FULL HOUSE FOR TONIGHT'S XOS SCOTTISH GOLF AWARDS

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
The XOS Scottish Golf Awards will take place tonight in front of a sell-out audience at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza Hotel with golf fans set to honour two of Scotland’s greatest golfing names.
Victorious European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie and former Open Champion Paul Lawrie will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards in recognition of their contribution to Scottish Golf, presented by event partners Aberdeen Asset Management and the Scottish Golf Union.
Montgomerie guided Europe to a dramatic 14.5 – 13.5 victory over the United States in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and the eight-times European Tour Order of Merit winner will be recognised for his achievement as a winning captain while the iconic Ryder Cup trophy will be on show at the event.
Lawrie, who won the Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1999, celebrates ten years of his Junior Foundation in 2011, a hugely successful development programme which has already produced a number of leading amateur golfers from the North-east, including David Law, Philip McLean and Laura Murray.
The country’s leading amateurs will be presented with their honours from the 2010 season, including SGU Amateur Golfer of the Year James Byrne who was runner-up in last year’s Amateur Championship, SLGA Ladies Order of Merit winner Kelsey MacDonald, runner-up in the British Women’s Amateur Championship at Ganton and SGU Order of Merit winner Michael Stewart, who claimed the Scottish Amateur Championship title last summer.
The awards will celebrate the work of golf’s unsung heroes, with five golfers nominated for the Xerox Office Solutions Volunteer of the Year Award and the clubgolf Junior Club of the Year, while a new Team of the Year presentation will also be made by Colin Montgomerie, from a shortlist of the amateur game’s most notable team achievements over the past 12 months.
Event organiser Ross Duncan, Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for the Scottish Golf Union, said:
“We are delighted that all tickets for this year’s XOS Scottish Golf Awards have sold out, reflecting the popularity of the event across a wide spectrum of the golfing landscape, from ordinary club golf club members to our sponsors and our major supporters.”
“It is great to have both Paul Lawrie and Colin Montgomerie involved and I’m sure everyone attending the event is looking forward to celebrating their achievements. Our awards now reflect those involved in the game at all levels, from volunteers to Tour professionals and it will be heart-warming to see all our winners sharing the spotlight.”.
Lindsay Wallace, Managing Director of official event sponsors Xerox Office Solutions, added:
“In our first year of partnership with the Scottish Golf Union, we have been very impressed with their efforts on making the XOS Scottish Golf Awards such a success and look forward to extending our support to golf locally through working with the SGU’s member clubs.”
The XOS Scottish Golf Awards will be hosted by the BBC’s Andrew Cotter, who commentated for Radio 5 Live at the Ryder Cup, while comedian Eric Davidson, a popular performer at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival, will provide the after-dinner entertainment.
Guest presenters include European Tour golfer Alastair Forsyth, former British Lions rugby captain Gavin Hastings and PGA Chief Executive Sandy Jones.
Martin Gilbert, Chief Executive of event partners Aberdeen Asset Management concluded:
“We are very proud to sponsor a wide range of golfers in Scotland, from our various professionals such as Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie through to the SGU and SLGA Men’s and Ladies Elite Squads. The annual dinner and awards promise to be a fantastic night for Scottish Golf which we hope can inspire further success in the season ahead.”