DONALD AND WESTWOOD FOR BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN TOUR

World Number One Luke Donald, and Lee Westwood, the man he supplanted at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking, will resume their healthy rivalry for global supremacy as part of a glittering cast competing in next month’s Barclays Scottish Open.

The two much vaunted Englishmen confirmed their participation at Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness today (Monday) along with World Number Six, American Matt Kuchar. This ensures a minimum of five of the top eight players on the World Ranking will carry their combined talents to Scotland from July 7-10, where they will compete for a winner’s cheque of £500,000 from an overall prize fund of £3 million.

Donald and Westwood, who contested a superlative ‘winner-takes all’ climax to the BMW PGA Championship at a packed Wentworth Club just eight days ago – Donald’s victory earning the title and the Number One position – are joined by fifth ranked Phil Mickelson and current US Open Champion Graeme McDowell (eighth).

Kuchar, who has become one of the strongest and most consistent performers on the US PGA Tour, confirmed he will compete at the spectacular Castle Stuart links along with former European Number One Justin Rose, Scotland’s highest ranked player Martin Laird, currently 25th in the world, his fellow Scot Paul Lawrie, defending champion Edoardo Molinari of Italy and three-time Major Champion Padraig Harrington from Ireland.

The confirmation of top names from both sides of the Atlantic will ensure that the 2011 Barclays Scottish Open brings the best of world golf to the newest and most northerly venue on The European Tour’s Race to Dubai.

Donald, who rose to the pinnacle of the game by defeating Westwood in a sudden-death play-off for the BMW PGA Championship, said: “The Barclays Scottish Open has generated huge interest this year with the move to Castle Stuart and I am really looking forward to playing the course. It promises to be a great week."

Westwood, who dethroned Tiger Woods as Number One last November, was briefly knocked off his perch by Martin Kaymer but enjoyed a second spell on top of the world with back-to-back wins in Indonesia and Korea in April.

The 2009 Race to Dubai winner commented: "This year's Barclays Scottish Open is certain to create a great deal of interest and excitement because of a change of venue and a move to a links course. I'm really looking forward to visiting a part of the country that I have very little experience of. From what I have heard, it's an excellent facility and should be ideal preparation for what follows immediately afterwards.”

Kuchar will be seeking an unprecedented Barclays ‘double’ at Castle Stuart. Last August, the American Ryder Cup player beat Laird, in a sudden-death shoot-out at The Barclays, the first event in the 2010 FedEx Cup play-off series.

He said: “I am really excited about participating in the Barclays Scottish Open this year. I have heard great things about the new venue and it promises to be a fantastic week and ideal preparation for The Open Championship.”

Former European Number One Rose, twice a winner on the US PGA Tour last season, is another Englishman with the title in his sights. He commented: “I am really looking forward to my first visit to Castle Stuart. It promises to be a fantastic venue and a wonderful setting for such a great tournament.”

+All four days of the Barclays Scottish Open will be broadcast live on BBC Television (July 9 and 10) and Sky Sports (July 7 and 8) with extensive highlights on both channels.