Pro-am golf at Royal Dornoch next week attracts capacity field
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A PRESTIGIOUS pro-am golf tournament across three of Scotland’s finest links courses has attracted a capacity field.
A total of 76 teams will compete in the Highland Golf Links 54-hole pro-am match sponsored by Blue Group, from Monday to Wednesday next week.
Some 304 players from across the UK, the US and Switzerland have committed to playing in the Tartan Tour event. They will compete on successive days at Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness; Royal Dornoch Golf Club; and The Nairn Golf Club.
Blue Group agreed a three-year deal in December with Highland Golf Links (HGL) to support the pro-am. The event, which currently boasts a professional prize fund of more than £50,000, is open to teams of four players from anywhere in the world consisting of three amateurs (ladies or gentlemen) plus a professional of their choice.
Teams that do not include a pro are allocated a leading player from the PGA Scotland Order of Merit.
The contest is held over the three renowned courses which are all members of HGL, a partnership that promotes “Play and Stay” golfing breaks in the Highlands.
The pro-am is estimated to generate about £200,000 for the Highland economy, with other HGL partners – the Kingsmills Hotel and Culloden House Hotel, Inverness, and the Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch – all benefiting from late-season bookings. Fraser Cromarty, chairman of HGL, said: “Since its inception in 2013, the pro-am has grown steadily in popularity.
“This year, the involvement of the Blue Group has helped stimulate new interest in the event and demand for places has been such that we have reached our capacity.
“We are very excited at the rapid growth of the event and hope to see it develop further in coming years with the support of the sponsors.”
Blue Group director Austin Carey said: “We are delighted that the pro-am has attracted such strong interest in our debut year as headline sponsor.
“This is a fantastic event, played over three magnificent links courses, and we aim to ensure it continues to be a major draw for both professional and amateur players in the coming years.”
