Irish Open champ Casey joins Castle Stuart field
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IRISH Open winner Paul Casey will join six Major champions, 21 Ryder Cup players and 17 of the other 28 European Tour winners from 2013 in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart Golf Links next week.
The 35-year-old Englishman, who captured his 12th European Tour title by winning the Irish Open title in style at Carton House on Sunday, takes his place in a top-class cast of international players seeking to land one of the tour’s most prestigious championships.
American Phil Mickelson, a four-time Major champion, will continue his Scottish Open love affair as the highest-ranked player in the field at number six in the world ranking, but he will find himself up against a European challenge led by fellow Major winners Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul Lawrie, who watched his compatriot Colin Montgomerie win the title in 1999 before going on to claim the Open Championship crown the following week.
Clarke, who played well at Castle Stuart in 2011 before going to Royal St George’s and lifting the Claret Jug, aims to draw on those memories, while Harrington has a strong affinity with Scotland having won The Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship over classic Scottish links courses.
Scotland’s knowledgeable golfing galleries will also be willing Lawrie, Martin Laird – a champion on the US PGA Tour in April – and the rest of a strong home contingent over the line, with 2013 winners Scott Jamieson (Nelson Mandela Championship) and Stephen Gallacher (Omega Dubai Desert Classic) looking to add a second title of the season to their respective CVs.
Marc Warren, who went so close to capturing his national Open 12 months ago, and Peter Whiteford will be looking to go one better in their homeland having just missed out in play-offs this year – Warren at the BMW PGA Championship, and Whiteford at the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea.
Europe’s 2012 and 2014 Ryder Cup Captains José María Olazábal of Spain and Paul McGinley of Ireland will also grace the fairways of Castle Stuart, while Lawrie will be joined by Medinah team mates Francesco Molinari, who lost out to India’s Jeev Milkha Singh in a play-off last year, and big-hitting Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts.
With such strength in depth and a €3million prize fund on offer, the Scottish Open looks to serve up another golfing treat in the Highlands of Scotland.
A season ticket can still be bought for £70 in advance of the tournament, a saving of £10 on admission at the gate. Adult day tickets are currently priced at £30, rising to £35 on the gate.
Concessions (60 and over) start at £50 for a season ticket and £20 for any one day tickets if purchased in advance. Under-16s accompanied by an adult are admitted free of charge and all car parking is also free.
Entrance to the Pro-Am on Wednesday is £12 in advance and £15 on the day.
Reserved grandstand seating can also be purchased immediately for the Saturday (£10) and the Sunday (£15) of the event. Hospitality packages are also available.
Additionally, new summer "stay and play" packages are available via Castle Stuart on www.castlestuartgolf.com/stay-and-play.php
Full ticket information can be found at: www.aamscottishopen.com or www.europeantour.com/tickets or telephone 0800 023 2557. Postal enquiries should be sent to: European Tour Tickets, Mirren Court Three, 123 Renfrew Court Three, Paisley, PA3 4EA.
