Paul Lawrie increases 2022 Tartan Pro Tour schedule to 13 events

Paul Lawrie has grown his Tartan Pro Tour schedule again, with the 2022 calendar featuring 13 events, including first-time visits to three top-class venues.

Panmure, which has hosted qualifying for both The Open and Women's Open, is one of three new venues on the 2022 Tartan Pro Tour schedule. Picture: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images.

Launched in 2020 to provide playing opportunities for Scottish-based professionals at a time when some circuits in Europe were in a Covid-19 lockdown, the Tartan Pro Tour started with just six events.

That increased to 11 last year and now even more opportunities are being provided for home-based players by the 1999 Open champion in his role as the circuit’s commissioner.

The 2022 campaign, which has Farmfoods as the tour’s title sponsor and will carry a total purse of approximately £250,000, gets underway with a return to Blairgowrie (11-12 April) before moving on to Montrose Links (18-19 April) then Royal Dornoch (25-26 April).

Kieran Cantley, pictured after his win at Royal Dornoch, topped the Tartan Pro Tour Order of Merit last year. Picture: Tartan Pro Tour

A double-header in Ayrshire is on the cards in May, with an event at Barassie Links (2-3) being followed straight afterwards by a first visit to Dundonald Links (4-5).

In contrast, Pollok is set to host its third tournament on 15-16 June before the Scottish Par 3 Championship again takes place at Paul Lawrie Golf Centre in Aberdeen on 4-5 August.

September sees a return to St Andrews Links on the 19th and 20th before Ladybank stages its first event for Lawrie on the 29th and 30th.

In a busy end to the schedule in October, tournaments will take place at Leven Links (6-7), The Renaissance Club (10-11), new venue Panmure (13-14) and Carnoustie Links (19-20).

“I want to personally thank Farmfoods for their outstanding support, as well as thanking our Official Tour Partners for their backing,” said Lawrie.

“A huge thanks also goes to the venues who continue to support the development of golfers through these competitions.”

The schedule will see the circuit visit both of this year’s Scottish Open venues, with the men’s event taking place at The Renaissance Club and the women’s version returning to Dundonald Links.

Carnoustie, of course, is a venue for both The Open and Women’s Open, as well as the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the European Tour.

In addition, Montrose Links, Barassie Links, Ladybank, Leven Links and Panmure have all hosted Open qualifying in the past.

With Blairgowrie, Royal Dornoch, Pollok and St Andrews added in, it’s another outstanding selection of courses for Scottish professionals, both men and women, to do battle on.

“Dundonald, Ladybank and Panmure join the list of magnificent venues hosting our Order of Merit events and I’m delighted they have come on board this year,” added Lawrie.

“All our host venues have been so accommodating and helpful with making the dates work. The quality of these courses is incredible, so it will be a real pleasure for the players to get competitive golf at each of them.”

The Order of Merit leader after the first five events, so following the one at Dundonald, will secure a spot in the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge, which Lawrie has restored to the Challenge Tour this year at Newmachar in May.

In a double boost for some of the Scottish-based players, the newly-released 2022 Arnold Clark PGA in Scotland Tartan Tour schedule also looks strong, including a new, season-ending Tour Championship.

The circuit’s flagship, the Loch Lomond Whiskies Scottish PGA Championship, will break fresh ground when it is staged at West Kilbride for the first time from 30 August-2 September.

The Northern Open, meanwhile, will remain at Portlethen for a second year on 31 May-1 June, when it will be given added lustre as part of the PGA’s new Open Series, an innovative programme of seven 36-hole, £20,00 events encompassing each PGA region in GB&I.

An additional incentive for the domestic campaigners will be the Arnold Clark Tour Championship at Gleneagles in October, with the top-10 players from the Order of Merit being invited to contest this end-of-season shoot-out.

The schedule will also be bolstered by the new Old Course Hotel 54-hole Pro-Am, which will be played at The Duke’s Course, Kingsbarns and Dumbarnie Links from 21-23 September.

Two more three-day pro-ams - the Aberdeen Golf Links 54-hole Pro-Am at Royal Aberdeen, Trump International and Cruden Bay from 27-29 April and the Highland Golf Links 54-hole Pro-Am at Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart and Nairn from 3-5 October – are also on the schedule.

A series of 36-hole events will include popular perennials such as the Deer Park Masters (August 2-3) and the Kerr Investments Pro-Am at Dumfries & Galloway (August 20-21).

The Travelling the Fairways Pro-Am (27-28 June) will be staged again at Dumbarnie Links while a trip to Murrayshall Hotel and Golf Course (28-29 July) has been added to the list of 2022 venues.

Two-day stop-offs at Stirling (11-12 May), Balmore (5-6 July) and Strathmore Golf Centre (19-20 July) will also offer Order of Merit points.

The Carnegie Invitational will be staged at Skibo Castle from 13-14 September while 18, one-day pro-ams will be held around the country.

On the Young Professionals’ front, the Scottish Young Professionals’ Championship, will be staged at Haddington for the third year in a row from 21-23 before Royal Dornoch once again hosts the long-running Sandy Pipey Young Masters from 19-20 September.

PGA in Scotland manager David Longmuir said: “We are very pleased to present members with our 2022 schedule of tournaments and events.

"Our main aim was to create an aspirational schedule which offers a variety of playing opportunities for members to enjoy and we hope that everyone finds something to suit their ambitions for the year.

"We have been able to introduce some new venues and formats into the calendar, to complement our historic and longstanding championships.

“We are grateful to our existing sponsors, partners and venue hosts who have continued to support the PGA in Scotland, and to those who have come on board this year.”

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