McVeigh Plays R&A Foundation Scholars

Danielle McVeigh

Two Curtis Cup stars will arrive in St Andrews next week in search of victory in The R&A Foundation Scholars Tournament, which takes place over theEden and Old courses. Pamela Pretswell and Danielle McVeigh will line up along with another 58 talented, young university golfers, who receive R&A funding to assist them to continue their competitive golf careers, while completing their higher education. 

At stake is a starting place in a Ladies European Tour event for the women’s champion and, for the men’s winner, a place on the Great Britain and Ireland Palmer Cup team to face the USA at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, on June 9th -11th.

Despite being defeated by the USA at Essex County Club last year, Pretswell and McVeigh acquitted themselves well, earning the first point of the match together with victory in the first of the Friday four-balls. Leading the GB&I team away on the final day, McVeigh went on to win her Sunday singles match against Jennifer Song, before competing in the Women’s British Open later in July.

Women’s 2010 R&A Foundation Scholars Tournament Champion, Kelsey Macdonald returns to defend the title she won on St Andrews’ Castle Course last year. Macdonald, who was a reserve for the Curtis Cup match in which Pretswell and McVeigh played, is the reigning Scottish Ladies’ (Close) Amateur Champion.

Taking their places in the men’s competition are Stirling University’s Bobby Rushford and Nicky Maddison, who are shortly to represent The R&A at the Manuel Prado Team Cup, which will take place at Lima Golf Club, Peru. 2006 Scottish Amateur Championship Bronze Medallist Rushford is the current Scottish Universities Order of Merit Champion.

For the 2010/2011 academic year, The R&A awarded a record number of Foundation scholarships, taking its support of student golf to over £300,000. 121 scholars from 12 countries, including Fiji, Japan and South Africa, have benefited.

60 competitors will play 36 holes of the Eden Course on Monday 4 April, before contesting 18 on the Old the following day.