Archerfield Links to stage Paul Lawrie Match 

-play after Saltire Energy drop sponsorship

 

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE

By Martin Dempster

Archerfield Links is to stage the Paul Lawrie Match Play Tournament in Augustthis after an initial plan to visit Murcar Links for the second year in a row was scrapped. 
The event, to be held on the Fidra Links at the East Lothian venue, will take place from August 4 to 7, which is a week later on the schedule than last year. 
Then, it came just a fortnight after The Open at St Andrews and three weeks after the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Gullane. 
This year there’s an extra week in between The Open at Royal Troon and the event at Archerfield Links 
With the Scottish Open heading back to Castle Stuart, it means the three tournaments are split a bit better geographically than last year, when they were all on the east coast. 
“Archerfield will be a great venue for the tournament this year and Fidra Links is a brilliant course with a unique blend of pine forest and links golf,” said Lawrie.

“Murcar did a fantastic job at hosting our first event last year and the door remains firmly open for taking the event back there in the future.”
The event continues to be part of European Tour schedule, the prize-money remains unchanged at €1million and it will again involve a 64-man field.
The only change appears to be that Portlethen-based oil company Saltire Energy are no longer involved as the title sponsor.
“We are very much looking forward to staging year two of the Match Play at Archerfield Links, who, along with East Lothian Council have presented an attractive proposition for staging the event given the nature of the club and the wide business reach of the location,” said the CEO of 4sports and  Entertainment, Dominik Senn, whose company are both the promoter of the tournament and also Lawrie’s management group.
“We are all excited to work closely with Tom Younger and his team at Archerfield who we know will do a fantastic job in hosting the event.
“I’d like to make it clear however that any decision to change venue is in no way a reflection on Murcar Links Golf Club as we have nothing but praise for the course, the members, and the entire team at Murcar who helped in delivering a fantastic first event in 2015. 
"We maintain that we could return to Murcar with every confidence in the future.”
The announcement means that Archerfield Links will stage European Tour and European Senior Tour events within the space of three weeks.
It was already committed to hosting the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open for the second year in a row on 19-21 August.
The good news for Archerfield Links comes hot on the heels of its neighbour, The Renaissance Club, being announced as an Open Championship Final Qualifying venue for four years from 2018.