The European Tour Adds New Scottish Championship to Schedule

Concluding at The Belfry this weekend, the European Tour's UK Swing has been considered a success, and golf fans who have enjoyed that summer schedule will be delighted to hear that another is coming in the autumn, with the reshaped calendar featuring a new Scottish Championship in October. 

Hosted by the celebrated Fairmont St Andrews overlooking the historic Home of Golf, the €1 million Scottish Championship will be played from October 15-18. The tournament follows the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm Castle Golf Club (September 24- 27), the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club (October 1-4) and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth (October 8-11), and extends the Tour’s second UK Swing of 2020 to four events. 

Additionally, the European Tour will venture to Cyprus for the first time with two consecutive events, the Cyprus Open from October 29 – November 1 followed by the Cyprus Classic from November 5-8, with both tournaments behind contested at the spectacular Aphrodite Hills Resort in Paphos, with prize funds of €1 million.

Confirmed also were the cancellations of this year's Turkish Airlines Open and Nedbank Golf Challenge. 

Ben Cowen, the European Tour’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer International, said: “We are pleased to be able to announce these three new tournaments as part of our 2020 International Schedule, which will continue to give valuable playing opportunities to our members.

“We are grateful to Aphrodite Hills Resort and ISM for their support in staging two consecutive tournaments as part of our first trip to Cyprus, and we look forward to showcasing the country to our global television audience.

“Similarly our thanks also go to Fairmont St Andrews, which has previously staged the Scottish Senior Open, for stepping up to now host the Scottish Championship, which extends our second UK Swing to four events. As the Home of Golf, Scotland obviously has many top class golfing venues and we are delighted to be visiting another of those.”

Andrew Chandler, Chief Executive Officer of ISM, said: “We’re delighted to be able to put on the Cyprus Open and the Cyprus Classic. It’s been a turbulent year for golf but that brings opportunity and this will be an exciting couple of weeks.

“We have a long and successful history of promoting tournaments. ISM prides itself on taking golf to new places and we’re looking forward to seeing the European Tour break new ground once again in Cyprus. Aphrodite Hills will be a great venue and I’m sure the tournaments will be a huge success and will hopefully become a part of the European Tour schedule for many years to come.”

Andrew Darker, Director of Golf at Aphrodite Hills, said: “Hosting these two consecutive tournaments clearly turns our country’s vision into reality, to become the favourite European destination for sport and much, much more.

“It seems that the future of Cyprus is already here. Golf in Cyprus is growing on an upward scale as all of us join forces to promote our top-class facilities and the year-round excellent weather. What an honour to have all these distinguished players at Aphrodite Hills Resort and the sense of security offered by our Government in the face of the Covid-19 crisis is one of the major factors in helping us achieve our vision.

“The PGA National Cyprus Golf Course is a must play course in the region and we are proud and privileged of the opportunity to host such a renowned, world-class golf event.”

John Keating, Area General Manager Luxury Brands Scotland and Ireland said: “We are delighted that the European Tour have selected Fairmont St Andrews and the Torrance Course to host the Scottish Championship.

“With so many iconic venues staging European Tour Events in 2020 we are thrilled to be part of this. The course will provide a great test and challenge for the players so we are looking forward to seeing the performance, and hope the players enjoy the chance to be back in St Andrews.”

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