Surprise as last invitation goes to Mcarthur
ANDREW Mcarthur has pipped Bradley Neil and Jimmy Gunn for the final spot in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
The Glaswegian was handed the last invitation for the £3.25 million event on the strength of being the next highest-placed Scot in the world rankings not already in the field.
It had been thought that either Neil, last year’s Amateur champion from Blairgowrie, or Dornoch man Gunn, who finished joint-26th in last month’s US Open, were the leading contenders to join the star-studded field. But the good news was delivered instead this morning to Mcarthur – a perfect pick-meup after he had missed out in the weekend qualifier at North Berwick.
“I got the call this morning and am delighted, obviously,” he said. “It’s now up to me to go out and try to do this chance justice and show people that it was a good decision to give me the invitation.”
The 36 year old is familiar with this week’s venue, having reached the semi-finals when the Scottish Amateur Championship was staged here in 2002 – two years after he won that event at Western Gailes.
“I played in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond on the back of that success,” recalled Mcarthur. “I also played in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles a couple of times as an amateur. I love Gullane. It’s one of my favourite places and often go through in the winter and play because the greens are so good.”
He’s been splitting his time this season between the European Tour and Challenge Tour, finishing joint 34th in the Hassan Trophy in Morocco on the main tour after going out in the final group in the last round before trying for 13th in the Mauritius Open.
“I’ve had a decent start to the season,” he said. “I feel a lot more comfortable now on Tour and hopefully I can do something decent this week. Playing on the European and Challenge Tours, it takes a wee while to get used to links golf again. But having played Gailes Links (in Open qualifying) and North Berwick in the past week should stand me in good stead.”
Mcarthur’s addition increases the Scottish contingent in this week’s field to 17. He joins Stephen Gallacher, Paul Lawrie, Colin Montgomerie, Richie Ramsay, Marc Warren, Russell Knox, Martin Laird, Sandy Lyle, Chris Doak, Scott Jamieson, David Drysdale, Craig Lee, Callum Hill, Craig Sutherland, Graham Fox and Greig Hutcheon.
Hill, a 19-year-old amateur from North Berwick, came through the qualifier on Sunday along with Sutherland, Fox, Hutcheon and Edinburgh-based Welshman Gareth Wright.