Scotland in line to host back-to-back European Tour golf tournaments

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship scheduled for week before Scottish Open

Victor Perez won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews last year. Picture: Ross Parker / SNS

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is still pencilled in for its traditional early October slot, despite not being announced in the first batch of events confirmed on the revamped European Tour schedule.

The long-standing pro-am at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns is the only event remaining this season due to be played in its original slot from 1-4 October, although that has still to be confirmed.

If the Dunhill does retain its allotted October slot, it will take place a week before the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open. A second batch of events is due to be added to the new European Tour schedule in a few weeks.

The Dunhill Links will be the start of a three-event UK Swing that will take in the Scottish Open and also the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Postponed from its July slot, the ASI Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club has been moved to 8-11 October, a week before the BMW PGA Championship, which has been switched from September.

“You know, there’s always concern for weather,” said the tour’s chief executive, Keith Pelley, of the October date for the Scottish Open, won last year at the same venue by Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.

“But, at the same time, we looked at the schedule and we worked very closely with Aberdeen Standard Investments and the Scottish government, as well as BMW, to put those events back-to-back.

“We looked at it very closely and we felt that those two dates for two of our biggest events would be the best dates on the schedule.”