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St Andrews Links consists of seven golf courses on the east coast of Scotland, and is known around the world as the Home of Golf. The sport has been played in the area for over 600 years and many of the game's innovations started there.
Today, the Links is the largest public golf venue in Europe, regularly hosting the Open Championship and the pro-am Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The Old Course is also the stage for one of the most prestigious amateur tournaments in Europe, the St Andrews Links Trophy in association with Allianz.
Since 1974, the courses have been managed by the St Andrews Links Trust, which invests all profits to preserve the legacy of the historic Links. In 2009, Allianz entered a ground-breaking partnership with the Trust, aimed at strengthening the global profiles of both organisations, and protecting the Links’ unique heritage by investing in the restoration of the coastline.
The three-year strategic collaboration serves as a lighthouse for Allianz’s various activities in golf, and aims to bring the unique spirit of St Andrews Links to the growing number of golf aficionados around the world.
From 1 to 5 October 2009, the partnership was represented on the European Tour, at the pro-am Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Manuel de los Santos, one of the top five disabled golfers in the world and a member of the Association Handigolf supported by Allianz France, played the tournament for the first time. As a warm up to the competition, Manuel joined Allianz Golf Ambassador Paul McGinley on a practice hole where Paul passed on tips and his experience of playing the Old Course. In the competition itself, Manuel was partnered with professional golfer Richard Bland - the pair scored a three round total of 20-under-par, missing the cut by just one shot and finishing joint 22nd in the team standings. Paul finished in joint 9th position in the overall standings at 13-under-par, 7 shots off the winning score.
You can find more about the Home of Golf online at the website - www.allianz.com/sal - which provides visitors with unique insights into the courses and the Links' community.