Scottish Open (golf)

The Genesis Scottish Open is a professional golf tournament in Scotland, and is one of five tournaments that are part of the Rolex Series, which identifies it as one of the European Tour's premier events. It has been played on various courses, but in recent years it has been played on a links course, appealing to players who wish to gain experience before The Open, which takes place in the following week.

Genesis Scottish Open

Tournament information
Location	North Berwick, Scotland
Established	1972
Course(s)	Renaissance Club
Par	70
Length	7,237 yards (6,618 m)
Tour(s)	European Tour PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$9,000,000
Month played	July
Tournament record score
Aggregate	260 Brandon Stone (2018)
To par	−22 Benjamin Hébert (2019) −22 Bernd Wiesberger (2019)
Current champion
Robert McIntyre
Location map
Renaissance Club Location in Scotland Show map of Scotland Renaissance Club Location in East Lothian Show map of East Lothian

Gl

Do

SA

HC

Ca

LL

CS

RA

Du

Gu

Re

Scottish Open venues ( 2022 venue)

• Do=Downfield (x1)
• Gl=Gleneagles (x8)
• SA=St Andrews (x1)
• HC=Haggs Castle (x1)
• Ca=Carnoustie (x2)
• LL=Loch Lomond (x15)
• CS=Castle Stuart (x4)
• RA=Royal Aberdeen (x1)
• Gu=Gullane (x2)
• Du=Dundonald (x1)
• Re=Renaissance Club (x5)

Since 1987 it has, together with John Deere Classic, been the last chance to qualify for The Open. It has been part of the Open Qualifying Series since that series started in 2014. The leading 3 players (4 in 2016) not already qualified, have received an entry to the Open. Before 2014 there was generally an exemption category so that the leading player or players, not already qualified, could play in the Open.

The Scottish Open became a Rolex Series event in 2017 (when the series was inaugurated), which meant the prize fund was increased to $7 million. Beginning in 2022, the tournament was co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and title sponsored by Genesis.^[1]

History

1972 and 1973

The first Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open was part of the 1972 European Tour and was held at Downfield Golf Club in Dundee. Neil Coles beat Brian Huggett at the second hole of a sudden-death playoff, holing a 12-foot putt.^[2] Total prize money was £10,000 with a first prize of £2,000. Sunbeam Electric had sponsored the Sunbeam Electric Tournament in 1971.

In 1973 the event was played on the Old Course at St Andrews. Graham Marsh won by 6 strokes from Peter Oosterhuis.^[3] Total prize money was increased to £15,000 with a first prize of £2,500.^[4]

Both 1972 and 1973 tournaments were broadcast extensively on ITV.^[5][4] The tournament was cancelled when television coverage could not be arranged in 1974.^[6]

1986 revival

The event returned to the European Tour calendar in 1986 when, under a new sponsorship deal with Bell's, the Glasgow Open, which had been held at Haggs Castle Golf Club from 1983 to 1985, was rebranded as the Scottish Open.^[7][8] After remaining at Haggs Castle for the first year, the tournament moved to Gleneagles in 1987 and was played the week before the Open Championship. 1987 also saw the BBC broadcast live coverage of the event, and continued to do so until 1993. It remained at Gleneagles until Bell's withdrew their sponsorship in 1994 following the switch of TV coverage from BBC to SKY that year. In 1995 and 1996 it was held, without a sponsor, at Carnoustie.

The 1986 event had prize money of £130,000 with a first prize of £21,660.^[9] This rose to £200,000 with a first prize of £33,330 for the 1987 event at Gleneagles.^[10] This had risen to £600,000 and a first prize of £100,000 for the 1992 tournament. Despite the loss of Bell's sponsorship the prize money increased to £650,000 in 1995 but, with the event losing money, this was reduced to £480,000 in 1996.^[11]

Loch Lomond

From 1997 the Scottish Open's pre-Open place on the European Tour schedule was taken by the Loch Lomond World Invitational, which had been first held at Loch Lomond Golf Club in September 1996. The top-60 in the World Rankings were invited but few non-Europeans entered.^[12] The event was broadcast by the BBC. From 1997 to 2000 the Loch Lomond event was played the week before the Open Championship. These events did not use the Scottish Open name, the rights to which were owned by ISM. From 2001, it was decided that the Loch Lomond event would be known as the Scottish Open and all prior editions, including the September 1996 event, would be granted Scottish Open status. This resulted in the anomaly of there being two "Scottish Opens" in 1996.^[13] The September 1996 event had a first prize of £125,000, rising to £133,330 in 1997 and £183,330 by 2000.

