International Pairs World Finals in Scotland
By Jim Smith
As golfers we dream of walking up to the first tee at a tournament and hearing our name announced as such: “Now on the tee, from the United States of America….”
The opportunity to represent your country in a golf tournament isn’t something many of us have had or will have the opportunity to be a part of. Or so we thought. Enter The International Pairs!
When Paul Piro of PGA Golf Exhibitions and I teamed up in the International Pairs World Qualifier at the 20th ING Spring Conference at Pinehurst Resort this past May, we really didn’t give much thought to the possibility of winning. But the putts kept dropping, and when all was said and done, we had won the qualifier and were headed to Scotland for the International Pairs World Finals in October.
The 2010 World Finals brought 18 teams of amateurs from 13 countries to compete in a two-person team net Stableford, 36-hole tournament at the beautiful Carrick Course in Loch Lomond, Scotland. It proved to be an incredible journey, and we created what I am sure will be lifelong memories.
We finished in the middle of the pack, but had a marvelous time representing the country and ING, and met many terrific people along the way.
Conceived in 1998 by Ross Honey of the UK as a golf tournament to celebrate the millennium, the International Pairs was established as a major annual event for golfers worldwide. Since 2004, the World Finals have been held at such venues as The Duke Course in St. Andrew’s, Carnoustie, Celtic Manor and this year’s final The Carrick in Loch Lomond.
For additional information, visit www.internationalpairs.com and find out how you too can participate for an experience you won’t soon forget, I know I won’t forget that feeling, “now on the tee, representing the United States, Jim Smith.”
