The St. Lucia Golf Association says it is excited to announce the visit of Mr. Mark Lawrie, Regional Managing Director for the R&A – Latin America and the Caribbean, who will be visiting Saint Lucia from 25th to 27th June, 2024.
The Association stated that the visit is important for Saint Lucia as the R&A is governing body for the Saint Lucia Golf Association.
“Mark’s visit is particularly timely as the SLGA is striving to strengthen the development of golf in communities and schools across the island. Mark will engage with key stakeholders whilst on island and have discussions on how the partnership with R&A can assist in growing youth golf and coaching, which will assist in the development of a competitive team for future competitions,” a statement from the Association noted.
Attached is a brief description of the R&A and its role and a biography of Mark Lawrie.
The R&A continues the development of golf in Latin America and the Caribbean
The development of any sport is sustained by institutions that regulate it worldwide. This is the case of golf in Latin America and the Caribbean where the development of the game is supported by The R&A. The St Andrews-based governing body was formed the in 2004. The R&A works with 158 national affiliated associations serving 30 million golfers in 143 countries and operates in three key areas: Governance, Championships and Development.
The R&A administers the Rules of Golf, the Rules of Amateur Status and Equipment Standards throughout the world, apart from the United States of America and Mexico which are in the USGA’s jurisdiction.
In terms of championships, The R&A stages golf’s original championship, The Open, the oldest golf tournament in the world and one of the four Majors on the calendar, the AIG Women’s British Open and is the joint organiser of the Senior Open presented by Rolex.
The R&A also stages a series of prestigious amateur championships and international championships including, The Amateur Championship, the Women’s Amateur Championship and, along with the USGA, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup. Internationally, The R&A is one of the founding partners of the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC), the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship.
The R&A reinvests the revenues generated by the commercial success of The Open in developing the sport and supports its affiliated national associations in delivering initiatives to help increase participation, often in emerging golf countries, and promote sustainable management. That can include supporting the development of accessible and affordable public golf facilities such as those at Japeri in Brazil and San Bartolo in Peru. The sustainability of the sport is also part of The R&A’s annual agenda which continually provides golf course management support to make development commercially and environmentally sustainable.
The R&A in Latin America and the Caribbean
The substantial growth of golf in Latin America in recent years is evident in many ways. The opening of the R&A’s office in Buenos Aires and the appointment of its first Director in the region, Mark Lawrie, have been a clear indication of the importance the governing body places on growing golf in the region. Since taking office, the Argentinian has implemented a series of important projects to continue developing the sport of golf throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and has been a key figure in staging the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC), the flagship amateur golf event in the region which was created by The R&A, the Masters Tournament and the United States Golf Association (USGA).
In addition, The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation are the organisers of the Women’s Amateur Latin America (WALA), with the aim of continuing to support the growth and development of amateur golf for women in the region. The 60-player field is annually filled with the best female amateur golfers from South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
“The R&A’s mission is to promote the development of golf and we do it through different mechanisms. The important thing is to make golf accessible for everyone, create public places where anyone can get closer to the game of golf,” said Lawrie.
About Mark Lawrie (Director – Latin America and the Caribbean, The R&A)
Mark Lawrie was Executive Director of the Argentina Golf Association for more than a decade and played a very important role, not only for the AAG but also for the entire region.
He is recognised as one of the most influential golf administrators in Latin America and is a well-known figure among the national associations and golfing bodies throughout the region. In 2014 he was appointed as The R&A’s Director for Latin America and the Caribbean and has been able to build on his work serving the game since then. The growth of the Latin America Amateur Championship, in particular, has provided a platform for the top players to shine and offers a huge incentive for other young players to follow in their footsteps in the years to come.