Far Hills, N.J. -- Trey Holland, newly elected president of the United States Golf Association (USGA), and Peter Dawson, secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A), will serve in major roles of the International Golf Federation (IGF ).

Holland, 50, of Indianapolis, Ind., becomes a joint chairman of the organization along with Ian Webb, chairman of the general committee of the R&A. Holland succeeds F. Morgan (Buzz) Taylor of West Palm Beach, Fla., whose two-year term as joint chairman coincided with his two-year tenure as president of the USGA.

"It is a distinct pleasure and a great honor to serve in a capacity that helps advance the cause of amateur golf around the world," Holland said.

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. Recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the official international federation for golf, the IGF comprises the national governing bodies of golf in 90 countries.

Holland joined the USGA's Sectional Affairs Committee in 1987, and was elected to the USGA Executive Committee in 1991. He is a volunteer for the USGA who is a doctor by trade.

Holland attended the 1998 World Amateur Team Championships in Santiago, Chile, and came away impressed by the atmosphere surrounding the two weeks of camaraderie and competition.

"The broad spectrum of golfing ability displayed by the participants, the excitement that derives from representing one's country in an international competition and the enthusiasm of the cultural exchanges that take place during the course of the event make the World Amateur Team Championships a unique competition in golf," Holland said.

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Holland and Webb, as joint chairmen, work closely with the joint secretaries of the IGF : David Fay, the executive director of the USGA, and Peter Dawson, secretary of the R&A. Dawson is also relatively new to the IGF , taking his post in September 1999 following the retirement of Sir Michael Bonallack as R&A secretary. Bonallack is currently serving as Captain of the R&A.

Dawson, born in 1948 in Aberdeen, Scotland, spent his career in the engineering industry, mainly in the construction machinery sector. For more than 25 years he held senior board positions for a variety of companies and gained considerable overseas commercial experience.

A former scratch golfer who now holds a 3 handicap, Dawson first distinguished himself as a player in the 1960s as a regional junior champion, then played on the team at Cambridge. He joined the R&A in 1994, serving as a member of the Rules of Golf Committee before his appointment as secretary.

"It is particularly exciting to be involved with such a wide diversity of countries in membership of the IGF . The opportunity to be part of the World Amateur Team Championships is especially rewarding, as these provide a stimulus to the spread of the game to new nations," Dawson said.

For more information on the IGF and its workings, contact Stephanie Parel, IGF assistant deputy secretary, at (908) 234-2300.