SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL OPENS RETURN TO THE RENAISSANCE CLUB.
It has been confirmed that the Renaissance Club will host the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open next year, with both events returning to the picturesque East Lothian venue for the second successive season.
The 2020 edition of Scotland’s national men’s open, part of the Rolex Series, the eight premium tournaments on the Race to Dubai, will be played on July 9-12, 2020, followed closely by the women’s event on the same course on August 13-16.
Golf fans from East Lothian and beyond flocked to the Tom Doak-designed course for this year’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open as the event attracted over 66,000 spectators – the highest figure since the tournament began travelling to venues across the country in 2011, following a 16-year spell at Loch Lomond Golf Club.
This summer, fans enjoyed two weeks of world class golf as Austrian Bernd Wiesberger triumphed over a field including four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy and American stars Rickie Fowler Matt Kuchar and Justin Thomas to claim his sixth European Tour title. Three weeks later, the Republic of Korea’s Mi Jung Hur captured her third LPGA Tour title – a decade after her first – with a four-shot victory over an international leaderboard including Ariya Jutanugarn, Jeongeun Lee6 and Scotland’s Carly Booth.
In 2020, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open will once again form part of the European Tour’s Rolex Series, as well as taking its traditional slot in the week before The Open.
The Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, which is co-sanctioned by both the Ladies European Tour (LET) and Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), has also become established as a key event in the schedules of many of the world’s best female golfers and will be played the week before the AIG Women’s British Open.
Founded in 2008, The Renaissance Club nestles on 300 picturesque acres along the Firth of Forth and is one of the newest additions to the world-famous stretch known as Scotland’s Golf Coast. With a minimalist design that incorporates the natural features of the land, the course has quickly become established as another East Lothian golfing gem.
The Renaissance Club has proven a significant addition to the golf tourism offering in East Lothian, gaining worldwide acclaim for the quality of its layout and design. As part of its commitments to hosting Scotland’s two national opens for the first time this year, the club continued to support the golf tourism industry in Scotland by targeting additional visiting golfers from around the world as well as introducing a reduced rate for Scottish Golf members through their seasonal tee time programme.
The club also worked with both VisitScotland and Scottish Golf to support and fund women and junior golf development initiatives and make its practice facilities available to Scottish Golf’s amateur squads during preparation for major events.
Martin Gilbert, Chairman of Aberdeen Standard Investments said: “We’re looking forward to returning to The Renaissance Club in 2020. The facilities Jerry and his team offer both sets of players, on and off the course are second to none. The feedback we’ve received is that the location works well with the golfing public as well as our colleagues.
“We’ve also listened to the professionals who played the course this year and collectively we will be implementing a number of changes based on their feedback. We look forward to welcoming back the world’s best players to Scotland’s golf coast, for what is sure to be another memorable two weeks of golf next summer.”
Sports Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “Scotland is synonymous with the world’s biggest golf events and, with both the men’s and ladies Scottish Opens among the most prestigious on their respective tours, it is vital we have a venue to match.
“The Renaissance Club proved to be a great host venue in 2019 and I’m looking forward to both events returning in 2020. They’ll have a positive impact on the economy – both locally and nationally – and will help support numerous initiatives on and off the golf course promoting healthy and active lifestyles, sports development, sustainability and inclusion.”
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “Jerry Sarvadi and the team at The Renaissance Club proved to be wonderful hosts when they welcomed the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open for the first time this year, and we are delighted to be coming back to this beautiful part of Scotland once again.
“Golf fans in East Lothian have shown tremendous support for this event in recent years, firstly at Gullane in 2015 and 2018, and they turned out in force at The Renaissance Club this year. We’ll be working hard to make the event even bigger and better ahead of its return in 2020, and I thank our partners Aberdeen Standard Investments and VisitScotland for their continued vision and commitment in supporting this world class tournament.”
Jerry Sarvadi, Founder/Chief Executive of The Renaissance Club said: “The Renaissance Club is delighted to again work with Aberdeen Standard Investments and the European Tour to host both the 2020 Men’s and Ladies Scottish Opens. The 2019 events saw some of the world’s best players come to Scotland to compete in what ended up as very unusual, benign weather conditions for Scotland during the Men’s competition and somewhat more normal conditions during the Ladies competition.
“We believe the 2020 event will only grow in stature at The Renaissance Club, and we hope that as many people as possible will come and watch the truly spectacular golf being played next year in July and August.”
Mike Whan, LPGA Commissioner, and Mark Lichtenhein, LET Chief Executive, said: “The LPGA and the LET are happy to partner with our friends at Aberdeen Standard Investments and VisitScotland to again bring our tours to the same course as the European Tour.
“The last two years have been a wonderful opportunity to introduce the world’s best female golfers to the fans in East Lothian and we look forward to working together on what will surely be an exciting precursor to the season’s final major championship in 2020.”
Councillor John McMillan, Cabinet Spokesperson for Economic Development and Tourism, East Lothian Council, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that East Lothian will be welcoming the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open for a third successive year. The events are a massive opportunity to showcase all that Scotland’s Golf Coast has to offer – the partnership between fantastic local hospitality offering, delightful food and drink places, friendly local businesses and a host of superb golf courses and other local attractions.
“The Renaissance Club proved to be a popular venue this year, following the success at Gullane in 2018, and this announcement is a reflection of the events success here in East Lothian and the warm welcome that is guaranteed to players, fans and the world’s golfing fraternity.”
