Medal winners to the fore over the Old Course

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s local clubs gold medal competition, regarded as the strokeplay championship of St Andrews, was played over the Old Course at the weekend.

This was the 119th staging of the men’s gold medal since it was first played in 1890, with no competition during the first and second world wars.

The men’s event saw maximum starting field of 60 was made up of 31 competitors from The St Andrews Golf Club, 20 from The New Golf Club, four from The University of St Andrews Golf Club and five from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

The 12 competitors with the lowest round one scores, and any ties for twelfth place, qualified for round two.

The qualifying score was 73, and 20 players made the cut.

After round two there was a two-way sudden death play-off between Shaun Singer, who carded 67 and 72, and Marc Gentles, with his 69 and 70, who tied on an aggregate scratch score of 139.

An extra hole was played with Singer coming out on top to be crowned the 2021 men’s champion of the links.

The women’s gold medal competition was also played over the Old Course, the fifth staging of the event.

A starting field of 21 was made up of 19 competitors from St Regulus Ladies Golf Club, one from The University of St Andrews Golf Club and one from The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

There was a three-way sudden death play-off between Eilidh Watson, Susan Wood and Gillian Paton, who were all tied on a scratch score of 76.

St Regulus members Eilidh Watson bogeyed the first extra hole before Susan Wood lost out on the fourth.

The winner of the gold medal, and the 2021 women’s champion of the links was then Gillian Paton, also of the St Regulus Golf Club.

The junior gold medal event saw 12 golfers compete.

Coming out on top was the New Golf Club’s Samuel Mukherjee who beat Ross Laird with a scratch score of 69.