OOSTHUIZEN, SCHWARTZEL BOUND FOR CASTLE STUART

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
The Barclays Scottish Open will play host to Major Champions Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel at Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness from July 7-10, the week before Oosthuizen defends his Open Championship title at Royal St George's, Kent.
The South African pair, who have been friends since their days playing junior golf together, joined golf’s most exclusive club of Major winners in the last nine months following Oosthuizen’s crushing victory in The Open at St Andrews last summer and, of course, Schwartzel’s unforgettable Masters triumph at Augusta three weeks ago.
They will join current US Open Champion and 2008 Barclays Scottish Open winner Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson and defending champion Edoardo Molinari at Castle Stuart in July, with more of the world’s elite players expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
For Oosthuizen, the move from Loch Lomond Golf Club to the links of Castle Stuart will provide the perfect setting in which to prepare for his defence of The Open at Royal St George’s the following week, and the 28 year old would like nothing more than to head south with the Barclays Scottish Open trophy next to the Claret Jug in his suitcase.
“The fact that the Barclays Scottish Open is being played over a links course this year is really good news for me,” confirmed Oosthuizen. “Playing on a links course will help me better prepare to defend The Open as I will be able to work on a lot of the shots I’ll require to do well at Royal St George’s.
“Obviously the perfect preparation would be to win at Castle Stuart – whoever wins the Barclays Scottish Open this year will have to be considered a big favourite for The Open because their links game will be in great shape.”
Schwartzel, meanwhile, will arrive on the Moray Firth – one of Scotland’s most beautiful locations – with the swagger of a man who has beaten the world’s best following his stunning Masters success.
The 26 year old – the third South African after Gary Player and Trevor Immelman to own a Green Jacket – produced one of the great Augusta finishes by becoming the first player to birdie the last four holes in the final round and win the Masters, a fact he is slowly but surely coming to terms with.
“The last two weeks have been a real rollercoaster for me and I am starting to understand what it means to be a Major Champion,” said Schwartzel. “It will be a real honour to be introduced onto the first tee at the Barclays Scottish Open as the Masters Champion and I hope I can perform at my best and try to contend for the title.
“The Barclays Scottish Open has always been a big week on Tour because it is the week before The Open and it now has an extra edge because it’s being played on a links course at Castle Stuart.”
All four days of the Barclays Scottish Open will be broadcast live on both BBC Television (July 9 and 10) and Sky Sports (July 7 and 8) with extensive highlights on both channels.
Advance tickets are now on sale for the 2011 Barclays Scottish Open – for full details of ticket offers and other events on The European Tour, please visit www.europeantourtickets.com or telephone the Ticket Hotline: +44 (0) 800 023 2557; fax +44 141 887 0223. Please send postal enquiries to European Tour Tickets, Mirren Court Three, 123 Renfrew Court Three, Paisley, PA3 4EA.