FORMER OPEN champion Paul Lawrie, Aberdeen Asset Management chairman Martin Gilbert and the R&A are among those to have pledged financial support to the launch of a new women’s tour for 2013 in Scotland.
The Scottish Ladies Open Tour is designed to give competitive opportunities to women professionals and elite amateurs at a series of quality venues across the country.
The tour will feature 18-hole strokeplay events based on the Scottish Alliance set-up of events with as many as 14 events planned at courses like Carnoustie, the Duke’s at St Andrews, Deeside and Dalmahoy with other notable championship courses in the planning stages.
Lawrie and his long-time friends and sponsors from the Aberdeen business community, Gilbert and Stewart Spence, have guaranteed £1000 an event under the umbrella of the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, and the R&A’s Working for Golf scheme has also given a grant of £1000 for the first year.
The tour is part-organised by St Andrews pro Nicola Melville, and aimed at filling a gap between elite amateur play and the ladies professional tours.
“Having recently been in the position of attempting to make a career out of playing golf and trying to obtain playing rights on the Ladies European Tour, I feel that there is distinct lack of competitive tournaments for female golfers outwith the main tour,” said Nicola.
“The aim of the PLGC Scottish Ladies Open Tour is to give female professionals and good amateurs the opportunity to learn the ropes on a mini-circuit before making the jump to the bigger tours.”
The organisers plan events in doubleheaders over three weekdays to make it worthwhile for players from outwith Scotland to compete.
There will be an entry fee of £50 going into each prize fund along with the money already guaranteed.
The tour will culminate in a final event at Dalmahoy in October where director of golf and BBC Scotland commentator Alan Tait has given his full support.
“I am absolutely delighted to support this series of events for our elite women golfers in Scotland,” he said.
“Our country needs such a tour to help develop our leading players and unless they are already on the LET then there is very little for the women to play in and compete.
“Having the backing of Paul Lawrie, Stewart Spence and Martin Gilbert is a terrific start for the tour and I am optimistic that with their backing, the series of events will grow in the next few years.”
Spence, owner of the Marcliffe Hotel near Aberdeen and a long-time supporter of fellow Aberdonian Lawrie, said the tour was a good fit for sponsorship.
“Paul, Martin and I agreed that this was something that deserved our support, giving us the chance to widen the scope of what we already do,” he said.
“Paul has his foundation competitions for boys and girls and his foundation team, which includes amateur international Laura Murray, Martin of course has his Aberdeen Asset sponsorship of the Ladies Scottish Open.”
stscott@thecourier.co.uk