The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Efforts to give golf devotees ‘shrine’ access
Work is under way in a bid to ensure golf fans can make their traditional pilgrimage to St Andrews Cathedral during the 150th Open Championship.
The “Godfather of Golf” Old Tom Morris is buried within the cathedral grounds.
And his grave, along with those of other notable Open winners, is a huge draw for sporting fans from across the world.
The cathedral grounds have been fenced off for almost a year amid fears over falling masonry from the ruined building.
And there were concerns the ongoing closure could impact on the tens of thousands of spectators making their way to St Andrews next month.
However, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is now looking towards a partial reopening by the end of this month.
And it is hopeful it can provide visitor access to the graves before the Open Championship tees off on July 14.
A spokesperson for the body said: “We have completed remedial masonry works to form a safe route from the war memorial entrance to the cloister museum to look towards a partial reopening at the end of June.
“And we are investigating safe access to the graves of the Open winners, including Old and Young Tom Morris, and hope to provide visitor access to these sites by the Open.
“Further updates on dates will be provided on our social media channels once available.”
St Andrews Cathedral was once the biggest church in Scotland. News of its partial reopening has been met with relief.
Liberal Democrat councillor Jane Ann Liston said she was assured HES was doing all it could to allow golf devotees to visit the “shrine”.
She said: “It would be a huge hole in the Open experience for many golf aficionados were they not able to go to the final resting places of those pioneers of the game.
“While there may still be fences in the grounds, access to those special areas is now looking more likely.
“Thanks are due to HES and everybody else who are doing their utmost to bring this about.”
St Andrews Cathedral is one of several HES properties closed to the public due to safety fears.
Others include Arbroath Abbey and Dunkeld Cathedral.
Old Tom Morris, also known as The Grand Old Man of Golf, is generally recognised as the world’s first professional golfer.
He won the Open Championship four times and still holds the record of the oldest winner, aged 46, in 1867. His son Young Tom Morris also won the competition four times but died at the age of 24.
Other Open champions buried within the cathedral grounds include 1920 and ’21 winner John “Jock” Hutchison and William “Willie” Auchterlonie, who won in 1892.