It’s probably been one of the worst kept secrets in domestic golf. But now it’s official. Dundonald Links will host the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open for the first time in 2017.
As part of the championship’s rotation around the country – it has already been staged at Castle Stuart, Royal Aberdeen and Gullane in recent years – the national showpiece will finally head west next season.
Since being acquired by Loch Lomond Golf Club in 2003, Dundonald has hosted numerous amateur and professional events, including stage one of the European Tour’s qualifying school and the Ladies Scottish Open, which returns for a second visit this summer.
There has always been talk of the Irvine venue staging the Scottish Open, from the days when its parent club at Loch Lomond was the regular host for the event. In its slot just the week before the Open itself, the need to provide a links test ahead of the game’s ultimate seaside examination became increasingly important but when Loch Lomond stepped away from the Scottish Open after the 2010 championship, following a members buyout, Dundonald was left waiting as the event moved north and then east.
After a successful staging of the 2015 Ladies Scottish Open, which featured world No 1 Lydia Ko and Solheim Cup player Suzann Pettersen, the club’s owners devised plans for a structural overhaul which included the construction of a new clubhouse, scheduled for completion at the end of this year.
On the course, meanwhile, several of the greens have been increased in size and three of the putting surfaces have been levelled in selected areas to soften their contours, giving organisers more options when it comes to pin placements for tournament play.
“Since becoming title sponsors of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in 2012, it has been our ambition to complete the geographical spread of the tournament by taking it to Scotland’s west coast,” said Martin Gilbert, the chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management.
The return of the Ladies Scottish to Dundonald in July will give those at the club another opportunity to fine tune their approach and showcase the Ayrshire links ahead of its European Tour debut next year.
“It gives us a bit of a dry run ahead of hosting the Scottish Open next year, and that is a great opportunity which many host venues don’t get,” said Bill Donald, general manager of Loch Lomond and Dundonald Links. “We’ll be more than ready by the time the Scottish Open comes around.”
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