for pars rather than birdies to protect my score.”

For Oh and Rianne Malixi of the Philippines it was a case of more WAAP heartbreak.

Oh, who had to settle for runners-up spot for the second year in succession, reduced the overnight deficit to one with a scrambling par at the first hole and drew level when she made a birdie-two at the 8th hole.

But Yang’s two-stroke advantage was restored immediately when she holed a six-foot putt for birdie following a brilliant approach at the 9th hole while Oh made bogey.

Reflecting on another close WAAP call for her, Oh, the highest ranked player in the field at 11th in the WAGR®, said, “I had a great experience in New Zealand. It was a windy day. I have a lot of regrets, but I will use it as a driving force for my future growth.”

Malixi tied for third with Australian Jazy Roberts on six-under-par 282. The 2024 US Women’s Amateur champion is the first player to have three top-five finishes to her name in the WAAP.

Malixi said, “The bad weather finally showed its teeth today. Even though I was far back heading into the last round, there’s always a chance. But I didn’t capitalise, especially with how I was struggling with my putting. I never really gave myself a chance.

“This championship is a major for me. It’s always an honour to play in the WAAP. It sucks that I couldn’t get a win, but I’m looking forward to what’s in store with the upcoming season.”

Gyu Been Kim, who played alongside her compatriots Yang and Oh in the final group, fell out of contention with double-bogeys at the 7th and 9th holes. She signed off with an 81 and had to settle for joint ninth place on 286.

Jeneath Wong put up a staunch title defence, ending tied 16th on one-over-par 289. The Malaysian said, “I have a really special place for this championship and, as defending champion, I didn’t put too much pressure on myself this week. With the winds being very gusty today, I thought it was a lot of fun.”

The distinction of finishing as leading New Zealander went to Darae Chung, who signed off with a 76, securing her 22nd place on five-over-par 293. That was one shot in front of top-ranked Kiwi Eunseo Choi and four ahead of Teresa Wang.

Chung said, “A lot of Kiwis made the cut this week so to be to be the top New Zealander is a great honour. I had a lot of fun today. It was a huge challenge with the wind.

“There were a lot of junior girls out there, and that was encouraging to see. It’s really great we’ve been able to have this championship, especially for women’s golf and the growth for young girls. I hope we were able to display some great golf for them to be inspired and start playing.”

The 2027 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific will be played at Taiheiyo Club Minori Course in Japan from 22-25 April.

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Rory McIlroy believes Scotland’s famed Muirfield Golf Club should be returned to the Open Championship rota in time for the 2028 edition.

Muirfield Golf Club – David Cannon

Speaking to reporters after a third-round 71 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the reigning Masters champion said the Gullane area golf course “deserves” to be placed on the unofficial list of anchor sites the R&A uses for the men’s links major.

The U.K. major is headed this summer to Royal Birkdale, in the Southport area of Northwest England, before returning to the Old Course at St. Andrews in 2027 for the 155th Open.

Phil Mickelson holds the Claret Jug after winning the 142nd Open Championship at Muirfield in 2013. Rob Carr

While the R&A has not yet announced host courses for the 2028 and 2029 editions, McIlroy says Muirfield is worthy of welcoming back for the first Open since Phil Mickelson triumphed in 2013.

“Yeah,” the 2014 Open champion said Saturday when asked if it was time Muirfield came back into the equation. “I would say Birkdale this year, would be very early to bring an Open back to that [Northwest England] region in 2028.” Meaning, Royal Lytham may not be a suitable host for 2028 given it is less than 40 miles from Birkdale. In that case, Muirfield may be a better candidate.

“Muirfield, they obviously rectified the issues that they had,” he said. McIlroy was referring to a 2017 vote by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers to allow women members for the first time in Muirfield’s centuries-old history. McIlroy had been critical of the issue. At that year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy said it was “ridiculous” that it had taken so long to allow women to join. Five years after the vote, Muirfield hosted the Women’s Open for the first time, with South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai winning in a playoff.

