One of the first seven women to be nominated for honorary membership of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club has spoken of the “honour and shock” at receiving the accolade.
In an exclusive interview with The Courier at the Open Championship in St Andrews, former American LPGA tour player Renee Powell revealed she stepped foot in the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse for the first time last Wednesday and was amazed when she discovered she even had a locker.
The 69-year old, who received an honorary degree from St Andrews University in 2008, said: “Everyone has been so welcoming. The R&A sent me out a silk scarf to wear instead of a tie.
“I’m very proud of it and love wearing it. I went in for the first time unannounced last Wednesday, and I was amazed when I saw they even had a locker with my name on it.”
It was announced in February that Renee along with fellow professional golfers Laura Davies, Belle Robertson, Lally Segard, Annika Sorenstam and Louise Suggs had accepted honorary member invitations.
The Princess Royal also became a member following the historic vote last September by the Royal and Ancient to allow women members for the first time in its 260-year history.
Renee, who met up to watch the golf with St Andrews University principal Professor Louise Richardson on Saturday, is a former golf professional who now manages Clearview golf course in Ohio, built by her late father, Bill Powell.
She said golf has a “unique power” to bring people of all races and nationalities together and to “break down barriers”.
She said: “There is no better place to be than St Andrews. St Andrews, to me, is where it all started. For me to come to St Andrews, the Home of Golf, and to be made an honorary member of such an esteemed institution is, for me, the highest accomplishment you can get”
Reflecting on her life, she said it was all the more remarkable as a woman of African-American extraction, adding that it was “all thanks to her parents”.
Renee’s nomination came about following nine years of work with New Links, a St Andrews-based charity with years of experience in working with the inspirational American.
New Links was founded in 2006 with the aim of helping children from less privileged backgrounds visit St Andrews and pursue a college education and, so far, around 100 young people from Scotland, the United States, Kenya and South Africa have participated in New Links events.