2025 Alfred Dunhill Links: SHANK puts local St Andrews Citizen to shame with coverage of Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

St Andrews Citizen was first published in 1870, and was a St Andrews institution, based on South Street and an important part of the St Andrews community, but 155 years later they are failing in their duty to bring news and content to its core audience - the residents with a KY16 postcode. When a St Andrews golfer, who lives in the town, and has been a local golfer for the last decade, gets invited to play in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, it should be news, big news. John Paterson's image and story should be the lead story in the St Andrews Citizen, not Andy Murray's participation.

The photography should also be done by a local, not just using Getty Images content - this is what a true local newspaper would do. The St Andrews Citizen is owned by National World Publishing which is based in Leeds, and printed by Newsquest near Glasgow, so it is bending the realms of reality to call the St Andrews Citizen a local newspaper anymore. Friday's edition dedicates 26 words to Connor Syme and Calum Hill, but it doesn't find any for John.

SHANK on the other hand, well, the coverage highlights how awful the St Andrews Citizen is.

I worked with John on a preview feature including a significant interview and photoshoot, published here, and covered his practice round at the Old Course on Wednesday, before covering his first round on the Old Course, second round at Carnoustie and today's third round. Across Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads and Bluesky SHANK has created more than 30 times on John's participation in the event, and coverage of him has generated a total reach of more than 12,000.

The St Andrews Citizen should be covering this event from all angles, they have the resources to do so, but they choose not to.

I have travelled to all three courses to cover his participation, when I could easily just remain in St Andrews and cover certain golfers and celebrities for clicks and greater views and reach. Maybe when John contends or wins the Citizen will jump on the bandwagon, in contrast to SHANK, who have been there from the very beginning, and continue to cover golf from the grassroots to the giants of the game.

And the word count?

6197.