Time for a Renaissance of the Scottish Open?
Thethreepartnersinvolved in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open are keeping their proverbial cards close to their chest about next year’s venue. “Our focus is on delivering a successful event at Gullane,” a spokesperson for the European Tour told The Scotsman. “A venue for 2019 will be announced in due course.”
It’s only right, of course, that the attention is on this week’s event, especially with a star-studded cast set to contest the event’s second visit to Gullane, but be prepared to hear strong rumours about that 2019 venue if you are heading to the East Lothian venue. It’s believed, in fact, that The Renaissance Club, just a few miles east of this week’s venue, might even have been lined up to stage the Rolex Series event for the next two years.
The Tom Doak-designed course was in the frame before Gullane got the nod for the 2015 event and it now looks as though its time is about to come.
It seems as though the preferred option for the next two years – possibly due to the merged Capitalbased Aberdeen Standard Investments being the title sponsor – is keeping the event close to Edinburgh rather than continuing the recent trend of it moving around the country and The Renaissance Club appears to be the chosen venue.
Popular as though it was first time around and will be again, no doubt, it’s just not possible for a club like Gullane to commit to hosting both the Scottish Open and Ladies Scottish Open for more than one year at a time and that’s left the European Tour, Aberdeen Standard Investments and the Scottish Government having to look elsewhere.
It will be claimed, no doubt, The Renaissance Club won’t be as good as the likes of Gullane and Royal Aberdeen in helping prepare players for a traditional links test in the Open Championship and the odd eyebrow will also be raised about the Scottish Government being involved in taking an event to one of the most exclusive clubs in the country.
However, options, restricted, of course, due to the R&A not wanting coursesontheopenchampionship rota to host European Tour events, are few and far between around Scotland in general and The Renaissance Club was certainly looking spectacular with long, wispy rough flanking the fairways when it hosted a Claret Jug qualifier for the first time last week.