Sensation Ishikawa joins one of finest fields seen at Scottish Open

RYO Ishikawa, the Japanese teenager who has taken the golf world by storm, has been unveiled as the latest star attraction at next month's Barclays Scottish Open.

The 18-year-old eight-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour will make his debut at Loch Lomond from 8-11 July following his record-breaking 12-under-par final round of 58 to win the Crowns Tournament at the beginning of May.

Ishikawa's sensational effort at the Nagoya Golf Club represented the lowest round ever compiled on a major golf tour, beating the previous record held by four players, including David Duval, by one.

Scottish fans caught their first sight of Ishikawa during last year's Open Championship at Turnberry where he missed the halfway cut by three shots after following a first-round 68 with a 78.

"Every professional golfer wants to play in the best tournaments in the world on the best courses and I know, from what I have heard from other players, that the Barclays Scottish Open fits the bill in both categories," declared Ishikawa.

He is one of a galaxy of stars led by newly-crowned US Open champion Graeme McDowell, the 30-year-old Ulsterman who became the first European winner for 40 years since Tony Jacklin at Hazeltine National in 1970 and one of seven past champions who have confirmed their participation in the 3million tournament. The 2007 winner, Frenchman Gregory Havret, who shocked the golfing world by finishing second to McDowell, and reigning champion Martin Kaymer, eighth at Pebble Beach, will further boost the prestige of the event.

Colin Montgomerie, the only home winner since Loch Lomond first featured as a European Tour venue in 1996, Lee Westwood, Thomas Bjorn and Tom Lehman are also in the starting line-up although two-time champion Ernie Els is unlikely to feature due to scheduling difficulties.

With a top prize of 500,000 as well as Ryder Cup ranking points at stake it is not surprising that there will be a strong American contingent at Loch Lomond led by world No2 Phil Mickelson.

Reigning Masters champion Mickelson, runner-up to Havret in a play-off three years ago, will have countrymen Lucas Glover, Nick Watney, Fred Funk, Steve Marino and big-hitting crowd favourite John Daly for company. Exciting Colombian Camilo Villegas, enigmatic Spaniard Alvaro Quiros and hugely talented young Ulsterman Rory McIlroy will be joined by the likes of Edinburgh-born Rhys Davies, Ross Fisher and Miguel Angel Jimenez as well as the Molinari brothers, Edoardo and Francesco.

An invitation has also been extended to South Korean Jin Jeong, winner of the British Amateur Championship at Muirfield last weekend. He will be one of three amateurs in the field along with US Amateur champion Byeong-hun An and Scot David Law, the reigning Scottish champion. Australia will be represented by Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy, Asia by Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and South Africa by Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

Championship director Peter Adams commented: "We are delighted to be able to announce such a strong international field from all four corners of the golfing globe."