Scottish Senior Open returns to Fairmont St Andrews

NEWS RELEASE
The Cleveland Golf/Srixon Scottish Senior Open will return to the ‘Home of Golf’ for the second consecutive year when Fairmont St Andrews hosts the 18th edition of the event from August 20-22, 2010.
Srixon Sports Europe, the leading golf manufacturer which operates both the Cleveland and Srixon brands in Europe, will continue as title sponsor until 2011 as part of a three-year deal which began last year, while a new two-year agreement will see the tournament return to the Sam Torrance-designed course at Fairmont St Andrews, which reopened in the summer following a £17million revamp.
Torrance himself will be among those trying to succeed Glenn Ralph as champion, having beaten fellow former Ryder Cup Captain Ian Woosnam to the 2009 Senior Tour Order of Merit crown by just €3,380.
The 56 year old, who begins the defence of the John Jacobs Trophy in this week’s Mauritius Commercial Bank Open, won the Scottish Senior Open in 2006 at Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club, becoming the third Scottish champion following David Huish in 1998 and Bill Longmuir in 2004, and he will be keen to add the title to his 11 Senior Tour victories on a course he knows so well.
It was an Englishman who captured the title in 2009 when Ralph finished one stroke clear of compatriot Bob Cameron and Argentine Luis Carbonetti to cap a remarkable comeback from a broken ankle.
The Cleveland Golf/Srixon Scottish Senior Open is one of the longest running events on the Senior Tour and will form an integral part of the 2010 schedule, a month after The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard returns to Scotland when it is played at Carnoustie from July 22-25.
Ben Davis, UK/North Europe Marketing Manager for Cleveland Golf, said: “Cleveland Golf/ Srixon are delighted to return to the Fairmont St Andrews in 2010 and 2011 and reaffirm the Scottish Senior Open as a significant part of the schedule. We hope that it will be an even bigger success than 2009.”
Charles Head, General Manager of Fairmont St Andrews, said: “It is a great pleasure to have many of golf's icons, including our own Sam Torrance, returning to Fairmont St Andrews in 2010 and 2011.
“The return of the Cleveland/Srixon Scottish Open will be a wonderful climax to a very exciting season. We are delighted to have the Senior Tour back with us on The Torrance Course for the next two years, which will also play host to Local Final Qualifying for The Open Championship, and I am sure many of the players are looking forward to a return to the Home of Golf.”
Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer at EventScotland, the national events agency, said: “Fairmont St Andrews is one of Scotland’s most iconic golf courses and provides an incredible backdrop for the game. The 2009 tournament was visually stunning and Glenn Ralph’s victory made for exciting viewing. We expect next year’s tournament will be just as compelling as we see Sam Torrance return to the course he designed to contend for the title.
“EventScotland has supported the Scottish Senior Open for eight consecutive years now and that support forms part of our commitment to the sport in the years leading up to the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.”
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said: “It is great news that our partnership with Cleveland Golf/Srixon, Fairmont St Andrews and EventScotland will continue to develop the Scottish Senior Open’s standing on the Senior Tour schedule.
“We are delighted to be returning to Fairmont St Andrews for 2010 and 2011 following the success of our maiden visit earlier this year and we are hopeful that other partners will join our family of sponsors in the near future. We look forward to a festival of golf in Scotland in 2010.”