As the body that governs golf globally, the R&A’s appointment of its first female Captain sends a signal that reaches well beyond St Andrews.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has named Claire Dowling as its Captain for 2026/27 — the first woman to hold the position since the Club was founded in 1754.
Dowling was nominated by the Club’s Past Captains and will take office after the traditional driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course on 25 September 2026.
She was among the first women to join the R&A in 2015, when the Club voted to open its membership to women for the first time. She has since served on the Rules Committee and General Committee, acting as Deputy Chair of both, and is currently on the Membership Committee.
Four Curtis Cups and five Irish titles
As a player, Dowling represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup on four occasions and was part of the 1986 team that beat the USA 13-5 at Prairie Dunes — the first GB&I victory on American soil. She went on to captain the Curtis Cup team at Ganton in 2000 and has also led the Vagliano Trophy and Irish teams.
Born in Dublin, she represented Ireland in the Home Internationals from 1979 to 1992 and played in six European Team Championships. She won five Irish Championships, the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship in 1986 and the Spanish Amateur in 1987.
Off the course, Dowling has chaired England Golf’s Handicap and Course Rating Committee and refereed at The Open seven times. At Royal St George’s in 2021, she and her husband Peter — a retired District Judge — became the first married couple to referee at the same Championship.
Claire is an honorary life member of the Irish Ladies’ Golf Union and holds the same distinction at a number of golf clubs including Portmarnock, Copt Heath, Woodbrook and Cork. Claire is also a member of East Devon and her current Handicap Index is 7.6.
