The Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open returns to the East coast from 26th July and brings with it the world’s best female golfers.
Gullane Golf Club is preparing for the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open which returns to the East coast from 26th July and brings with it the world’s best female golfers.
It may surprise you to discover that East Lothian, a region that has witnessed some of the greatest golfing battles in history, has never hosted the world’s best female golfers. But that’s all about to change later this month, as stars from the LPGA descend on Gullane Golf Club for what looks set to be a women’s golf extravaganza.
From 26-29th July, Michelle Wie, Ariya Jutanugarn, and Lydia Ko will join a star-studded field for the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, which is returning to the East coast for the first time since the tournament was elevated to the big time in 2017.
It’s a tantalising prospect for the club, which is also finalising preparations to welcome many of Europe’s best male players for the corresponding European Tour event next week. Nowhere is the excitement more tangible though than among the club’s female membership, who after witnessing Rickie Fowler claim the Scottish Open title at the venue three years ago, are eager to see how the top women fare over their historic links.
For Lady Captain Barbara Gibb, the opportunity to represent the club is an honour during any year, given Gullane’s 350-year history and its standing as one of Scotland’s best golf courses. To do so this year, however, as many of the biggest names in the sport prepare to test their mettle against the prestigious links, is unsurprisingly extra special.
"It has been a pleasure to Captain Gullane Ladies for the last year and a half, and the arrival of the Ladies Scottish Open will be a highlight of my two years in office. I know that many of our lady members will take real pleasure in seeing the best female golfers in the world tackling our great course".
"Like a lot of our lady members, I have offered to volunteer across a variety of roles," said Barbara, who has been a member of the club for almost three decades.
In fact, over 800 members and local fans have volunteered to help over the course of the two events, with more than 350 volunteers joining the tournament team from both Gullane and Gullane Ladies members’ clubs.
The sheer number of volunteers not only represent the huge local enthusiasm for the events, but also the spectacular rise of the tournament over the past two years.
Substantial investment from the CEO of Aberdeen Standard Investments, Martin Gilbert, which led to a co-sanctioning agreement between the LPGA and Ladies European Tour, has seen the fairly low key-event transform into one of the most exciting on the LPGA schedule.
It’s a story that highlights just how important sponsorship and investment can be for women’s golf in Europe.
Enthusiasm for the sport as a whole is tangible throughout the East coast club, with Head Professional Alistair Goode having been instrumental in bringing the US Kids Championship to this prestigious stretch of coastline, an event which has seen some of the brightest young talents in European golf compete over the prestigious links.
With free admission for all fans and easy access from Edinburgh, the event looks set to be an enticing spectacle of women’s golf, and there’s no doubt that the Gullane Ladies will be revelling in the moment.
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