It’s Open Championship week, and we’re excited to unveil our Staff Bags for St. Andrews! This design is the culmination of our Big Bag Trail initiative with local students in the area, and we’ve got full details below. Plus, it was another winning weekend for Callaway around the world for Xander Schauffele, Carlota Ciganda, and a major win for Odyssey. Here’s a look at our top stories right now, and we’ll have plenty more to share for The Open!
Our Open Bag: Paying Homage To St. Andrews
Our Open Staff Bag is a unique design that was created by 17-year-old Iona Turner, a local student at St. Leonards in the St. Andrews area. This bag was developed as part of the Big Bag Trail, a collaboration between Callaway and St. Andrews. Info on the collaboration is included below, and full details are available on this landing page:
– In the run up to the 150th Open both organizations wanted to celebrate the occasion by creating a project which would provide a platform to showcase the talent of young people in the town, and engage with the community in a way like never before.
– Budding artists from two local schools – Madras College and St. Leonards – were commissioned by Callaway and St. Andrews Links to design a St. Andrews inspired golf bag (10 finalists were ultimately selected and Iona’s design was eventually voted the winner – the landing page also includes images and details of all 10 nominated bags.
Iona’s Design Inspiration
A Local Brew
The winning design is a bright and bold representation of what St. Andrews means to Iona, inspired by her own time spent growing up in and around the town.
For St. Andrews, For Scotland
The bag’s large apparel side panels feature the iconic skyline of St. Andrews Harbour, as well as paying homage to the Home End and the Swilcan Bridge – familiar and welcome sights for those lucky enough to have played the course.
Sights And Sounds
Seen across the bag and headcovers is an omnipresent piper figure, a humble frontman of Scotland, complete with his own set of iron-headed bagpipes.
Old Nessie
Perhaps not a frequently seen visitor, the inclusion of the renowned Loch Ness Monster swimming up the Swilcan Burn is a playful representation for the entirety of Scotland.
A Sacred Partnership
The bag’s front ball pocket features a hand-drawn St. Andrew Links logo overlaid on top of the Saltire – The National Flag of Scotland.
150th
The “150” markers used throughout the bag and the headcovers are in reference to this being the oldest tournament’s landmark anniversary… and only growing stronger.
Endure At All Costs
The accompanying rubber zip pulls are shaped in the form of a thistle, the National Flower of Scotland and another wonderfully emblematic piece of the puzzle, representing the shared fortitude shown by the country and the champion.
The Greenskeeper’s Secret
Finally, the interior lining is made of none other than Old Tom Morris’ own tartan – a golf historian’s dream easter egg with a firm handshake of the traditional meeting with the new.
We’re excited to see these bags on TV and around the course this week! As part of The Big Bag Trail, sculptures of all 10 nominated bags will be featured around the town throughout the championship. Be sure to check them out if you’re attending The Open!
ICYMI: Xander, Carlota and Odyssey Win Big
In case you missed it, Xander Schauffele kept his winning streak going with an impressive performance at the Genesis Scottish Open. Schauffele has now won back-to-back PGA TOUR starts, and early last week he carded rounds of 64-70 to win the JP McManus Pro-Am. Here’s Schauffele’s featured Callaway equipment:
- Rogue ST Triple Diamond Driver (10.5°) – Mitsubishi Kai’li White 70 TX Shaft
- Epic Speed Fairway Wood (15°) – Mitsubishi Kai’li White 70 TX
- Apex TCB Irons (4-PW) – Nippon Modus Tour 130X Shafts
- Jaws Raw Wedge (52°) – True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Shaft
- Odyssey O-Works Red 7 CH Putter
- A Chrome Soft X Golf Ball
In addition to Xander’s victory, Callaway staffer Carlota Ciganda closed out a victory at the Estrella Damm Ladies Open in Spain and Jerry Kelly secured another major win for Odyssey at the Senior Players Championship. Odyssey is the #1 Putter on Tour and we’ve won the putter count at every major in 2022.
