The R&A

The R&A (formally the R&A Trust Company (No. 1) Limited) is the collective name of a group of companies that together play a significant role in the game of golf. Historically, "the R&A" was a colloquial name for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews; in 2004, the club spun off its previous governance and tournament organisation roles into the current R&A group, and the club itself reverted to a private members-only club. The R&A is based in St Andrews, Scotland, and is the sole owner of three subsidiary companies: R&A Rules Limited, R&A Championships Limited, and R&A Group Services Limited. R&A Rules Limited is one of the governing bodies of golf worldwide, alongside the United States Golf Association (USGA). The USGA governs in the United States and Mexico, while the R&A governs in the rest of the world. They share a single code for the rules of golf, rules of amateur status, equipment standards and the World Amateur Golf rankings. R&A Championships Limited organises The Open Championship, which is the world's oldest international men's major golf championship; the Women's British Open; the Senior Open Championship; as well as the Walker Cup and Curtis Cup. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club founded what is now the Official World Golf Ranking for male professionals in 1986, and the R&A introduced the World Amateur Golf Ranking for male amateurs in 2007. The R&A also owns and operates the R&A World Golf Museum.