Scottish pros give thumbs-up to Paul Lawrie’s new six-event home circuit

Fields expected to be strong for August and September tournaments

PGA EuroPro Tour player Ryan Campbell is excited about the prospect of playing in the new events.

Paul Lawrie wasn’t exaggerating. In one fell swoop, his announcement about a new Tartan Pro Tour has indeed left a lot of Scottish-based tour 
professionals feeling “mega-excited”.

Ryan Campbell is among them and Conor O’Neil, too. With nowhere to compete during the coronavirus lockdown, they both secured jobs but are now looking forward to getting back to playing golf for a living.

Thanks to Lawrie being at the heart of it, they are dusting down their clubs in the preparation for six 36-hole tournaments in August and September. The circuit starts at Carnoustie then visits the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre in Aberdeen, Royal Dornoch, St Andrews and Pollok before concluding at Rowallan 
Castle.

In addition to prize pots of around £18,000 for each event, points will also count towards an order of merit, the winner of which will secure some Challenge Tour starts.

“I am definitely looking forward to playing in these events,” said Falkirk man Campbell, who has been doing some driving and valeting for Turner Hire Drive in Edinburgh to bring in some income over the past few months. “I don’t know the full details yet regarding prize funds etc but, regardless, it’s great work from Paul to get six events organised at top-class venues at such short notice.

“I expect it will take off with everyone here desperate to get back playing some competition golf. The fields will be strong, too, with all the PGA EuroPro and Challenge Tour guys being at home as well as the PGA Tartan Tour boys.

“It’s also great that there’s Challenge Tour spots up for grabs. Between this and Big Johnsons matchplay tournament, it’s giving us a chance to compete.”

Campbell, who has just signed for new management company, London-based Momentum Athlete Group, finished last season with a flourish on the third-tier PGA European Tour, trying for third in the Tour Championship in Spain to claim 11th spot on the money-list. He was eager for the new campaign to get underway only to see the entire schedule scrapped due to the pandemic.

“Having been working for months, it’s great to have something to look forward to and practise for,” he added. “It was disappointing for the EuroPro Tour season to be cancelled so early, especially as I was hoping to build on last year, but understandable.”

O’Neil, who qualified for the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at Gullane two years ago, is also excited about returning to the coalface after fearing the rest of 2020 was going to be a write-off.

“I was planning to play on both the MENA Tour and EuroPro Tour before having a crack at the European Tour Qualifying School only to see that scuppered straight away when lockdown started,” said the Glaswegian.

“As a consequence of that, I got a job in a supermarket working for Lidl, so it was pretty heartening when I heard the news about the new Tartan Pro Tour being set up 
by Paul.

“It is pretty cool to think we’re getting a chance to make some money from playing golf again and it’s a good mix of courses. Due to the fact I play there all the time, I am particularly looking forward to the event at Pollok. In fact, it will be my first pro event there as I have always been ineligible for the Tartan Tour pro-am.”

The events are set to feature both men and women, with Hannah McCook and Gabrielle Macdonald wasting no time in saying they are up for the challenge. They had both been set to play on the Ladies European Tour Access Series this season, but it has been mothballed for the 
time being.

“It’s a great initiative and good for players around Scotland to play with each other during this period of time,” said McCook, who is managed by Lawrie. “I’m hoping to play a few events, which will be a good experience for me.

“It’s been a tough time and it wasn’t great to see tournaments getting cancelled but I was very lucky to have a net and putting green in the garden, so I was still able to do a few hours everyday. I also had access to a Trackman, so I was able to stay sharp, and I have seen the benefit now I’m back on the course.”

Like McCook, Macdonald played in some events on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in South Africa earlier in the year before the season came to a halt. “The Tartan Pro Tour is fantastic news,” said the Craigielaw player. “It’s a great initiative by Paul and his sponsors to provide playing opportunities for male and female pros in Scotland now that restrictions have eased here.

“It will give us the opportunity to compete again and I’m really looking forward to playing in some of the events. It will be great to play competitive golf ahead of hopefully getting back playing again on the LET Access Series in August. The tour is hoping to start in Sweden on 20 August, but we are still waiting on confirmation on that.

“The venues that Paul has secured are brilliant and I’m sure there will be a lot of pros looking to play in the events, given that many of the smaller tours have yet to get started again or have had to cancel the whole season. I’ve really missed competing during lockdown and seeing everyone, so the Tartan Pro Tour is really welcome news and should be good fun.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director