It has been six years since a homegrown player won the Carrick Neill Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay title but there are reasons to be optimistic about that drought coming to an end at Panmure this weekend.

A strong home contingent, bolstered by an impressive start to the 2014 campaign, line up in an international field for an event that last had a Scottish champion in 2008 when Wallace Booth claimed the honours at the Duke's course.

Cawder's Jamie Savage, buoyed by his victory in the Irish Open Strokeplay earlier this month, and Ewen Ferguson, the reigning Scottish and British Boys' champion, join a field that includes the European Cup of Nations-winning quartet of Bradley Neil, Graeme Robertson, Jack McDonald and Scott Borrowman.

Grant Forrest, the former Scottish Amateur champion who has notched three wins on the highly competitive American college circuit this season, has returned home for a summer of major events while Barry Hume, reinstated to the amateur ranks, will tee up in a championship he won at Southerness back in 2002.

England's Ryan Evans, the world amateur No.9, is the highest-ranked player in the draw while his countryman Jimmy Mullen, who played in all four rounds of last year's Open at Muirfield, also competes.