The R&A has a proliferating number of what it calls ambassadors. The latest among them, Michelle Wie West (global development), came in at No. 9; the earlier editions being Pádraig Harrington, Wenchon Liang and Suzann Pettersen (Working for Golf); Tom Watson (Open Championship); Georgia Hall (Women and Girls into Golf); Zane Scotland (diversity); and Gareth Bale and Niall Horan preceding Wie West for global development.
In the Collins Dictionary, the word “ambassador” is described as “a diplomatic minister of the highest rank accredited as permanent representative to another country or sovereign.” Elsewhere, it is applied to America’s senior foreign service employees who, interestingly enough, can have salaries which exceed the maximum “but may not go over the salary set for the Vice President of the United States, which was $240,100 a year as of 2017.”
A couple of oft-repeated questions concerns what the R&A ambassadors get paid and what they do to earn a title, which to some of us at least, sounds like the next best thing to an OBE or a knighthood.
Wie West, apparently, has demonstrated a strong desire to elevate the visibility of the women’s game besides fostering an inclusive and diverse future for the sport.
Officially, the chosen ones are not paid, the usual arrangement being that the R&A will give money to causes close to their hearts in exchange for various favours. They might, for example, feature in videos sending out strong messages about the game. In 2019, Watson headed a campaign about damage done to the environment by plastic bottles when the R&A were banning their use at the 2019 Open. As a five-time Open champion, Watson also is called upon to meet and greet VIPs arriving at the Open’s hospitality tent.
Harrington is someone who would not have needed any persuasion to play a part in golf’s development. His relationship with the R&A goes back to the late 1980s when he was still an amateur. He continues to enjoy watching amateur golf – the 2016 Curtis Cup at Dun Laoghaire in his native Ireland was a case in point – and, whenever there is a complex ruling under discussion, you can guarantee that he will want to hear chapter and verse from a tournament referee.
As he explained last week, it was shortly after his Open triumphs in 2007 and 2008 that he became an ambassador for the R&A’s Working for Golf Programme. “I’ve always had a great respect for the game’s traditions, rules and etiquette, and I’ve always wanted to help grow the game and drive participation across all the generations,” he said. “Going on from there, I want to see golf becoming more accessible, appealing and inclusive, and I’m happy to help with the various initiatives when I can.”
Pettersen and Liang sit alongside Harrington in the ‘Working for Golf’ category, though Pettersen, who used to help with junior programmes in her native Norway, is seen as a “non-active” ambassador. Liang, the first Chinese golfer to enter the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking, can best be described as China’s answer to Harrington. In each of his first and second wins, Liang gave all of his winnings to the development of golf in his homeland. He said at the time he was going down that route because his club, Zhongshan in southern China, had financed him in his early days on tour, and he wanted to return the favour for others.
Hall, meanwhile, is on board “to promote junior golf and family golf.” Though you might assume that we have forgotten to name Annika Sörenstam as someone with a matching brief, the Swede is, quite literally, something else. In this instance, it is her foundation supporting the R&A’s Women’s Amateur Latin America championship.
Zane Scotland’s role as a diversity ambassador came about after he had advised the R&A of the problems facing ethnic minorities when it came to joining golf clubs. “What I did,” Scotland said, “was to explain that we needed golf to be big enough to encompass everyone. Things are changing now, though they are not changing quickly enough.”
As to where the next ambassador is coming from, it’s probably safe to say that it will be from the world of disability golf.
Moving on to the celebrities, Horan, Bale and Wie West have been signed up because of their universal appeal and the amount of social media they detonate.
Like many others, I have seen people flock round Horan because of his “One Direction” days and sundry other feats in the world of music. Today, of course, he owns Modest! Golf, an up-and-coming management operation. As for Bale, this Welsh footballer who takes a particular interest in the scientific side of staying fit for sport, he will always catch the public’s eye. It’s just that people might be puzzled as to which of football and golf will benefit more from his involvement with the R&A.
Wie West, apparently, has demonstrated a strong desire to elevate the visibility of the women’s game besides fostering an inclusive and diverse future for the sport.
“This is evident through her philanthropic endeavour #HoodieForGolf, which harnesses the power of social media to drive awareness of women’s golf whilst selling tie-dyed hoodies to benefit selected charities,” the R&A said. No doubt that we will learn more at some point.
As to where the next ambassador is coming from, it’s probably safe to say that it will be from the world of disability golf. Bearing in mind what the above is supposedly all about, that would definitely merit a tick. Inevitably, there will be the odd person to advance the mischievous suggestion that there should be one for the LIV brigade.
Yet when and where is it all going to stop, and how are the R&A ever going to be able to measure the success of their nine ambassadors of the moment?