Far Hills, N.J. - Grant Moir and Stephanie Parel have been named joint deputy secretaries of the International Golf Federation (IGF ). Parel was previously the assistant deputy secretary of the IGF .

As joint deputy secretaries, Moir and Parel will work closely with the joint secretaries of the IGF , Peter Dawson and David Fay, as well as with the joint chairmen, Neil Crichton and Trey Holland, and with the women's chairman, Vicky Whyte.

"Grant and Stephanie are highly talented and experienced golf administrators," said Fay. "They will serve an important role within the IGF in the newly created position of joint deputy secretary, and their contributions promise to be substantive."

The IGF was founded in 1958 to encourage the international development of the game and to employ golf as a vehicle to foster friendship and sportsmanship. The Council is administered jointly by The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland (R&A), and the United States Golf Association (USGA). Recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the official international federation for golf, the IGF comprises the national governing bodies of golf in more than 90 countries.

As one of its main functions, the IGF conducts the World Amateur Team Championships for women and men on a biennial schedule basis. Future championships are scheduled for 2002 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and 2004 in Puerto Rico.

Moir, 30, was born in St. Andrews. He graduated from Edinburgh University with an Honours Law Degree in 1992. He gained a qualification in legal practice before joining the R&A in 1994, when he spent that season with the entries department of the championship office. He transferred to the Rules department and gained his present position of assistant secretary of the Rules section in 1996. He is a member of the Lundin Golf Club, where he plays to a Handicap Index of 3.0.

Parel, 32, is a 1990 graduate of Stanford University, earning a B.A. degree in English/creative writing. A four-year player on the Cardinal's varsity women's golf team, she competed as a professional player on the Futures, Players West, and Asian Tours from 1990-1993. She subsequently helped found Corporate Sports, a special events management group, from 1994-1995. Parel later joined the PGA Tour's on-site operations staff from 1995-1997, and served as the head Rules official of the South American Tour during 1996. She has been with the USGA since 1997, working in its Rules & Competitions Department.

In their roles, Moir and Parel will work with the IGF membership, concentrate on the conduct of the championships, be involved with future site selection, and focus on the day-to-day administration of the Council.

"Grant and Stephanie's appointments reflect the ever-increasing workload of the IGF as more and more countries come into membership," Dawson said. "It is most rewarding to witness the great expansion of the game of golf."

For more information, contact Peter Dawson, IGF joint secretary, at 44-01334-472112 or David Fay, IGF joint secretary, at (908) 234-2300.