ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — “Magical.”
“Bucket list.”
“A dream.”
That’s how the University of Texas players described the opportunity to compete in the St. Andrews Links Collegiate. They waxed on, trying to come up with more words:
“Pretty sweet,” Matt Comegys, a fifth-year from Van Alstyne, Texas, said.
“Historic,” Brooks Harper, a freshman from Dallas, added.
There was a long pause as Sterling Herd, a freshman from Austin, contemplated, looking off in the distance, searching for just the right word. He found it, seeming satisfied:
“Original.”
The word hung there in the silence, his teammates nodding in agreement with a seriousness, a reverence for this place.
There’s something self-evidently special about St. Andrews. It needs no introduction, no description. Res ipsa loquitur — the thing speaks for itself. Its priceless value is known by golfers far and wide, from Calcutta to London to Pinehurst to Victoria.
Even though it’s the most famous golf town in the world, it’s retained that originality as Herd said, that authenticity.
There’s really no other place like it.
This is the fourth playing of the St. Andrews Links Collegiate, the most unique college tournament in the world.
This year, the men’s and women’s teams from the University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas, University of Washington and University of St. Andrews will get the chance of a lifetime to tee it up in the Home of Golf. They will play two rounds of stroke play on the Jubilee course Monday and Tuesday, then a medal-match play final on the Old Course.
At 1800hrs British Summer Time on Saturday, an epic opening dinner reception on the top floor of the Rusacks Hotel kicked off the tournament. Its balcony is the best lookout in St. Andrews. Its cantilevered construction lends a bird’s-eye view of the holy horseshoe, proffering the feeling that you’re almost floating above the Old’s 18th fairway.
The night was full of speeches, great food, and hearty cheer. From the balcony, players watched the dramatic sunset transform the blue and grey sky to iridescent and nacreous.
The practice round started early Sunday morning, where contestants got to know the course. They even dabbled in the old school, hitting a few hickory clubs around the links.
All the teams extended their trips, arriving early and staying a few extra days to play some of the surrounding courses in Scotland. Truly a bucket-lister.
Ellie Monk, a senior at the University of St. Andrews, and last year’s individual women’s champion, returns to defend her title.
The field features other stars. The highest ranked players in the field in the World Amateur Golf Rankings are Texas’ Farah O’Keefe (No. 1 in women’s) and Daniel Bennett (No. 14 in men’s.)
On Monday morning, as the wind blows in from the North Sea, these ancient links will be graced by some of the best college players in the world. Whatever happens with their scores and results, they all know that this has already been the experience of a lifetime. They know that they have fulfilled the longing in every golfer’s heart. They know that they have finally come home.
Coverage: Golf Channel will showcase live action, Monday through Wednesday, beginning at 9 a.m. ET.