Castle Stuart becomes new host of European Tour's Scottish Open

Castle Stuart Golf Links, a Scotland course that is getting more buzz than just about any recently opened course in the world, will host the 2011 event July 7-10, as announced by the European Tour today.

If you looked at European Tour’s website and 2011 schedule in recent weeks, you may have noticed that unlike the rest of the schedule, the Scottish Open didn’t have a venue yet. The usual host, Loch Lomond Golf Club, has faced some financial pressures, leading the European Tour to consider looking elsewhere this year.

A few American pros usually head over to the U.K. or Ireland week before the British Open if they’re serious about scoring well on the links. Stewart Cink famously tweeted about his Irish links travels a week before winning the Claret Jug at Turnberry in 2009. Phil Mickelson headlines the handful of Americans who usually compete in the Scottish Open. He made this statement about the move to Castle Stuart:

“I am really excited about moving the Barclays Scottish Open to Castle Stuart Golf Links this year. I know I’m looking forward to testing my game on a strong links course the week before The Open Championship and I’m sure a number of top players from the PGA Tour will be taking advantage of the opportunity.”

The Scottish Open will be held the same week as the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic in Illinois.

Castle Stuart is located in Inverness, the largest city of the Scottish Highlands but certainly no metropolis. It can easily be included in a Scotland Highlands trip that includes older medal links like Royal Dornoch and Nairn, as well as lesser-knowns like Brora and Tain. I haven’t play Castle Stuart, but it’s near the top of my wish list for 2011. If you have, let us know what you think by submitting a reader review here.