Scotland is where golf originated, so it is known as the Home of Golf all over the world. It will probably not come as much of a surprise for you to find out that some of the best golf tournaments in the world take place in Scotland every year. Below we are going to look at some of the biggest golfing events that happen in Scotland. If you are a huge golf fan, then we highly recommend that you pay a visit to Scotland and watch some action from these prestigious tournaments. If there are no tournaments on when you are visiting, then be sure to play a round of golf at one of their many fantastic golf courses.
Betting on Golf
Before we go ahead and look at the different tournaments that take place in Scotland, we are just going to take a moment or two to look at betting on golf. Golf is an entertaining sport to play and watch, but the entertainment levels can be cranked up by betting on it. In fact, when it comes to sports betting, golf is one of those sports that has more betting options than you can shake a stick at, which is one of the reasons why sports bettors love to bet on it, even if they are not huge fans of the sport.
Sports betting sites know just how popular betting on golf is, which is why most bookmakers will offer their players a plethora of golf betting markets such as tournament winner, leading golfer after a particular round, whether there will be a hole-in-one, and so on. However, while it is great to have such a vast selection of bookies to choose from, it can be quite difficult to find the best one for you. If you want to start betting on golf, then you need a great golf betting comparison site such as betinireland.ie that offers a variety of bookmaker reviews based on their golf betting tournaments and special events, to ensure that you do not end up getting bored as well as the best odds around so that you will get the most out of your hard-earned money if you go on to win.
The Open Championship
This tournament is also called the British Open and it occurs each year on different courses across Scotland and England, most frequently at St. Andrews Old Course in Fife. This prestigious event was first played back in 1860 at the Prestwick Golf Club, which is in Ayrshire, and 8 Scottish golfers took part in a one-day event consisting of three rounds on the 12-hole course.
In 1873, St Andrews was the second golf course to host this tournament, and since 1990 this golf course has hosted the Open Championship every fifth year. Other popular golf courses that have hosted this event include the Muirfield Golf Course, which is 25 miles from Edinburgh, the Carnoustie Golf Links Championship Course, the Turnberry Resort in Ayrshire, and the Royal Troon Golf Club which is also in Ayrshire.
Scottish Open
The Scottish Open, known as the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open for sponsorship reasons, is one of the premier events of the European Tour. In recent years this prestigious event has taken part on a links course and appeals to golfers that want to game some experience before the Open. It is also a means for players to qualify for the Open if they have not done so already – the top 3 players that have not qualified already will get an invitation to play at the Open. In 2017, the Scottish Open was made a Rolex Series Event, meaning that the prize money jumped to a staggering $7 million.
The 2021 Scottish Open is scheduled to take place from the 8th of July until the 11th of July at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick. This is golf course is not your traditional links course – the ground is quite undulating and there is plenty of heavy rough off the fairways. Furthermore, the greens are tricky thanks to some large mounds, so golfers have to be at the top of their game if they want to perform well on this course.
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
This is one of the biggest events on the European Tour and the 2021 edition is due to be played from the 30th of September until the 3rd of October. The action will take place on three of the best courses in Scotland – Old Course (St. Andrews), Championship Course (Carnoustie), and Modern Classics (Kingsbarns).
As this is a pro-am event, there are teams that are made up of one professional and one amateur player. To make things interesting for the spectators, the amateurs are usually celebrities. For instance, the likes of Ian Botham, Samuel L. Jackson, Boris Becker. Gary Lineker, Hugh Grant, Michael Vaughan, and Shane Warne have all played in this event. The prize fund for this competition stands at a whopping $5 million.
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a golf event that takes place every second year and sees the best golfers from the United States take on a team of the best golfers from Europe. One year it is held in Europe and the following year it is held in the US. The last time this event was held in Scotland was in 2014, and it was won by Europe. This was the first time in more than four decades that this prestigious event was held in Scotland’s bonnie lands.
However, there is a good chance that Scottish golf fans will not have to wait that long for the next Ryder Cup in Scotland as they have put a bid forward to host the competition in 2026. Keep an eye out for this bid and if they are successful, make sure to keep those dates free in your diary and head to Scotland, unless you live there already, of course.
Johnnie Walker Championship
This golf event happened at Gleneagles, which is situated in Auchterarder, Perthshire, only 45 miles away from Edinburgh. It was played on the PGA Centenary Course in August of each year and was part of the PGA European Tour. As a result, this was a very prestigious tournament that attracted some of the best golfers in Europe. It was last held back in 2013 with the final champion being Tommy Fleetwood. Obviously, you can no longer go watch this event, but we added it to this list of golf events that happen in Scotland as we feel it is an important part of Scottish golfing history.
