The Scottish Open has been given a massive boost with the news that Genesis, the South Korean luxury car maker, is to take over from abrdn as title sponsor and that the tournament is to be one of three co-sanctioned events on both the European and US PGA tours.
The new deal will boost the number of international stars taking part in the tournament, which will retain its prestigious pre-Open Championship slot until at least 2025, as winnings will now count towards the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic.
This year’s Scottish Open was won by the relatively unknown Australian Min Woo Lee, but the event had a stellar entry list that included the then world No 1 Jon Rahm. Collin Morikawa, who won the Open at Royal St George’s the following week, was also in the field, as was the newly-crowned Olympic champion Xander Schauffele.
The Scottish Open has been part of the European Tour’s schedule since 1986 and a Rolex Series event since 2017. For the past three years it has been played at East Lothian’s Renaissance Club. No venue for next year’s event has yet been announced, although continuing support from the Scottish government suggests that it is likely to remain on a links course, with the Renaissance favourite to retain its host status.
The co-sanctioning arrangement follows last November’s announcement of a strategic alliance between the European and US Tours. It is also likely to strengthen the hands of golf’s existing authorities at a time when their power has been challenged by a Saudi-led breakaway group which has proposed the creation of a lucrative alternative tour limited to the game’s elite players.
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The other co-sanctioned events scheduled for next year are the Barbasol Championship, which takes place in Kentucky at the same time as the Scottish Open, and the Barracuda Championship, which is staged in California in the same week as the Open. The joint arrangement between the two tours also includes a commitment to raise the Irish Open prize pot to $6 million, nearly twice what was on offer this year.
Genesis already have a considerable presence in golf, chiefly as title sponsors of the Genesis Invitational event which has been hosted by Tiger Woods at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
“There has been considerable collaboration behind the scenes between our two Tours since November’s Alliance was unveiled,” Keith Pelley, the European Tour chief executive, said. “We are delighted to share these initial developments, which demonstrate our commitment to working together for the betterment of our sport globally. We will have more to announce in the coming months — this is most definitely just the beginning.”
Paul Bush, director of events at tourism organisation VisitScotland, said: “We are thrilled the European Tour and PGA Tour have identified the Genesis Scottish Open to further develop their strategic alliance, and there is no more fitting stage than Scotland, the Home of Golf.”