The 2001 Scottish Open was run without a main sponsor but from 2002 it was known as the Barclays Scottish Open, and was played at Loch Lomond until 2010. Some concern was expressed that the course, which is very different from the links courses on which the Open Championship is played, put European Tour players at a disadvantage compared to their leading rivals from the PGA Tour, who traditionally spent a week practising for the Open on links courses in Ireland.

Links courses

In 2011 it was held at Castle Stuart Golf Links, near Inverness, due to the financial difficulties being suffered by Loch Lomond. Play was reduced to 54 holes (three rounds) in the tournament due to heavy rain, which caused flooding and landslides.^[14] Aberdeen Asset Management took over sponsorship in 2012, but the event remained at Castle Stuart in 2012 and 2013 before moving to Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in 2014.^[15] It was played at Gullane Golf Club in 2015 and at Castle Stuart Golf Links in 2016.^[16] In 2016, the attendance figures at Castle Stuart were disappointing, with a reduction of more than 20,000 to 41,809 over the four tournament days.^[17] In 2017 it was held in Ayrshire, for the first time in its current guise, at Dundonald Links, and was played at Gullane again in 2018.^[18] Since 2019 the event has been held at the Renaissance Club and is scheduled to remain there until 2026.^[19]

Disability event

From 2019, a 36-hole EDGA (European Disabled Golf Association) Scottish Open event of ten players takes place on the same course on the Saturday and Sunday morning of the main event.^[20]