At Royal Portrush during last year’s Open, Darbon spoke about potential future Open rota venues. He acknowledged that with the enormous scale of the modern British Open, Muirfield had logistical hurdles to consider but added discussions with the East Lothian course were positive.

“We love the golf course at Muirfield,” Darbon said. “We’re in a discussion with the venue right now. There are some things that we need to evolve at Muirfield—the practice ground, in particular, is a challenge for us to host the modern Open, and this is work we need to do. And if they need to facilitate some of the infrastructure that we require decent cabling to enable the scale of the production that we have these days.

“But it’s good dialogue, and we’d love to be back here in the future.”

The logical issues aside, Muirfield is regarded among the finest in the U.K. It ranks seventh in Golf Digest’s World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.

“It’s a wonderful golf course,” McIlroy said. “It’s one of the best courses on the rota and in the U.K., but I think, as well, it has to commercially make sense. I think [CEO of the R&A] Mark Darbon has been brought in to make the Open Championship commercially viable. I would say Muirfield, that area [of] North Berwick, that would probably be one of the more commercially viable opens. It would be wonderful if it was. Again, I’m not privy to those conversations but Muirfield deserves to be back on The Open rota.”

Now a career Grand Slam champion and five-time major winner, McIlroy wants another shot at hoisting the claret jug at Muirfield, having missed the cut in 2013 in what he said “could have been the lowest point in my career.” He won the Open at Royal Liverpool the following year.

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The Open Championship is moving, temporarily, to August in 2028.

The R&A announced the decision Monday for the tournament not to conflict with the Olympics golf competition in Los Angeles.

The claret jug will be contested from Aug. 3-6, about two weeks later than its normal July spot. The Summer Games in Los Angeles will are expected to begin on July 19. In 2028, there will be a men’s individual competition (July 19-22), a mixed team event on the 23-24, and a women’s individual tournament starting on July 26. All events will take place at Riviera.

As part of the R&A’s announcement, the 2028 Women’s Open and Senior Open were also pushed back into August to accommodate the Olympics. “We have worked collaboratively with the relevant bodies and our partners to agree alternative dates for staging our major championships in 2028 to accommodate the Olympic golf competitions,” R&A CEO Mark Darbon said in a statement.

“We appreciate the constructive discussions we have had with all of the stakeholders and believe that providing clarity on the dates now will assist with the planning of the global golf calendar in 2028.”

Darbon added that the events will return to their normal dates the following season.

The R&A has not publicly revealed the host venue for the Open in 2028, as only Royal Birkdale (2026) and the Old Course at St Andrews (2027) have been announced.

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The R&A announced in June that it would host a last-chance on-site qualifier for the Open Championship beginning next year at Royal Birkdale. There will be 12 players in a winner-take-all competition where one will advance directly into the championship (July 16-19) that will start three days later. It’s essentially a Monday qualifier like the old days on the PGA Tour, but for one of the four biggest prizes in the game.

On Tuesday, the R&A announced the eligibility for the qualifier, putting into picture the criteria for how they’re going to select the 12 players who will play in the 18-hole competition Monday morning (July 13) at Royal Birkdale.

Here is how the field will be determined:

• The top two players not eligible for the Open in the Official World Golf Ranking published on July 6.
• The runner-up in the British Amateur if still an amateur on July 13.
• Players who were in a playoff in final qualifying but did not advance.
• Players who finished one position behind those who secured a place at final qualifying.
• Players who were tied for a qualifying place in events that are part of the Open Qualifying Series (excluding Scottish Open) but failed to qualify because they were ranked lower in the world ranking.

“We have also developed eligibility criteria for the Last-Chance Qualifier which stays true to the traditions of The Open and our qualification process,” said Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, chief championships officer at the R&A. “Every golfer who tees it up at Royal Birkdale will have earned the right to do so and we look forward to seeing which player emerges from the field in the Last-Chance Qualifier to seal their place in the Championship.”

