Swing vote

The mills of God grind slow but they grind exceeding fine and so it was with the R&A whose superb choice of honorary lady members includes the Scottish favourite Princess Anne.

Annika Sorenstam, arguably the greatest ever woman golfer, is followed by Britain’s best professional player Laura Davies and Scotland’s finest amateur golfer Belle Robertson.

US icon Louise Suggs won 11 majors while Renée Powell was the first black female member of the US PGA and her selection by the R&A is, to my mind, is a touch of pure class.

Then there is the great French golfer Lally Segard who, as Vicomtesse de Saint-Sauveur, won 15 international titles and is a former president of Women’s World Amateur Golf.

The “ordinary” members include Angela Ward (Lady Bonallack) who won three British titles, and other distinguished golfers from the US, Canada, New Zealand and Germany.

(Dr) John Cameron

St Andrews