Martin Slumbers could not have witnessed greater theater than his first British Open in charge of the R&A, the record-setting duel between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon. “I walked around quite a bit and it felt sort of empty,” Slumbers, 64, said in a telephone interview this week as he winds down nearly a decade as CEO. The final Open for Slumbers, who retires at the end of the year, also was at Royal Troon this summer when Xander Schauffele battled through rain and wind on Saturday and emerged with his second major of the year.
The field for the 48th Henry Tuten Gator Bowl Pro-Am is led by six past PGA Tour winners, including 2022 Players champions Cameron Smith.
Wenyi Ding capped off a marathon Sunday with a 3-under 67 that carried the 19-year-old from China to a one-shot victory in the Asia-Pacific Amateur and earned him an invitation to the Masters and the British Open next year. Golf Digest reported that Ding plans to take up European tour membership through the new “Global Amateur Pathway.” The Masters and British Open typically require players to remain an amateur to use such exemptions.
