The Royal and Ancient Golf Club has increased its number of individual bursars to reflect the increasing number of golfers choosing to study in Europe while continuing to play amateur golf at the highest level.
Included for the first time in these awards are four Italian players one of whom, Francesco Molinari, reached the semi-finals of the Amateur Championship at Royal Troon last year.
The highest award for the current 2003/2004 academic year has gone to Clare Queen studying at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. She receives £4,000 and hopes to gain a place in the Great Britain and Ireland team to play against the United States in June in the Curtis Cup match at Formby in Lancashire.
The current Irish Amateur Close Champion, Mark O‘Sullivan, receives £3,500. He is studying at University College, Dublin.
In announcing these awards, Duncan Weir, the R&A’s Golf Development Secretary said; “The R&A is now supporting university and student golf with an annual investment of over £350,000 to a total of 220 recipients. This year’s group of Individual Bursars includes several students who have already achieved full international status and others who have shown the potential to reach this level.”
All bursaries are given for each year of a student’s course to help offset educational expenses and are not restricted to meeting costs associated with competitive golf.
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