R&A chief Martin Slumbers, in surprise move, to step down by year’s end

After serving as the R&A’s CEO and secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews for nine years, Martin Slumbers will step down from his role by year’s end, the R&A said Wednesday.

The announcement, which comes at a time when the world of men’s professional golf is at a deeply uncertain crossroads, came as a surprise to most observers outside the walls of the R&A’s St. Andrews headquarters, though The Guardian did report that Slumbers had planned to stay in the post for no more than a decade.

Slumbers, 63, is credited with seeing the governing body through a period of growth, especially with regard to the Open Championship and the Women’s British Open. His primary initiatives included making the game more accessible and inclusive.

Under Slumbers’ leadership, the R&A increased its financial commitment to the game and created new international amateur championships for women and golfers with disabilities.

“In any career, there is a time to allow the next generation to have its turn,” Slumbers said in a press release. “I am grateful to have had the honor, for nearly a decade, to have been the custodian of all that The R&A and the game of golf more broadly represents.”

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Slumbers’ tenure included oversight of many major changes, including the 2019 modernization of the Rules of Golf, the introduction of the World Handicap System in 2020 and the Distance Insights process. Most recently, the R&A, in partnership with the USGA, announced plans for a golf-ball rollback.

Before stepping down, Slumbers will oversee the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, the 2024 AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews and the 2024 Curtis Cup match at Sunningdale.

An executive search firm has already been appointed to search for Slumbers’ successor.

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As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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