Professional golf events have been given the green light to return in Scotland with immediate effect.
The welcome news was delivered by David Longmuir, manager of the PGA in Scotland, in an email to members this morning [July 28] after it had been rubber-stamped by the Scottish Government.
It means the Tartan Tour will retstart with the Deer Park Masters Pro-Am next week, when the first event on Paul Lawrie’s new Tartan Pro Tour, the Carnoustie Challenge, will also be held.
“The PGA in Scotland is pleased to confirm that Scottish Government Ministers have approved the resumption of professional golf competition in Scotland with immediate effect – subject to adherence to all Scottish Government Covid restrictions, as well as the PGA guidance and protocols,” said Longmuir. “The PGA in Scotland would like to thank the Scottish Government for their collaborative approach in reaching this decision. As PGA members will appreciate, our priority remains containing the spread of the virus, saving lives, and safeguarding the NHS. Therefore, restrictions may be introduced and approval may be withdrawn if circumstances change either nationally or locally.”
This season’s Tartan Tour hadn’t properly started before Scotland went into Covid-19 lockdown. A number of events have been cancelled, but a revised 2020 schedule includes the Loch Lomond Whiskies Scottish PGA Championship at Deer Park.
The Scottish Young Professional Championship has also been re-arranged, with Haddington set to be a new venue for that on 14-15 September. The Carnoustie Challenge is the first of six events on the new Tartan Pro Tour, with Royal Dornoch and St Andrews also staging tournaments.
While professionals are now free to travel around Scotland to play in events, amateurs are still waiting to find out whether open competitions will be able to be held.