Strong line-up at Loch Lomond
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2008 Scottish Open | Preview | 09 Jul 2008
Player lists in European Tour events don’t come much better than the one assembled for this week’s Barclays Scottish Open at the Weiskopf and Morrish designed Loch Lomond Golf Club just outside of Glasgow.
The field, especially given the fact that the Open Championship is now only a week away, is strong and includes the world’s 2nd, 3rd and 6th ranked players along with many of Europe’s current in form golfers.
The event has developed into the traditional lead in to the Open Championship, despite some protestations over its dissimilarity to the Open courses. This year will be the 13th consecutive year that the event is being played at Loch Lomond, having moved there from Carnoustie in 1993.
Some have suggested that a golf course more in keeping with the links courses used in Open Championship golf would offer a better tune up for the Open just as the Stella Artois event on grass at Queens has become the forerunner to Wimbledon.
Either way, Loch Lomond as a golf course is a fine test of golf and the field assembled suggests that many high quality golfers feel that it is good preparation for what lies ahead. Interestingly however no winner at Loch Lomond has gone on to win the Open the following week.
Phil Mickelson is the highest ranked player in the field and it is interesting that in recent years he has made this one of the few tournaments in which he plays outside of the USA. Mickelson first played the tournament in 2003 and has returned almost every year since. His best finish was a second last year after a playoff with Gregory Havret.
Mickelson, who recently won in Fort Worth, brings even better form to the event than last year when he performed so well.
Lee Westwood won on this golf course in 1998 and, given his current run of outstanding form, could do so again. He was 5th in France in his last tournament start and a brilliant third at the US Open. Surely he must figure again this week.
Ernie Els is a two time winner here and arrives as the 6th highest ranked player in the world. Els’ form has been a little hard to predict in 2008 but he won earlier in the season in the US, was 6th at the Players Championship and then 14th at the US Open.
In addition to his two wins at Loch Lomond, he has several other good results including when he finished one shot off the playoff last year after a final round of 65.
Adam Scott is in the field and has had mixed success at Loch Lomond. Scott finished third in 2001 behind Retief Goosen but in three starts since he has finished 12th and missed the cut twice. Scott arrives in Scotland after a 26th at the US Open, although a win in Dallas a few weeks earlier gives some hope to his fans.
Like Westwood, Soren Hansen is in rare form at present, seemingly in contention every week. His 5th place last week in Kent, followed a third place in France the previous week. A first round leader at this event last year indicates his game’s suitability for the layout and, although he does not win often, he might not be far from his third European Tour victory.
In a field of this quality there are many chances but a player who might do well at longer odds is Soren Kjeldsen. The Dane’s only European Tour victory came in Scotland albeit at Gleneagles in 2003 but he is playing very consistently in 2008. He finished 11th at this event last year after a last round of 65.
The Australasians are headed, in terms of world ranking at least, by Adam Scott but Richard Green, Scott Strange, Mark Brown, Peter O’Malley, Marcus Fraser, Michael Campbell, Peter Fowler, Matthew Millar and Gareth Padisson are all in the field.
The tournament provides one last chance for many to gain a start at the Open Championship as the leading player inside the top five not already exempt for the Open is on his way to Royal Birkdale.