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MORE: Rory McIlroy meets with Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai

As someone who has spent more than a decade studying the relationship between physical activity and long-term health, I can say with confidence that golf is one of the most powerful and perhaps most underestimated forms of exercise available to people of all ages and abilities.

Scientific research commissioned by The R&A, golf’s global governing body, shows that golfers live, on average, five years longer than non-golfers. That same body of evidence demonstrates that playing golf can help prevent and treat more than 40 major chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and dementia.

Moderate-intensity exercise such as walking the course improves cardiovascular health, metabolic function and strength. For older adults, golf significantly boosts balance and muscle endurance, which are two key factors in maintaining independence later in life.

Just as importantly, golf offers something that is often hard to come by in a busy modern life: genuine social connection. Loneliness is one of the greatest health threats of our time, yet the golf course remains one of the few places where phones are kept in pockets and conversations flow naturally.

Whether you play nine holes with friends, learn alongside others on the practice range, or simply enjoy green space and fresh air, golf enriches wellbeing in a way few other sports can replicate.

RELATED: Golf is Good returns to Dubai Fitness Challenge

It is for all of these reasons that at The R&A, we are proud to see golf return to the Dubai Fitness Challenge through the expanded Golf is Good x Dubai Fitness Challenge initiative, delivered in partnership with The R&A and the Emirates Golf Federation. Throughout DFC, you can enjoy over 100 free golf activities across ten venues, including lessons, simulator game time, fitness sessions, and even a Walk to Win challenge at the DP World Tour Championship – one of several prestigious international events taking place during DFC.

For many, this will be their first time trying the sport. It is an opportunity to discover that golf is not inaccessible, not overly technical, and certainly not limited to those who already play. It is an activity that can be enjoyed by children, families, complete beginners, and older adults. You do not need expensive equipment or years of experience to reap the benefits. You simply need to start.

DFC provides the perfect platform to do just that. With the entire city focused on building healthier habits, trying golf for the first time becomes both convenient and inviting. The Challenge’s emphasis on daily movement aligns perfectly with the evidence: if you play golf – or even practice or walk the course – for at least 150 minutes per week, you are meeting the World Health Organisation’s global exercise guidelines.

Crucially, the initiative also extends beyond golf clubs and championship venues. Through Unleash Your Drive in Schools, children across Dubai will be introduced to golf in environments that support learning, confidence, and physical literacy. Early positive experiences of sport can shape lifelong behaviours, and this programme ensures young people can discover golf in a playful, engaging, and inclusive way.

In a world where physical inactivity contributes to more than three million deaths each year, we urgently need sports that welcome people in rather than shut them out, and golf in Dubai is doing just that.

So this month, as Dubai takes on its annual 30×30 challenge, I encourage everyone, especially those who have never considered golf before, to take advantage of the free sessions on offer. Step onto a driving range, pick up a club, walk along the fairways, or join a fitness session at one of the participating venues. You may just discover a sport that keeps you healthier, happier, and more connected – not only for the next 30 days, but for life.

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The Old Course at St. Andrews has been in the news this week for announcing changes ahead of the 2027 Open Championship in an effort to defend the storied layout against the best players in the world. But there’s not much to be done anywhere if Kyle Berkshire gets a hold of one.

The Long Drive legend and YouTube creator recently filmed at the Old Course. And he brought the famed Road Hole to its knees by driving the par 4 and making a two-putt birdie.

You can watch it all on Berkshire’s Instagram page here. Just look at the insane line he takes off the tee in order to roll one up to the front edge of the green:

Impressive stuff from Berkshire. There’s not much that can be done to “Kyle-Proof” that. Unless, the Old Course Hotel adds an extension.

MORE: How Gary Player plays four rounds a week at age 90 and why he thinks he’ll still be playing at 100

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