On Tuesday 12 July, the Community Council, on behalf of the community of St Andrews, will award the title Honorary Citizen of St Andrews to US golfer Jack Nicklaus. This type of honour, equivalent to the Freedom of the City, is one that has rarely been given in the long history of our town, and so is a once-in-a-generation event. This is the first time such an event has taken place since US golfer Bobby Jones was made a Freeman of St Andrews in 1958.
Dr Nicklaus has 18 Majors to his name, and won The Open twice at St Andrews. He played his last Open in 2005 on the Old Course where, in the company of Tom Watson, he birdied the last hole. As many will agree, he is the greatest champion in golf history.
St Andrews golfer John Devlin will give a speech of tribute to Dr Nicklaus on behalf of the town, and honorary citizenship will be bestowed on him by the Community Council. The ceremony is part of a golf graduation service in which golfers Lee Trevino, José MarÃa OlazÅ™bal, Catriona Matthew, Sir Bob Charles and Sandy Lyle will receive honorary degrees from the University of St Andrews.
The ceremony will take place at 1pm in the Younger Hall on North Street. It is open to the public, admission free, however by ticket only. Tickets can be obtained in advance by emailing golfgraduation@st-andrews.ac.uk. After the ceremony, Dr Nicklaus will take part in a public procession in the town - an opportunity for local people and visitors alike to see our newest Honorary Citizen.
