English-based golf course architect Tim Lobb has launched his own design firm, called Lobb + Partners, after five times Open champion Peter Thomson, the chairman of Thomson Perrett and Lobb, decided to retire at the age of 87.

Lobb said: “Peter’s retirement was a planned event, so we have been thinking about the transition for a while. I had a great twelve years working in partnership with Peter and Ross Perrett, and they will remain two of my closest friends. But now is the time for a new direction.”

Though Lobb will be the only golf architect on staff with the new firm, he said the name was chosen very deliberately. “I believe the golf design and development world is changing, with clients looking for help putting together a total team to help them with their projects,” he explained. “My partners are everyone I have met and worked with in the industry over the years, from masterplanners to agronomists to project managers to marketeers, and that means I can bring an experienced team of people with a complete range of skills to any project.”

Lobb said he would continue to support TPL clients, in countries such as Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the UK, while pursuing new projects.