Prince Andrew Stripped Of Honorary Golf Patronages

Royalty has its privileges, especially when it comes to the world of golf in the United Kingdom.

Prince Andrew, who was often referred to by the London tabloids as “Randy Andy” in his younger years, is up to his royal ear lobes in the scandal created by the late Jeffrey Epstein.  Prince Andrew is the target of a civil lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed by Virginia Giuffre, alleging that she was sexually trafficked by the late Epstein and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was underage.  Prince Andrew has steadfastly denied the allegations.

The news has blown up the tabloids in the U.K. and evidently Queen Elizabeth has taken action.  She has stripped Andrew of his honorary titles (membership) at Royal Portrush, Royal Belfast and Royal County Down in Northern Ireland.

A statement from Buckingham Palace read:

“With the Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”

A source familiar with the three clubs added:  “There will be immense relief by members that this decision has been taken out of their hands.”

A spokesperson for Royal Portrush said he had no comment to make on the matter.

Kyle Berkshire Shoots 76 In One-Day Pro Event.

Kyle Berkshire is the beast of the long drivers but he wants to see if he can translate power into scoring ability.

He wants to take a shot at the world of professional golf.

He’s got a long way to go if he has any PGA Tour aspirations, however.

Berkshire played in a one-day pro event last week at The Fountains in Lake Wales.  He shot 76 after a nice opening nine of 35.

Winner was a guy named Ben Silverman.  He shot 64 on the club’s west course.

Morgan Wins Aussie PGA, Sets Tournament Mark:

On the other side of the International Dateline, Aussie Jediah Morgan was playing in only his four event as a pro and the 22-year-old crushed the rest of the field at the Australian PGA Championship.

The 22-year-old took a nine-shot lead into the final day at Royal Queensland Golf Club.  He closed with a final round 69, two-under par and finished 22-under for the 72 holes, a tournament record.

He won by 11 shots, a new Aussie PGA record.  Previous mark was eight set by Greg Norman (1964 and 85) and Hale Irwin (1978).  Morgan’s also the youngest winner in the event’s stroke-play era.

“I wanted to just make the cut this week,” said Morgan, a Brisbane native who won the 2020 Australian Amateur at Royal Queensland, where he is a member. “I know that’s a low kind of shot to shoot at, but it was all reality. I felt a lot of pressure, especially on myself, obviously being a member here and having won the Australian Amateur here and stuff. I missed a couple of tour schools in the U.S. toward the end of my trip and come back a little bit with my tail between my legs.  I’d never imagine this happening to be honest with you.”