Winners

	European Tour (Rolex Series)	2017–
	European Tour (Regular)	1972–1973, 1986–2016

#	Year	Tour(s)[lower-alpha 1]	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Purse[lower-alpha 2]	Winner's share[lower-alpha 2]	Venue
Genesis Scottish Open
42nd	2024	EUR, PGAT	Robert MacIntyre	262	−18	1 stroke	Adam Scott	9,000,000	1,575,000	Renaissance
41st	2023	EUR, PGAT	Rory McIlroy	265	−15	1 stroke	Robert MacIntyre	9,000,000	1,575,000	Renaissance
40th	2022	EUR, PGAT	Xander Schauffele	273	−7	1 stroke	Kurt Kitayama	8,000,000	1,440,000	Renaissance
Abrdn Scottish Open
39th	2021	EUR	Min Woo Lee	266	−18	Playoff	Thomas Detry Matt Fitzpatrick	8,000,000	1,333,330	Renaissance
Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open
38th	2020	EUR	Aaron Rai	273	−11	Playoff	Tommy Fleetwood	7,000,000	1,166,669	Renaissance
37th	2019	EUR	Bernd Wiesberger	262	−22	Playoff	Benjamin Hébert	7,000,000	1,166,669	Renaissance
36th	2018	EUR	Brandon Stone	260	−20	4 strokes	Eddie Pepperell	7,000,000	1,166,669	Gullane
Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open
35th	2017	EUR	Rafa Cabrera-Bello	275	−13	Playoff	Callum Shinkwin	7,000,000	1,166,669	Dundonald
34th	2016	EUR	Alex Norén	274	−14	1 stroke	Tyrrell Hatton	3,250,000	541,668	Castle Stuart
33rd	2015	EUR	Rickie Fowler	268	−12	1 stroke	Raphaël Jacquelin Matt Kuchar	3,250,000	541,668	Gullane
32nd	2014	EUR	Justin Rose	268	−16	2 strokes	Kristoffer Broberg	3,000,000	500,000	Royal Aberdeen
31st	2013	EUR	Phil Mickelson	271	−17	Playoff	Branden Grace	3,000,000	500,000	Castle Stuart
30th	2012	EUR	Jeev Milkha Singh	271	−17	Playoff	Francesco Molinari	2,500,000	416,668	Castle Stuart
Barclays Scottish Open
29th	2011	EUR	Luke Donald	197[lower-alpha 3]	−19	4 strokes	Fredrik Andersson Hed	3,000,000	500,000	Castle Stuart
28th	2010	EUR	Edoardo Molinari	272	−12	3 strokes	Darren Clarke	3,000,000	500,000	Loch Lomond
27th	2009	EUR	Martin Kaymer	269	−15	2 strokes	Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño Raphaël Jacquelin	3,000,000	500,000	Loch Lomond
26th	2008	EUR	Graeme McDowell	271	−13	2 strokes	James Kingston	3,000,000	500,000	Loch Lomond
25th	2007	EUR	Grégory Havret	272	−14	Playoff	Phil Mickelson	3,000,000	500,000	Loch Lomond
24th	2006	EUR	Johan Edfors	271	−13	2 strokes	Luke Donald Andrés Romero Charl Schwartzel	2,400,000	400,000	Loch Lomond
23rd	2005	EUR	Tim Clark	265	−19	2 strokes	Darren Clarke Maarten Lafeber	2,400,000	400,000	Loch Lomond
22rd	2004	EUR	Thomas Levet	269	−15	1 stroke	Michael Campbell	2,200,000	366,660	Loch Lomond
21st	2003	EUR	Ernie Els (2)	267	−17	5 strokes	Darren Clarke Phillip Price	2,200,000	366,660	Loch Lomond
20th	2002	EUR	Eduardo Romero	273	−11	Playoff	Freddie Jacobson	2,200,000	366,660	Loch Lomond
Scottish Open
19th	2001	EUR	Retief Goosen	268	−16	3 strokes	Thomas Bjørn	2,200,000	366,660	Loch Lomond
Standard Life Loch Lomond
18th	2000	EUR	Ernie Els	273	−11	1 stroke	Tom Lehman	1,100,000	183,330	Loch Lomond
17th	1999	EUR	Colin Montgomerie	268	−16	3 strokes	Sergio García Michael Jonzon Mats Lanner	1,000,000	166,660	Loch Lomond
16th	1998	EUR	Lee Westwood	276	−8	4 strokes	Robert Allenby Dennis Edlund David Howell Eduardo Romero Ian Woosnam	850,000	141,660	Loch Lomond
Gulfstream Loch Lomond World Invitational
15th	1997	EUR	Tom Lehman	265	−19	5 strokes	Ernie Els	800,000	133,330	Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond World Invitational
14th	1996[lower-alpha 4]	EUR	Thomas Bjørn	277	−7	1 stroke	Jean van de Velde	750,000	125,000	Loch Lomond
Scottish Open
13th	1996[lower-alpha 4]	EUR	Ian Woosnam (3)	289	+1	4 strokes	Andrew Coltart	480,000	80,000	Carnoustie
12th	1995	EUR	Wayne Riley	276	−12	2 strokes	Nick Faldo	650,000	108,330	Carnoustie
Bell's Scottish Open
11th	1994	EUR	Carl Mason	265	−15	1 stroke	Peter Mitchell	600,000	100,000	Gleneagles (King's Course)
10th	1993	EUR	Jesper Parnevik	271	−9	5 strokes	Payne Stewart	600,000	100,000	Gleneagles (King's Course)
9th	1992	EUR	Peter O'Malley	262	−18	2 strokes	Colin Montgomerie	600,000	100,000	Gleneagles (King's Course)
8th	1991	EUR	Craig Parry	268	−12	1 stroke	Mark McNulty	500,000	83,330	Gleneagles (King's Course)
7th	1990	EUR	Ian Woosnam (2)	269	−15	4 strokes	Mark McNulty	400,000	66,660	Gleneagles (King's Course)
6th	1989	EUR	Michael Allen	272	−8	2 strokes	José María Olazábal Ian Woosnam	300,000	50,000	Gleneagles (King's Course)
5th	1988	EUR	Barry Lane	271	−13	3 strokes	Sandy Lyle José Rivero	250,000	41,660	Gleneagles (King's Course)
4th	1987	EUR	Ian Woosnam	264	−20	7 strokes	Peter Senior	200,000	33,330	Gleneagles (King's Course)
3rd	1986	EUR	David Feherty	270	−14	Playoff	Ian Baker-Finch Christy O'Connor Jnr	130,000	21,660	Haggs Castle
1974–1985: No tournament
Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open
2nd	1973	EUR	Graham Marsh	286	−2	6 strokes	Peter Oosterhuis	15,000	2,500	St Andrews
1st	1972	EUR	Neil Coles	283	−5	Playoff	Brian Huggett	10,000	2,000	Downfield

Sources:^{[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]}

Previous event of same name

Scottish Open

Tournament information
Location	Scotland
Established	1935
Format	Stroke play
Final year	1936
Final champion
Jimmy Adams

In 1935 Gleneagles hosted a Scottish Open Championship held on the King's course. Total prize money was £750.^[30] The R&A objected to the use of the term "Championship" being used for a tournament organised by a private enterprise.^[31] Percy Alliss won the tournament by 4 strokes from Jack Busson with an aggregate of 273.^[32] The 1936 tournament was sponsored by Penfold and known as the Penfold Scottish Open. Penfold had sponsored tournaments in Wales and England from 1932 to 1934. The tournament was played at Ayr Belleisle Golf Club. Total prize money was again £750. After 72 holes Jimmy Adams and Tom Collinge tied on 287.^[33] In the 36-hole playoff, Adams had rounds of 68 and 69 and won by 11 strokes.^[34] It was intended to hold the 1937 Penfold Scottish Open in the Carnoustie area, just before the 1937 Open Championship which was to be played there. The R&A objected to the arrangement and the event was cancelled.^[35] Penfold resumed their golf sponsorship with the Penfold Professional Golf League in 1938.

