St Andrews Links Trophy

Boasts Record Entries This Year

U.S. Amateur runner-up James Driscoll is one of 58 overseas players in the record entry of 261 for the St Andrews Links Trophy which will be played over the Old and New courses on Saturday and Sunday, 26th and 27th May.

Driscoll, 23, who had planned to turn professional following the U.S. Amateur last year, said the opportunity to play in this year's Masters was too enticing to pass up. There, he didn't disgrace himself.

The Brookline, Massachusetts resident was one of five first-time non professionals who briefly took the headlines at Augusta from their better known golfing partners. In his six-birdie, two bogey opening round of 68, Driscoll needed only 23 putts, two less than any other player, and when asked for the secret, said: "I try not to think too much." Unfortunately in his second round the thought process came into play, he needed 10 shots more and missed the cut by one.

However he is already part of golfing history when his final U.S. Amateur match against winner Jeff Quinney went to the 39th, equaling the record for the event's longest title match.

Now he has 119 of the world's best players with handicaps ranging from +4 to +1 to beat if he wants to become only the second overseas winner of what is generally accepted as the best amateur stroke play tournament in the world.

The entry from the Home Nations is particularly strong and includes all but five of the squad players (three are in America and are unavailable ) from whom this year's Walker Cup team to play the U.S. in August will be selected. These include Nick Dougherty, Zane Scotland and David Griffiths of England, Scots Steven O'Hara, Mark Loftus, Barry Hume and Mark Warren, Noel Fox, Michael Hoey and Tim Rice of Ireland and Nigel Edwards, Craig Williams and Kyron Sullivan from Wales.

The overseas entry from 11 countries is headed by the U.S. with 15 players led by Driscoll and Miami's James Kiely, also off +4, the same mark as Richard Sterne, and Dean Lambert, two of the rising stars of a talented group of South African players currently coming through the ranks. Eleven of their players are making the trip to St Andrews and with ten coming from Australia, eight from Finland and five from Sweden, a strong foreign assault on the title is assured.

The worldwide interest in the St Andrews Links Trophy confirms the commitment of the organisers to target it as "The Best in The World" and with Burberry in place as a new global sponsor and further improvements in place for competitors, that commitment is now set to become a reality.