DEESIDE GC TO HOST PAUL LAWRIE INVITATIONAL IN MID-JUNE

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH PGA

The Gleneagles Scottish Championship again takes pride of place on the PGA Scottish Region calendar for this year, but a new 54-hole invitational tournament will join it, inspired by the 1999 Open champion, Paul Lawrie.

To be held at Deeside Golf Club, Bieldside in the western surburbs of Aberdeen (where Paul Lawrie lives and is an honorary member of the golf club), this will join the other four-round championship, the Aberdeen Asset Northern Open, again being played over Meldrum House, Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire.

The date for the Paul Lawrie Invitational event will be mid-June, while the Northern Open, being defended by Greig Hutcheon, moves to late August (August 30-September 2).
Said PGA Scottish Secretary, Michael MacDougall “Paul has already negotiated sponsorship involving Aberdeen Asset Management, Marcliffe Hotel and Saltire Energy as well as TV coverage on Sky for the £25,000 invitational event.”
“Paul has been a long-term supporter of the PGA in Scotland and has been thinking for some time of how best he can use his influence for the benefit of his fellow professionals”.
“The field of 66 players will consist of Tartan Tour regulars, hopefully some European Tour campaigners, and those players who find themselves in limbo, not playing the top tour,” added MacDougall.
The Gleneagles Scottish Championship will again be played in October albeit this time from Monday through Thursday, October 10 to 13, as opposed to traditional Thursday - Sunday.

PGA officials had hoped to move it to the last week in September, but that slot has been filled by the European Tour’s Dunhill Championship at St Andrews. It is intended that the Championship will again be televised.

“We’re delighted to have Gleneagles Hotel supporting our flagship event (this will be the 13th successive year of the championship being played there). It will again be on the King’s Course, following the format established last year, with a field of 66 starters.”

Defending champion will be Chris Doak.

Other Order of Merit events on the year’s schedule are the indbuild Deer Park Masters (August 2-3), and Kerr Investments at Dumfries and Galloway (September 3-4).

Dates and venues have still to be finalised for the WaterAid 36-hole event.

The successful Sprint Series (four 18-hole outings) culminating in a 36-hole final will this year boast Order of Merit status. There will also be a minimum of two Pro-only 36 Hole Order of Merit events. Dates and venues for these and the Sprint Series to be confirmed.

The Young Professionals’ Championship returns to West Lothian (Sept. 6-8), and the Royal Dornoch Young Pros’ Masters (Sept. 24-26) renamed the “Sandy Pipey Memorial Masters” returns to the schedule.

In addition, there will be a new 36-hole Young Professionals Order of Merit Pro-Am at Craigielaw (April 14-15), which brings the total of Young Pros' Order of Merit events to six.

In terms of one day pro-ams, there are new events at Aberdour Golf Club, Fife,  and Moray Golf Club, Lossiemouth with Strathaven and Esporta Dougalston returning after being off the schedule in recent seasons.