A wealthy businessman has spent tens of thousands of pounds block-booking one of Scotland’s top restaurants for the duration of this year’s Ryder Cup.
The mystery diner will have exclusive use of the 55-seat Andrew Fairlie restaurant at Gleneagles throughout the golf tournament.
It is estimated that he has spent £100,000 on ensuring he has Scotland’s only two-Michelin-star eatery to himself.
The Gleneagles resort will welcome some of the biggest names in golf, including Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods, when the competition tees off in September.
However, the world’s top golfers will only be able to sample Perth-born Fairlie’s cooking if they receive a personal invitation from the businessman.
The chef confirmed that a single client has booked Restaurant Andrew Fairlie for the Ryder Cup. He remained tight-lipped on the diner’s identity but said the arrangement was “a big compliment”.
A hotel insider said: “The offer was so lucrative it made financial sense for him to take it. It’s a dream reservation. We believe he will use it to impress key corporate contacts.”
Mr Fairlie’s business partner Gregor Mathieson said: “We have done a number of exclusive arrangements over the years but we would never identify who our guests were.”
However, it is believed that Ryder Cup organisers and Gleneagles management will need to be told sooner or later who has made the booking due to the strict security surrounding the event.
More than £100 million is expected to flow into the country’s coffers as around 250,000 spectators and thousands more volunteers, staff, security and media join the top golfers at the resort in September.