Apart from years when it hosts The Open Championship, the biggest tournament staged in Scotland is the Scottish Open. It is now a co-sanctioned event with the PGA Tour and a Rolex Series event. Over the years it has seen some pretty impressive performances and some world-class winners as well as a few surprise champions.
Here are my five favourites:
Wayne Riley, Carnoustie, 1995
Now better known as a Sky Golf pundit and on-course commentator, Wayne Riley withstood a charge from Nick Faldo to secure his first European Tour title with a two-stroke victory at Carnoustie. Riley, who started the day five strokes ahead of Faldo, used a conservative approach to finish at 12-under-par 276 and qualify for the following week’s Open. Faldo carded a 69 to finish at 278, and Colin Montgomerie shot a final-round 70 to finish at eight-under 280. Faldo bogeyed the fourth and fifth but birdied the sixth, seventh, eighth and 13th to pull within three strokes. Riley's lead was down to two with two holes to play, but he knocked in a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 17 to virtually clinch the title. "I was in the driving seat all along," Riley said. "He had birdie, birdie, birdie but was still four adrift." Faldo recovered from sand for a birdie on No. 18, but Riley avoided the water and parred to win by two. It was Riley's first victory in Europe after 11 years on the tour. "When you have been kicked in the teeth like I have in the last few years and come close without doing it, you begin to wonder, 'Have I got it?' " Riley said. "But going head to head with Colin yesterday, then with Nick today, I have proved a lot."
Colin Montgomerie, Loch Lomond, 1999
Monty gave the home fans the victory they craved when he won at Loch Lomond, holding off the challenge of Spanish rookie Sergio Garcia with a glorious 64 that saw him turn a four-shot deficit into a three-stroke victory. Although he started and finished with bogeys, the Scot had a run of nine birdies in 12 holes in the middle of his round to finally achieve an individual victory on his native Scottish soil. "How could I possibly feel any better than I do right now?" He said after his final round before heading to Carnoustie. "I can only go into The Open with confidence and that's what many players can't say." Montgomerie won with a 268 total, three strokes better than the 19-year-old Garcia and Swedes Mats Lanner and Michael Jonzon."I just feel very proud right now to have won on the western coast of Scotland where I'm from," Montgomerie said of his third victory of the season. "Of all the victories, and I think that's 20 now, this has to be the most special."
Phil Mickelson, Castle Stuart, 2013
Phil Mickelson won a thrilling sudden-death play-off against South Africa's Branden Grace to win the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart in Inverness. The American left-hander survived an early wobble but three-putted the 18th, forcing the play-off with Grace, the pair finishing on 17 under par. Mickelson, 43, birdied the first play-off hole, a sublime chip leaving him a tap-in, a score Grace could not match. Swede Henrik Stenson's title attempt was ruined by three late bogeys. Stenson, with a final round of 73, tied with Denmark's JB Hansen for third place on 15 under par. Hansen had an astonishing round, with a quadruple-bogey nine at the second hole followed by eight birdies and three bogeys. Stenson had led Mickelson, Grace, Parry and America's Peter Uihlein by two strokes, on 16 under, after Saturday's play. But the links course was buffeted by intermittent gusts of 20-30mph, limiting the number of sub-70 rounds on Sunday to five. Grace had teed off in the group ahead of Mickelson and was in the clubhouse on 17 under, thanks to a back nine of 32, as Mickelson had two putts on the final green to win the tournament. However, the American knocked his 20ft birdie putt at the par-five some 4ft past the hole, then failed by a fraction to sink his fifth shot, resulting in a sudden death play-off, played on the 18th hole. The following week he would go on to win The Open at Muirfield.
Rory McIlroy, Renaissance Club, 2023
Rory McIlroy produced "one of the best shots I'll hit in my career" to edge out home hope Robert MacIntyre and snatch the Scottish Open. The Northern Irishman sealed his first win in Scotland by a stroke after a glorious two-iron stinger from 200 yards on the 18th set up a decisive birdie. MacIntyre had mastered the windswept Renaissance Club with a six-under 64 to set the target at 14 under. But McIlroy posted 68 with closing back-to-back birdies to deny the Scot. Having taken a one-shot advantage into the final day, McIlroy struggled to a two-over front nine featuring four bogeys. He gained strokes on 11 and 14, but admitted the best he was hoping for was a play-off when he stood on the par-three 17th needing a birdie from his final two holes to go level. He said: "To play that back nine in four under par to win the tournament, I'm really proud of how I just stuck in there. It's nice to have the validation. It's great racking up top fives and top 10s, but it's much nicer heading away with a trophy on a Sunday afternoon. The five iron on 17 and then that two iron into the last, they are two of the best iron shots I can remember hitting, especially under the circumstances. That two iron on 18 is probably going to be up there with one of the best shots I'll hit in my career."
Robert MacIntyre, Renaissance Club, 2024
After having his heart broken 12 months earlier, home favourite Robert MacIntyre took full advantage of an extraordinary stroke of luck to win the Scottish Open. MacIntyre, who was denied the title in 2023 by Rory McIlroy's stunning finish, produced one of his own after trailing Adam Scott by two shots with three to play in a rollercoaster final round. The left-hander made an eagle on the par-five 16th following a brilliant approach shot, albeit only after a free drop from knee-high rough after discovering a sprinkler head near his ball. That took MacIntyre alongside Scott on 17 under par and, to the delight of a raucous home crowd, he holed from 20 feet for birdie on the 18th to complete a remarkable triumph. He said: "I've put a lot of work into this. I've changed a lot within the team and I've just worked hard. I wanted The Scottish Open. I got a bit of luck on 16 that you need - a bit of luck to win golf tournaments. I couldn't believe when I heard a sprinkler under my foot where my spike is at and I'm like no way. It was covered and I thought 'I got lucky'. It was meant to be. I'm going to celebrate this with my family, friends, and everyone here. I'm going to celebrate this one hard."
