Major champion Henrik Stenson will once again return to Scotland, the Home of Golf, when the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open – the third Rolex Series event on the 2019 Race to Dubai - moves to The Renaissance Club in North Berwick on July 8-14.
The finest moment of the Swede’s career came on Scottish soil when he triumphed in The 145th Open at Royal Troon three years ago, and he will be aiming to add Scotland’s national open title to his 11 European Tour wins when he tees it up in East Lothian this summer.
Stenson lifted the Claret Jug in 2016 after he recorded a final round 63 in a thrilling battle with Phil Mickelson, which drew comparisons with the legendary ‘Duel in the Sun’ between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in 1977.
The 43-year-old, who topped the Race to Dubai in 2013 and 2016, will be appearing in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open for the 11thtime, as the event continues to play a crucial part in his preparations for The Open.
He is one of six players in the last nine years to have won the Claret Jug after featuring in the Scottish Open, and he is looking forward to continuing his affinity with the country as the event returns to the stunning surroundings of Scotland’s Golf Coast in its traditional slot in the week before The Open.
Stenson said: “I always love coming back to Scotland. It’s a place where I obviously have some fantastic memories, and the fans always make me feel very welcome.
“The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open has always been good preparation for The Open for me. I feel like I’ve come in ready and have had some great results when I have played in Scotland the week before. I did that in 2013 when I finished second behind Phil Mickelson at Muirfield and again in 2016, which went very well for me.
“I’m also looking forward to teeing it up at The Renaissance Club for the first time. It’s a new venue for the tournament but it’s in a real links golf paradise and just along the coast from Muirfield and so many other great courses.”
Stenson will join defending champion Brandon Stone of South Africa and his fellow winners on the Rolex Series – local favourite Russell Knox and former World Number One Lee Westwood – when the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open takes its place as the third event in the 2019 Rolex Series, the premium category of tournaments on the Race to Dubai, each with a minimum prize fund of US$7million.
This year the tournament will be played for the first time at The Renaissance Club, which was founded in 2008 and nestles on 300 picturesque acres along the Firth of Forth as one of the newest additions to the world-famous stretch known as Scotland’s Golf Coast.
Designed by renowned golf course architect Tom Doak, who is known for minimalist designs that incorporate the natural features of the land, the course has quickly become established as another East Lothian golfing gem.
This will be followed by the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, which will once again be played over the same course, from August 5-11, 2019.
The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open is the perfect day out for all the family, with fantastic food and drink outlets in the championship village as well as retail experiences and entertainment for all ages.
Fans can buy tickets to see some of the world’s best golfers – including official Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open hospitality packages – atwww.asiscottishopen.com
