You have to be fairly big to be big in America.
Given that you could probably shoehorn the whole of Scotland into the back of a pick up truck, and still have space for a 12 pack of Bud, some power tools and a hamper full of barbecued ribs, it's hardly surprising that the good folk from the US of A still maintain that Caledonia is 'a fine li'l city.'
When it comes to the Scottish Open, though, the domestic showpiece continues make a sizeable splash across the big pond. Phil Mickelson's success in the 2013 championship at Castle Stuart, which was aired live for the first time to an American TV audience, certainly opened some eyes. His victory in the following week's Open at Muirfield, and his subsequent, gushing praise for the benefits of the preparation process in the Scottish Open, only heightened the appeal.
Marc Warren, the world No 53 from Glasgow, knows how significant his home championship is but even he has been surprised at the growth of the Aberdeen Asset Management-backed contest. "This is a tournament that has become more important to guys all over the world," said Warren, who was third in last year's event and led by three with four holes to play in 2012 only to slither off the top on the run in. "I'll give you the perfect example. Two weeks ago I was playing in America at the Zurich Classic and Justin Rose is one of their big names, because they sponsor him. They were talking on TV about his last couple of years and showing his highlights and his Scottish Open win last year was right up there. That shows you how prominent this event is in the States.
"I was surprised by how much coverage it got in the US to be honest. I was sitting having breakfast in the players' lounge and, because they were talking to Justin, they homed in on the Scottish Open. They went through the list of winners and gave it a lot of air time. It wasn't just quick snippets, they must have spent a good ten minutes on it ...which on American TV is massive."
Mickelson, Rose, Rory McIlroy and a whole host of others will be at Gullane this year as a star-studded field descends on East Lothian for the £3.5 million championship that is staged in that highly sought after slot the week before the Open at St Andrews. The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth may be the European Tour's flagship event but an increasingly buoyant Scottish Open is sailing pretty close to it. "If the Scottish Open is second, it's only by a small margin," added Warren. "I don't see any other events on the European Tour which come close to these two."
There is still plenty of time for the Scottish Open to flutter its eye lashes and lure in a few more big hitters, of course. Jordan Spieth, the reigning Masters champion, has already stated how much he is looking forward to the Open at St Andrews and Warren would like to see the world No 2 limber up in Gullane. "I think it would make perfect sense for Jordan to play," said Warren, who is well aware of the fact that the last four Open champions have all played in the Scottish Open the week before. "He seems like a really deep thinker about the game and he'll look at the schedule, look at the winners and he'll have plenty of people advising him. Guys at that level, they are not stupid and I'm sure he'll see massive value in playing this event. For me, it's an absolute no-brainer."
And what about a certain Tiger Woods? "I know he doesn't play the week before majors but, personally, I think he is missing out," suggested the Scot. "It's everyone's own choice but I'd love to see Woods here. I think it would be the icing on the cake and what the Scottish Open deserves given where it is in the schedule."
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