Eleven young people from across the world have been selected as recipients of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club Scholarship, as part of the programme’s third cohort.
The scholarship programme is designed to identify, support and develop emerging leaders who are committed to shaping the future of golf through innovation, inclusion and expertise across a wide range of disciplines within the sport.
Chosen from a highly competitive international application process, the 2026 Scholars represent a diverse range of specialisms that will help golf’s continued growth and evolution in years to come, including golf development, agronomy and sustainability, equipment design, data analytics, club management, golf course architecture, coaching, business and technology, sport psychology and partnerships and health.
This year’s cohort also highlights the expanding global reach of the programme, with Scholars representing Ghana, Tanzania, China and Romania for the first time, alongside Australia, Canada, Ireland, the UK and USA.
Each Scholar will receive a comprehensive support package designed to advance their personal and professional development within golf, including:
• Up to £10,000 per year towards educational costs
• Up to £5,000 per year to support golf-related activities
• Mentorship from a Member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
• Access to a peer support network of current and former Scholars
• An invitation to an annual leadership conference in St Andrews, bringing together Scholars from across all cohorts.
Funded entirely by Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the scholarship reflects the club’s ongoing commitment to supporting talented young people who aspire to make an impact on golf around the world. Unique to the programme is the mentorship and guidance Scholars receive from Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, alongside the peer support network that has been created between Scholars across all three cohorts.
Martin Hattrell, Chairman of The R&A, said, “As the Scholarship Programme enters its third year, we are extremely proud of the progress it continues to make and of the positive impact our Scholars are already having across the sport. Members of our first and second cohorts have gone on to achieve remarkable things, underlining the importance of investing in talented young people who are passionate about the future of golf.
“The programme plays an important role in identifying and supporting the next generation of leaders who will help shape, unite and inspire the sport around the world. This year’s cohort once again reflects a diverse and impressive range of expertise and perspectives, spanning sustainability, technology, coaching, golf development and player wellbeing. Many congratulations to all of the 2026 Scholars. I wish them every success for the future.”
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club Scholarship is an important part of The R&A Foundation’s mission to provide opportunities for people to reach their potential for – and through – golf. Scholars are selected for their leadership potential, vision and commitment to making a positive contribution to the sport and its communities.
The third cohort will gather in St Andrews later this year for the programme’s annual leadership and networking conference, where they will connect with Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, industry leaders and fellow Scholars from previous cohorts.
Recipients of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club Scholarship 2026 are:
Selase Atsriku, Ghana
Area of interest: Golf Development
Motivated by the lack of opportunities and structures for golf currently available within the region, Selase hopes to use media, storytelling and industry engagement to help close the gap between Africa and more established golfing regions, while elevating the profile of the sport across the continent. In the long term, Selase wants to contribute to building a more structured and sustainable golf ecosystem in Ghana and across West Africa. This includes increasing the number of competitive opportunities for professionals, improving visibility and creating stronger pathways from junior to elite levels.
Luca Carboni, Australia
Area of interest: Agronomy/ Sustainability
Luca is deeply passionate about advancing sustainable turf management practices, particularly in the areas of water conservation, chemical management, and the revitalisation of indigenous flora and fauna. For over three years after secondary education, he was actively engaged in the greenkeeping industry on Australia’s renowned Melbourne Sandbelt region and is currently studying both a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering (Honours) and a Diploma of Sports Turf Management, building a strong technical and practical foundation for a career in sustainable golf. Through his work, Luca aims to help golf courses be recognised not only as sporting venues, but also as valuable ecological and community assets.
Lucía Juanas Crowe, UK
Area of interest: Equipment Design
Lucía is currently completing an MEng in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bath and hopes to specialise in performance-driven aerodynamic product design within the golf industry. Golf inspired her interest in engineering and continues to shape both her academic and professional ambitions. Through placements with PING in Phoenix and Loughborough, she has contributed to projects involving ball flight modelling, fairway wood face plate design and aerodynamic research. As Lucía completes her degree, she sees this scholarship as an opportunity to access mentorship, expand her professional network and continue building a career in research and development at the intersection of physics, equipment and performance in golf.
