One of the highlights of my late royal baker uncle Frederick Floris was when he was awarded the Royal Warrant and Royal Arms titles by Queen Elizabeth, The Mother Queen, and also by Queen Elizabeth II.
I believe David Rickman may view being awarded the MBE as a comparable honor and recognition after his 37-year career in golf administration with The R&A.
I would like to take a moment to highlight and summarize his achievements and contributions.
- He refereed at more than 130 prestigious golf events around the world. In serving as Chief Referee at The 152nd Open at Royal Troon, Rickman marked his 34th Open Championship as a Rules official and 28th as Chief Referee. His final R&A championship was the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews in August.
- He worked as part of the Rules teams at 17 Masters Tournaments, 16 US Opens, eight AIG Women’s Opens, 21 BMW PGA Championships, and 15 Walker Cups.
- Contributed to the modernization of the Rules of Golf in 2019 and subsequently the Rules of Amateur Status in Equipment Standards, the Joint Statement of Principles in 2004, the Distance Insights project, and the introduction of the World Handicap System in 2020. He has also overseen the production of eight editions of the Rules of Golf, usually published quadrennial.
- Rickman served as The R&A’s Executive Director of Governance from 1996 to the end of 2022 and led its governance functions, which included the Rules of Golf, Amateur Status, Equipment Standards, and Handicapping.
- From 2016, he served as The R&A’s Chief of Staff, responsible for the HR and Facilities departments.
- In January 2023, he was also appointed to lead the development of the new R&A staff building at St Andrews West, which is due to open in 2026.