Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Who was Mary, Queen of Scots, and how was she connected to golf?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
golf
American golfer Tiger Woods competing at the British Open (Open Championship) at St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, 2005.
Mary, Queen of Scots, was the queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567 and queen consort of France from 1559 to 1560. Her reign was marked by political turmoil, religious conflict, and a series of unwise marriages that ultimately led to her abdication, long-term imprisonment in England, and execution by her cousin, Elizabeth I, in 1587.2
In the history of golf, Mary is recognized as the first woman golfer. Contemporary accounts noted her playing the game in the fields near Seton just days after the murder of her husband, Lord Darnley. This historical record is significant not only for her participation but also because it confirms that, during that period in Scotland, a golf club was still referred to simply as a "golf".1