Scottish PGA Championship heading back to Deer Park

The Scottish PGA Championship is heading back to Deer Park in Livingston after a 30-year gap, writes MARTIN DEMPSTER.

The Tartan Tour’s flagship event, which is being sponsored for the first time this year by Loch Lomond Whiskies, will be held on September 1-4.

The tournament was last held at Deer Park in 1990, when Ross Drummond claimed the coveted title for the fourth time in five years.

David Longmuir, manager of the PGA in Scotland, said: “We are delighted to be taking the Championship back to Deer Park after a gap of 30 years.

“This has been an enormously challenging year for everyone in the golf industry and we are hugely indebted to our new sponsors, Loch Lomond Whiskies, and to John Muir and the staff at Deer Park who have been tremendous supporters of the PGA over many years.”

Deer Park has been a regular venue on the Tartan Tour,

having hosted the Deer Park Masters for a number of years.

“We are over the moon to welcome the Loch Lomond Whiskies Scottish PGA Championship to Deer Park,” said Muir, the venue’s owner. “This event following the Deer Park Masters with the PGA is an incredible achievement for the club.”

Another Tartan Tour event, the Scottish Young Professionals Championship, is heading to Haddington on September 14-15. “Haddington is an extremely progressive golf club and have invested heavily in their facilities in recent years,” said Longmuir. “We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the club.”

The club’s PGA professional and general manager, Scott Thomson, added: “We have worked very hard in recent years to improve and build what is now the fastest-growing golf club in East Lothian. We look forward to an exciting week.”