St Andrews Links Collegiate has great potential to become a World Collegiate Major

Institutions across the world and the greatest college talent on the planet could come to St Andrews every year; event can become the meeting place of some of the most important and influential academic institutions in the world

The University of St Andrews is Scotland's oldest, with a history dating back to 1413. The Old Course is considered to be the home of golf, with a history dating back to 1552. St Andrews is the meeting place for golfers and students from across the whole world, with the University welcoming students from between 135 and 145 countries across 6 continents. So, there may not be a single better place on earth to stage the world's greatest collegiate golf tournament, which is what I believe the St Andrews Links Collegiate can become.

Staged just over a week after the conclusion of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, this event, broadcast on Golf Channel in the US and Sky Sports Golf in the UK, benefitted from the infrastructure which remained in place, such as TV towers. As this event grows, it could also retain the use of the Pavilion next to the 17th green, and the Media Centre too. Each of the four Universities brought their own photographers and content creators, along with the Creative team from St Andrews Links, the team from Recounter and of course, me were covering the tournament. With the addition of more Universities, and the increase in attention that would generate, I am in no doubt that the St Andrews Links Collegiate could fill a media centre the size of the one used by the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The St Andrews Links Collegiate should be an event which aspires to be the very biggest and best event in the college schedule worldwide, and to achieve that it needs to expand the field.

Other US College events have much larger fields, with The Prestige including teams representing 24 institutions, and other events have fields ranging from 8-19 teams, so there is definitely scope and precedent to expand the field and invite institutions from around the world. Many Intercollegiate events in the US consist of 54 holes of Strokeplay, determining individual and team champions, which the St Andrews Links Collegiate could replicate, but add a final match play round for the teams.

This was the first ever St Andrews Links Collegiate I have covered, after doing many St Andrews Links Trophies and St Rule Trophies, and the final day certainly was exciting, and the first two days on the Jubilee were brilliant.

University of St Andrews Ellie Monk took the lead in the women's individual tournament after a first round of 68 on the Jubilee Course. Monk, from Surrey in England, began slowly with pars at the opening two holes before a disappointing bogey on the par-five third. Monk then caught fire to surge up the leaderboard with a remarkable run, beginning with a birdie at the par-five sixth hole, before firing off birdies at four successive holes from the ninth. Ellie then parred in over the fearsome closing holes on the Jubilee to complete a 4-under-par round, which nobody could match, despite the best efforts of her teammates.

University of St Andrews Caitlin Maurice was in 2nd place in the women's individual tournament, after a round of 69 which featured four birdies and a sole bogey. Maurice took advantage of the early birdie chance at the third, before stumbling at the sixth to go out in level par, but birdies at 12, 15 and 16 along with 6 pars saw her come home in 33. Mathilda Orring made it a hattrick of St Andrews scholars in the top four with a round of 70, which included 5 birdies and 3 bogeys. With the top 5 scores each day counting for the team leaderboard St Andrews were still reliant upon the whole team contributing their best golf, and unfortunately Emilie Knai (+4), Eliza Dana (+11) and Judy Miwoo Joo (+17) struggled, and St Andrews began the second round of the team competition with a 6 shot deficit to overcome to make it into the championship match.

Princeton and California, Berkeley began the second round tied on level par, in a competition which tends to reward consistency across the team rather than outstanding low rounds from one or two golfers.

In the men's individual competition University of St Andrews Ollie George made a fine start, with a round of 68 on the Jubilee Course. George, again from Surrey, birdied the second hole, before stumbling with a double-bogey at the sixth, which is playing as a par four for the men.

He ended the front nine with a fine birdie at the 9th before making a spectacular eagle on the par-five 12th hole. George played consistently and began the second round of individual play two shots off the lead.

St Andrews headed into the second round of team play 6 shots off the lead, which was held by Michigan State at 4-under-par.

The second day of the 2025 St Andrews Links Collegiate was tense, dramatic and exciting, as well as being historic. Having two final rounds conclude on the same course on the same day posed its own challenges for me, but I chose to primarily focus upon the women's individual competition, because there were two University of St Andrews students in serious contention for the title.

Thanana Kotchasanmanee made a good start to the second round, and through four holes she was tied for the lead with Ellie Monk and Caitlin Maurice at 4-under-par, and the tournament quickly developed into a three-way contest. Heading into the final nine holes Kotchasanmanee had stumbled, making bogeys at the 7th and 9th holes, to fall back to 3-under-par, some 2 shots behind Monk, and 3 behind the new leader, Caitlin Maurice. Then over the second nine we were treated to so spectacular golf, with Kotchasanmanee making birdies at the 12th, 15th and 16th, Monk birdied the 12th and 13th, before a bogey at the 14th, and Maurice birdied the 12th, 14th and 15th as well as dropping shots at the 13th and 16th.

