Castle Stuart to host Scottish Open
The European Tour has entered into an
agreement with Castle Stuart Golf Links, situated between
Inverness and Nairn on Scotland’s Moray Firth coast, which has been
confirmed as the venue for the Barclays Scottish Open. The 2011
Championship will be played from July 7-10. Castle Stuart
Golf Links will be the seventh Scottish course to play host to the
prestigious tournament since 1972.
The players will have to conquer a new golf course which has
received worldwide praise since its official opening in the summer
of 2009.
Tim Peat, Managing Director, Barclays said:
“Scotland as the home of golf has a history of developing and
presenting world class golf courses and tournaments, and the
Barclays Scottish Open has always sought to reflect that
pedigree.
Pedraig Harrington, who will be
seeking his first victory in the event, commented: “Castle
Stuart is reputed to be a fine addition to Scotland’s links courses
and I think many players will welcome the opportunity to play
competitive links golf the week prior to The Open Championship,
which has proved to be ideal preparation for me in the
past.”
Graeme McDowell, winner of the Barclays Scottish
Open in 2008, said: “As a native of Portrush, I grew up
with links golf and I’ve heard some great reports about Castle
Stuart and am really looking forward to playing the course. The
combination of an exciting new venue and a top class sponsor in
Barclays should ensure a memorable tournament there in
July.”
The tournament has also garnered widespread backing from the public
sector agencies in the local area, namely Highland Council, the
Highlands and Islands Enterprise, VisitScotland, EventScotland and
Scottish Development International.
