The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers' clubhouse at Muirfield, Gullane

Macdonald Hotels to sponsor
Muirfield Home Internationals

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, one of the UK’s leading hotel chains, is to sponsor next month's Home Internationals at Muirfield in a new partnership announced by the Scottish Golf Union today.
The agreement will see Macdonald Hotels as title sponsor of one of amateur golf’s most prestigious events, which takes place on 3 – 5 September at the world famous East Lothian course.
Players from Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales will stay at the nearby Macdonald Marine Hotel & Spa in North Berwick during the week of the championship.
The leading 11 amateur golfers from each of the four Home Unions will take part in the event, which is held in Scotland every four years. Holders England will be aiming to defend the Raymond Trophy whilst Scotland is targeting a third title in the last four years, with a team that includes Scottish champion Callum Macaulay and stroke play champion Wallace Booth.
Many of the most famous names in British and Irish golf have played in the Home Internationals over the last three decades including triple Major champion Padraig Harrington, eight-time European Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie as well as Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood and Luke Donald.
Seamus Coen, General Manager of the Macdonald Marine Hotel & Spa, is delighted to be associated with one of Scotland’s leading events:
“We are very much looking forward to hosting the players and anticipate a fantastic week of golf at the Home Internationals. There is some great talent coming through in each of the four countries and we’re delighted to playing our part.”
“Macdonald Hotels are heavily involved in the sport right across our portfolio and golf has played a huge part in the success of the Marine Hotel, being located adjacent to North Berwick Golf Club. We hope our sponsorship of the SGU can develop this further.”
The company also sponsors former Masters and Open champion Sandy Lyle, whilst Macdonald Cardrona and Spey Valley are two of the country’s best new golf courses, both used by the Scottish Golf Union for major championships.
“Our partnership with Macdonald Hotels is a great boost to this year’s Home Internationals and will play a key role in the successful staging of the event next month,” said Ross Duncan, the SGU’s Marketing & Sponsorship Manager.
“The team at Macdonald Hotels are passionate about their golf and that’s always an advantage when working with a new sponsor. It should be a great event at Muirfield and hopefully we can capture the imagination of the Scottish golf public to come along and support their team.”
Entrance to the event is free of charge for spectators and the SGU will also provide live scoring on their website.
The Scotland team have also recruited Colin Montgomerie to help with the players’ preparation in the build up to the event, with Monty giving a team talk on the Monday.
The opening ceremony takes place at 6.30pm on Tuesday, 2 September with the action getting underway from 7.30am on Wednesday 3 September.
Each country plays each other in a round robin match play format, with morning foursomes followed by afternoon singles each day.