Oban golfer can't wait to visit St Andrews for first time

The 47-year-old, who is a member of Glencruitten Golf Club, is one of 72 players from around the world teeing it up in this week’s Scottish Golf event on the Eden Course.

“I’m bursting with excitement,” admitted Shields. “I’ve never been to St Andrews before let alone to play golf there, the weather looks as if it might be decent and this is just going to be amazing.”

In last year’s event at Rowallan Castle, Shields, playing off a Handicap Index of 13, won the handicap prize and became a national champion.

“Winning my category at this championship last year was just mind blowing for me,” added Shields, who was diagnosed in 2006 with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an auto-immune condition that left him in a coma for months and paralysed from head to toe.

“I couldn’t stop smiling at the presentation ceremony and I drove the three hours back to Oban that night in a stunned silence. I was like ‘what has just happened?’”

Australia’s Wayne Perske won the inaugural event at Cardrona in 2024 before England’s Oliver Hirst-Greenham took the main title at Rowallan Castle last year.

In addition to the championship which tees off on Thursday, Scottish Golf, in partnership with the St Andrews Links Trust, will be hosting a series of 'Give it a Go' taster sessions on Wednesday for golfers with a disability looking to refine their skills under the guidance of PGA professionals.

The afternoon then features an opportunity for 50 children from local schools to take part in skills activities on the Balgove Course through the 'Unleash Your Drive' programme.