The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open has been given a significant boost on the eve of the championship with the unveiling of Turkish Airlines as an official sponsor.
The one-year agreement further enhances Turkish Airlines’ relationship with The European Tour and sees the luxury airline join 15 other companies as official sponsors for the tournament, which takes place at the magnificent Castle Stuart Golf Links near Inverness in the north of Scotland from July 11-14.
Turkish Airlines flies to over 100 countries and over 200 destinations and has been voted by the 18 million people surveyed by SKY TRAX as the best airline in Europe for the past three years. It was announced at Wentworth Club earlier in the season as the title sponsor of the new Turkish Airlines Open in November in Antalya, Turkey.
The Turkish Airlines Open will be the penultimate tournament of The 2013 Race to Dubai, preceding the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, and World Number One Tiger Woods will join The European Tour’s biggest stars at The Montgomerie Maxx Royal as they vie for the title of Europe’s Number One, won last year by Rory McIlroy.
Mr. Faruk Cizmecioglu, Chief of Marketing of Turkish Airlines said: “We are thrilled to be a sponsor of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in what promises to be a highly-contested event. Sport, and particularly golf, is a strategic area and enables us to engage with the right audiences. We have selected a few key tournaments to sponsor this year, which lead up to our own event, the Turkish Airlines Open. We are extremely passionate and committed to the sport and feel that golf is the perfect platform to raise our profile and grow our brand.”
Peter Adams, Championship Director of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, said: “We are delighted that Turkish Airlines have chosen to support the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, and we look forward to having their representatives with us at Castle Stuart this week.
“We have already, earlier this year, recognised the superb support Turkish Airlines has given to the brand new Turkish Airlines Open, which will form part of our ‘Final Series’ at the end of the year, and this is a further illustration of their growing support of The European Tour as a whole.”
Once again, the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open boasts a world-class field, with six Major Champions competing in the shape of Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Paul Lawrie, Phil Mickelson and 2012 Ryder Cup Captain, José María Olazábal.
A total of 21 Ryder Cup players will take to the stunning Castle Stuart Golf Links in the hope of dethroning the defending champion Jeev Milkha Singh, while a 16-strong home challenge, led by Major Champion Paul Lawrie and three-time US PGA Tour winner Martin Laird, will hope to give the home crowd something to cheer.
Colin Montgomerie, in 1999, was the last Scot to win his national Open, although Marc Warren came close to emulating the seven-time European Tour Order of Merit winner in Inverness 12 months ago, finishing in a tie for third place one shot behind Singh and the man the Indian defeated in the subsequent play-off, Italian Ryder Cup star Francesco Molinari.
Turkish Airlines www.turkishairlines.com
Castle Stuart Golf Links www.castlestuartgolf.com