TOMATIN PRO-AM ATTRACTS INTEREST FROM HOME AND ABROAD
Press Release
Highland Golf Links
- Golfers snap up places for Tomatin Single Malt Homecoming Pro-Am
- Strong European interest in 54-hole, three-day competition
- Players to compete at Castle Stuart, Royal Dornoch and Nairn
- Defibrillator campaign to benefit from leading event
As the Ryder Cup approaches, another strong contingent of European golfers is heading for Scotland to compete for a prestigious prize.
Players from Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and across the UK are lining up to take part in the annual Tomatin Single Malt Homecoming Pro-Am over three renowned links courses later this year.
Already 42 teams of four have booked to play in the 54-hole competition played at Castle Stuart Golf Links, Royal Dornoch Golf Club and The Nairn Golf Club from 30 September to 2 October, just a few days after the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
It means more than half the expected field of 280 golfers in 70 teams have confirmed they are taking part in the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) tournament which carries a total prize fund of more than £60,000.
One of the teams will be captained by former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher and money raised during the tournament will support a nationwide campaign he launched in December to make automated external defibrillators (AEDs) widely available at golf clubs and driving ranges in the UK and Ireland.
In August last year Gallacher suffered a cardiac arrest and spent several days in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after falling ill at a function in the city. He credits the quick thinking of hotel staff and the availability of a defibrillator at the venue where he was due to speak for helping his recovery.
The Tomatin Pro-Am contest is estimated to generate about £200,000 for the Highland economy.
It is open to teams from anywhere in the world consisting of three amateurs (ladies or gentlemen) plus a professional of their choice. Teams that do not include a pro are allocated a leading player from the PGA Scotland Order of Merit.
As part of the event a Tomatin tutored whisky tasting will be held at Inverness Town House, as well as a charity auction with proceeds going to the defibrillator campaign.
Castle Stuart Golf Links, Royal Dornoch Golf Club and The Nairn Golf Club are all part of Highland Golf Links, a partnership group that also includes the Kingsmills Hotel and Culloden House Hotel, Inverness; the Royal Golf Hotel and Links House, at Royal Dornoch; and the Golf View Hotel in Nairn, and promotes destination breaks.
Fraser Cromarty, CEO at The Nairn Golf Club and chairman of HGL, said: “Interest in the Pro-Am is very strong and the fact we have more than half the field confirmed three months ahead of the event is very encouraging.
“We are confident we will have a maximum turn out of players who will face a tough but highly enjoyable challenge over these three wonderful courses.
“The event is a significant part of the golfing calendar in the north of Scotland and this year it will be extra special with Bernard’s involvement and coming so soon after the Ryder Cup.”
Stephen Bremner, Tomatin’s sales director, said: “In our third year as title sponsor, I am delighted to say that this year’s event is looking to be the best yet.
“We’re pleased with the level of entries so far – particularly from outwith the UK – and are proud to be able to support Bernard Gallacher’s crucial defibrillator campaign.”
Castle Stuart Golf Links hosted the Scottish Open for three successive years from 2011, with the 2013 competition, won by Phil Mickelson, reaching a television audience of more than 500 million. It is consistently placed among the top 100 courses in the world by a number of prestigious golf publications, most notably Links Magazine and Golf Course Architecture.
This year Royal Dornoch’s Championship Course was ranked the 6th best in the world by Golf Digest and is a favourite of Major winners such as Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Craig Stadler and Greg Norman.
The Nairn Golf Club, rated 9th best golf course in Scotland by Golf Monthly in 2013, hosted the Walker Cup in 1999 and the Curtis Cup in 2012. It will also be home to the Home Internationals competition in August 2016.
All three courses have defibrillators available in emergencies and Royal Dornoch Golf Club is currently raising money for the Bernard Gallacher campaign to have another machine at the Championship Course’s Halfway House.
NOTES TO EDITORS
There are still vacancies for amateur teams to take part in the tournament. Anyone wishing further details should contact
www.highlandgolflinks.com/tomatin-pro-am
PGA Scotland 01764 661840
Or bookings@highlandgolflinks.com
The entry fee is £1,700 per team of three, which includes three rounds of competition golf with prizes, the post-tournament gala dinner and the opportunity to tour the Tomatin distillery.
For more information contact
John Ross
Lucid PR
01463 724593; 077300 99617
johnross@lucidmessages.com
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