Dr Gloria Spitalny will create history at Fairmont St Andrews this week when she becomes the first American woman to play in the International Pairs World Finals.

Gloria will celebrate her own personal piece of glory in Scotland after winning the ING qualifying tournament in New York with her partner Jim Collins last month.

The pair fought off fierce competition from a strong field to prevail on Turning Stone Resort and Casino’s difficult Kaluhyat course and are now relishing the prospect of playing against 21 other nations in the fourth International Pairs World Final at the Home of Golf.

Gloria said: “It’s a great honour to represent your country in any sport and I’m very proud to be the first woman to play in the world final. I can’t quite believe it and to do it at St Andrews is unbelievable. It‘s a dream come true.

“Scotland and St Andrews are names that are synonymous with golf and its history and it’s going to be quite something to go there and line-up against all the other different nationalities.”

Gloria is a leading sports performance psychologist who has worked with US PGA Tour players including 2008 Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger and Bruce Fleischer.

She is also a teacher and author whose company MasterGolf has helped students of all levels improve their mental game and is hoping that her knowledge can help propel herself and Jim to the world title.

Gloria said: “The mental aspect of the game of golf is the reason I play. The game of golf is more mental than tennis or any other sport that I have played because this sport is not reactionary.

“As a golfer you are in complete control of your thoughts, emotions and actions. I love that you can go out and play with anyone, a tour player or a beginner.

“The game of golf is about you against the course and playing with strong mental strategies is the most powerful competitive advantage.

“The mental elements of the game is the reason that my partner and I won the qualifier and we will be aiming to do the same thing in Scotland.”

Jim, who is chief executive for the Professional Golf Marshals Association in Mesa, Arizona, added: “I am extremely excited about the opportunity to represent the USA and ING in the International Pairs World Finals in association with Visit Scotland.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience and our main goal is to win!”

Ross Honey, founder and managing director of International Pairs, said: “This is another first for International Pairs and is a further indication of how the tournament continues to progress with each year.”

International Pairs has restructured the way it is run in America this year to ensure the competition reaches its maximum potential audience in the future.

A series of licenses will be issued over the next two years as the tournament in the United States is split into four regions and 16 territories.

Honey explained: “Because of the size of America and number of courses and players, we felt it very important to ensure a robust structure is established. It is important this is done correctly and this will help ensure the long-term development of International pairs in this country.”

Thousands of clubs worldwide have taken part in International Pairs since it was launched in 1998 but the help of main sponsor VisitScotland has helped turn it into the largest tournament of its kind in the world.

VisitScotland, which replaced the Scottish Tourist Board in 2001, has been an associate partner of International Pairs for the last five years and are committed to being the main backer of the tournament’s world final until 2008.