Johnson John, Tanzania
Area of interest: Golf Development
Johnson’s ambition is to become one of the leading figures in golf development in Africa, someone who transforms access, participation and professional pathways for juniors, youth and emerging golfers. Johnson is currently an Operations Manager at the Tanzania Golf Union and a passionate advocate for golf development in Africa. Through his work, he aims to build sustainable golf academies, strengthen national structures and create programmes that introduce golf to schools, universities and communities that have historically been excluded from the sport. He believes he can play a key leadership role in shaping policies, systems, and opportunities that allow African golfers to compete, grow and thrive on the global stage.
Ronan Murray, Ireland
Area of interest: Data Analytics
Ronan is currently working at Golf Ireland, where he is involved in research and data insights. Through this scholarship, he hopes to combine formal training in statistics and data science with his current work in golf. In the long term, Ronan has ambitions to become a strategic decision-maker within golf at an international level, using evidence and insights to guide key decisions about the future of the sport, and working at the intersection of governance, strategy and data to help keep the sport at the forefront of innovation.
Kaila Regan, USA
Area of interest: Club Management
Kaila’s long-term goal is to build a career in the private club and golf industry, with a focus on hospitality operations and leadership at clubs and championship venues. Kaila recently graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Hospitality Management with a concentration in Club Management, and later this year she will continue her education by pursuing a Master’s Degree in Sport and Entertainment Management. Through experiences working at Augusta National Golf Club and events including The Masters Tournament, Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup, PGA Championship and Wells Fargo Championship, she has developed a passion for both club management and tournament operations.
Jonny Robertson, UK
Area of interest: Business, Partnerships, Golf and Health
Jonny’s ambition is to shape the future of golf by bridging the gap between health, technology and education to empower the next generation. Having suffered a severe injury during his PGA professional training, he refocussed toward the science of player health, performance and longevity. Jonny is currently in his third year studying BSc Applied Sport Science at The University of Edinburgh and developing a growing interest in commercial and partnerships. Through this scholarship, Jonny hopes to collaborate with peers from diverse backgrounds, broaden his perspective and continue building towards a career focused on creating strategic partnerships that support the long-term growth and sustainability of the sport.
Michael Rosenthal, USA
Area of interest: Golf Course Design/Architecture
Building on more than a decade of playing, working and travelling within golf, Michael will begin his Master of Landscape Architecture at Cornell University in August with a focus on golf course development. His long-term goal is to design and build some of the world’s finest golf courses, places that feel natural, play well, stand the test of time and create lasting value for the communities they serve. Michael believes that the Scholarship will offer valuable exposure to international perspectives in golf course development, enabling him to grow both technically and creatively as a professional in the golf industry.
Serban Schiopu, Romania
Area of interest: Golf Coaching
Passionate about growing the sport in Romania, Serban is working towards building a long-term career in golf education and coaching, with a strong focus on grassroots development. After competing at a high amateur level and graduating in Physical Education and Sport, Serban aims to continue his professional development as a golf instructor by obtaining internationally recognised coaching qualifications at the University of Birmingham before taking an active role in developing junior initiatives that help grow participation and raise standards within Romanian golf. Serban is currently an R&A Community Golf Instructor and hopes to use his studies and future PGA qualifications to support coaching and player development to create stronger beginner and junior programmes that make golf more accessible and welcoming to new players and create more opportunities for the next generation of players in Romania.
Tina Tang, China
Area of interest: Golf, Business and Technology
Tina’s future career ambition is to work at the intersection of sports business, and technology and hopes to contribute to the future of golf by working to make it a more inclusive and accessible sport through technological solutions. Originally from Beijing, Tina is a fourth-year undergraduate at Georgetown University studying Government and Economics while competing as a Division I varsity golfer. She has developed a passion for using technology and data to make golf more accessible and inclusive. In the long term, Tina hopes to contribute to the future growth of golf by creating innovative, tech-forward ways to engage new audiences and inspire greater participation across Asia.
Chloe Tran, Canada
Area of interest: Sport Psychology
As a senior college athlete, Chloe has seen first-hand how the pressures of high-performance sport can impact both performance and wellbeing, inspiring her to pursue a career in sports psychology and mental performance coaching. She hopes to help change the narrative around mental skills training in sport while making these resources more accessible to developing golfers. Through future work in coaching and research, Chloe aims to give back to the game of golf by creating more opportunities for learning, development and athlete support. Chloe is currently a fourth-year undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University (SFU), and working towards earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with plans to undertake a Master of Science in Psychology of Sports at the University of Stirling.