It’s business as usual. That was the early message coming out of Aberdeen Asset Management in terms of sponsorship of golf following news of the company’s blockbusting merger with another fund management powerhouse, Standard Life.
Martin Gilbert, the chief executive of the Aberdeen group, has been a huge backer of Scottish golf at all levels down the years and just about the only thing he hasn’t supported is The Herald’s spring outing.
In a deal with the Scottish Government, Aberdeen Asset Management is committed to being title sponsor of the Scottish Open until 2020. This prize fund for July’s domestic showpiece at Dundonald, which is held the week before the Open, has risen dramatically following its inclusion on the European Tour’s Rolex Series. Initially, the event’s purse was set to rise to £3.5 million this season but will now be £5.6 million thanks to the Rolex injection and a European Tour subsidy. The Aberdeen group back the Ladies Scottish Open which will also be held at Dundonald in 2017 and will see its prize fund rocket to £1.2 million, the richest on the Ladies European Tour.
As well as providing long-standing support for Scotland's male and female amateur teams and a stable of touring professionals, Gilbert’s group has financial fingers in a series of golfing pies. Standard Life, meanwhile, has past golfing relations with the company sponsoring the Standard Life Loch Lomond event – the Scottish Open in a previous guise - from 1998 to 2000. How the merged company will swing into action remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Inbee Park, the former world No 1, admitted a sense of surprise after winning the HSBC Women’s Champions event in Singapore at the weekend.
The seven-time major winner was playing in only her second event since last year’s Olympic golf tournament following a spell on the sidelines with a niggling thumb injury.
Park closed with a sizzling eight-under 64 and won by a shot with a 19-under tally to confirm that she’s well and truly back in business. “It surprises me, because I thought it may take a couple months to get back out on the tour and get my rhythm back,” said the 29-year-old.
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