#	Year	Winner	Score	Margin of victory	Runner-up	Venue
Penfold Scottish Open
2nd	1936	Jimmy Adams	287	Playoff	Tom Collinge	Belleisle
Scottish Open Championship
1st	1935	Percy Alliss	273	4 strokes	Jack Busson	Gleneagles (King's)

See also

• Open golf tournament
• Ladies Scottish Open

Notes

1. EUR − European Tour; PGAT − PGA Tour.
2. Before 2017 the prize fund was always stated and paid in pound sterling (£). Since 2017 the prize fund has been stated and paid in United States dollar (US$).
3. Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
4. Two events were played in 1996 after the Loch Lomond World Invitational became retrospectively recognised as an edition of the Scottish Open.

References

1. "PGA Tour and European Tour announce details of historic Strategic Alliance". PGA Tour. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
2. "Golf – Coles wins title putting like a demon". The Times. 3 July 1972. p. 11.
3. "Marsh in line for Open win". The Glasgow Herald. 2 July 1963. p. 5. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
4. "Golf –Scottish Open moves to the Old course". The Times. 12 January 1973. p. 7.
5. "Golf – Rich plum beyond reach of sponsors". The Times. 12 July 1972. p. I.
6. "No TV—No Scots' open". Glasgow Herald. 23 November 1973. p. 4. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via Google News Archive.
7. "Scottish Open rings the bell". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 10 June 1986. p. 18. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "O'Connor's cup bid continues". Irish Independent. 21 August 1986. p. 14. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "Prize increase". The Times. 9 August 1986. p. 34.
10. "Woosnam tips himself for double win in Scotland". The Times. 13 July 1987. p. 34.
11. "Rights to Scottish Open sold to IMG". The Times. 10 July 1996. p. 45.
12. "Leading American immune to Loch Lomond's charms". The Times. 19 September 1996. p. 42.
13. "Scottish Open: Historic yet new". BBC Sport. 13 July 2001. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
14. "Bad weather suspends golf's Scottish Open". BBC News. BBC. 9 July 2011. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
15. "Scottish Open to moves to Royal Aberdeen in 2014". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 September 2012. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
16. "Scottish Open: Gullane and Castle Stuart host next two tournaments". BBC Sport. 13 July 2014. Archived from the original on 26 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
17. Inglis, Martin (10 July 2016). "Scottish Open attendance 'disappointing'". bunkered. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
18. McEwan, Michael (25 April 2016). "Dundonald Links to host 2017 Scottish Open". bunkered. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
19. "Scottish Open to remain at East Lothian's The Renaissance Club until 2026". BBC Sport. 2 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
20. Dempster, Martin (9 May 2019). "Disability Scottish Open at The Renaissance". Edinburgh Evening News. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
21. "Scottish Open: Aaron Rai beats Tommy Fleetwood in play-off". BBC Sport. 4 October 2020. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
22. Crawford, Kenny (14 July 2019). "Scottish Open 2019: Bernd Wiesberger secures title with play-off win". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
23. Murray, Ewan (16 July 2017). "Rafa Cabrera-Bello beats Callum Shinkwin in Scottish Open play-off". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
24. "Phil Mickelson wins play-off to claim Scottish Open title". BBC Sport. 14 July 2013. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
25. "Scottish Open: Jeev Milkha Singh claims play-off victory". BBC Sport. 15 July 2012. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
26. Huggan, John (16 July 2007). "Mickelson's demons return to hand Havret Open spoils". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
27. "Romero denies Jacobson". BBC Sport. 14 July 2002. Archived from the original on 27 October 2003. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
28. Jacobs, Raymond (24 August 1986). "Irish magic as Feherty again wins playoff". Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020 – via Google News Archive.
29. Ward-Thomas, Pat (3 July 1972). "Coles makes a worthy champion". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
30. "The Scottish "Open" – Practice play at Gleneagles". The Glasgow Herald. 17 June 1935. p. 20. Archived from the original on 29 April 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
31. "Golf – Scottish "Open" qualifiers – Callum and Alliss lead". The Glasgow Herald. 19 June 1935. p. 12. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
32. "Great finish by Alliss – Final round of 66 at Gleneagles – Record aggregate in Scots Open championship". The Glasgow Herald. 20 June 1935. p. 20. Archived from the original on 16 May 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
33. "Collinge-Adams replay – Tie in the Penfold tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 18 June 1936. p. 20. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
34. "Record-breaking win – Adams's rounds of 68 and 69". The Glasgow Herald. 19 June 1936. p. 4. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
35. "Scottish tournament cancelled – Result of R. and A. Club objection". The Glasgow Herald. 2 January 1937. p. 15. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2015.

External links

• Coverage on the European Tour's official site
• Coverage on the PGA Tour's official site

56.052°N 2.812°W / 56.052; -2.812