With two holes to play Kotchasanmanee, Monk and Maurice were tied at 6-under-par, and the tension was palpable. It was Monk who delivered, with a fantastic approach to the 18th hole to within 2 feet, and in front of watching teammates, coaches and the assembled staff and media, she sealed the victory. After the battle, the tension, the drama, there is the glory, the emotion, the elation. This felt like a big win, a big moment, and the St Andrews Links Collegiate felt like it had come of age, with students at the host university showing they could compete with, and indeed beat their illustrious visitors from the USA.

In the Men's competition it was an equally dramatic climax as Princeton University's Reed Greyserman shot a phenomenal round of 64 to win the Men's Individual title by 4 shots on a dramatic second day on the Jubilee Course. Greyserman birdied 15, 16 and 17, and overnight leader Lorenzo Pinilli made double-bogey on the 16th to see a remarkable turnaround completed.

I must admit to being a little confused as to the format of the event, but by the time the final day came around, and by the time of the climax on Wednesday, it was crystal clear and it was magnificent in its conception.

One by one, as the players finished their matches, they came back out to support the rest of their team, and this produced a great atmosphere over the closing holes, particularly around 17 and 18.

The above sequence of images show the reactions of the Princeton team behind the 17th green as Reed Greyserman misses a birdie putt.

Princeton tigers won the Men's team title, and the California Berkeley bears won the Women's team title, and on a golden evening they received their prizes on the first tee of the Old Course, before 3 of the 4 participating teams in the two championship matches headed to the Swilcan Bridge for the traditional shot.

In the consolation matches the University of St Andrews lost both matches to finish in fourth place.

There's no doubt that this event can be enormous for St Andrews Links, and for collegiate golf in the UK and around the world, and with a few tweaks it can be even bigger than it was this year.

For so long it has all been about the Old Course when it comes to tournament golf in St Andrews, but the Jubilee and New Courses are magnificent championship tests, each with a dynamic and eclectic mix of holes, and each have a stern test to conclude the round.

The St Andrews Links Collegiate could feature 12 institutions entering teams of 6 men and 6 women, showcasing a field of 144 of the finest student golfers from around the world, and playing Strokeplay rounds over the New Course and Jubilee Course, before heading to the medal match play contests on the Old Course to decide the team champions.

The field could be made up of 11 invited institutions, plus the University of St Andrews.

University of St Andrews is the oldest University in Scotland, and the host university for the St Andrews Links Collegiate,  the University admits students from between 135 and 145 countries across 6 continents and its Saints Sport Programme, and facilities are the envy of most of Scotland. As a student, you get a Links Ticket giving you access to all 7 St Andrews Links golf courses for £371 per year, or you can pay £190 per year to get access to 5 courses other than the Old Course and the Castle.

Myerscough College is the UK's leading provider of Golf Education and arguably the worldwide leader in the delivery of golf studies from GCSE level through to Masters and post-graduate study. It also has perhaps the most-well developed competitive structure of any institution in the UK, running dozens of tournaments for golf students each season, playing such prestigious courses as Royal Lytham and St Anne's, and internationally in Portugal, Türkiye and the United States. Alumni of the college's golf studies programme includes Chris Hanson, a former DP World Tour professional; and other graduates fulfil prominent roles with the R&A, PGA of Great Britain and Ireland, DP World Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf, as well as roles in player management, caddying, PGA teaching professionals and the media.

Students from the college have volunteered at the last 21 editions of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, as well as many other events across the DP World Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf. So, Myerscough College more than deserves future status as a pillar institution of the St Andrews Links Collegiate, and a permanent invitation to compete for the titles at the home of golf.

Myerscough College golf students have been essential volunteers at the Dunhill for more than 20 years

The BUCS Team Champions should be invited to play in the St Andrews Links Collegiate, in 2025 that was the University of St Andrews, who would be automatically invited every year anyway, but in previous years this has been won by the University of Stirling. An invitation to the Links Collegiate for the winner would increase the motivation for the players on the BUCS Golf Tour, and potentially encourage institutions to place greater emphasis on golf in their programmes across the UK.

The University of Stirling's golf and sports programme is renowned, and several DP World Tour professionals have been undergraduates at the University.

Five institutions would be invited from the USA, one would be invited from Asia, one from Australasia, one from Africa and one from South America, completing the 12-institution, 24-team, 144-player field.

The St Andrews Links Collegiate would be a meeting place, a melting pot of academic minds and supreme golfing talents from across the world, and one of the most compelling events of the year.

SHANK, written by Matt Hooper