Castle Stuart 'eternally grateful' for Scottish Open help
HELP to save the Barclays Scottish Open from being a complete washout was offered from more than 100 miles away, it has emerged.
In a statement of gratitude from the officials at Castle Stuart, which hosted the golf tournament last week, they revealed the venue was inundated with offers of assistance after double the average 5cm of rainfall in the area for July fell in the space of 24 hours.
“We have been deeply touched and overwhelmed by the way you, as a community, embraced and supported the event,” it states.
“In our hour of need after the freak thunderstorm, we were inundated with calls and messages of support as well as offers of labour and equipment from as far afield as Perth.”
The event attracted more than 50,000 people, despite being shortened due to delays caused by the heavy rainfall and a day when the course was unplayable.
“The local authority, government bodies, businesses, volunteers as well as the general public all went beyond the call of duty to help support us and for that we will be eternally grateful,” continues the statement.
The European Tour intends to hold the event at the links course for another two years at least. Title sponsors Barclays are still deciding whether to continue sponsoring the event, which was won by golf’s world number one Luke Donald last Sunday.
> Our Barclays Scottish Open coverage.
> Our photos at Castle Stuart.