'It ate me alive'

St Andrews has tested the great and good of golf for centuries, and it recently claimed its latest, unlikely, victim – England men's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

The home of golf will stage this year’s AIG Women’s Open between 22-25 August.

Three Lions ace Pickford was among a number of celebrities invited to play a round on the famous Old Course as the final major of the year draws ever nearer.

A respectable golfer, Pickford played in The Open Invitational at Royal Liverpool last summer, but admits he endured a nightmare at St Andrews just a few weeks ago.

He said: “I played on quite a chilled day weather wise, but it still ate me alive so now I appreciate how much of a challenge it will be for the players.

“But these are the best golfers in the world so they’ll do far better than me, obviously.

“Just going off my own experience, it will definitely be a great test for them and it will be mega to watch.”

Pickford is a member of Gareth Southgate's England squad who are competing at Euro 2024 in Germany this summer.

The 30-year-old has appeared 62 times for his country since making his senior team debut in 2017.

He has played in some of the greatest stadiums in the world including Old Trafford, Wembley and the Allianz Arena in Munich, and he holds as much respect for St Andrews as he does those iconic venues.

He said: “I’ve seen St Andrews on TV over the years but that was my first time playing the course.

“The nerves definitely ramp up once you get to the 1st tee! But once I got that first shot away I settled down a bit.

“It was great to get the opportunity to play there. It’s just a great course to go round – it’s not called the home of golf for nothing. What a place!

“Imagine what it would be like to be playing there with a trophy at stake – that would be something else.”