July 6, 2017: 24 year-old American star, Danielle Kang, is the latest Major Champion to join the star-studded field alongside seven Scottish stars, at this year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open at Dundonald Links from 27th – 30th July.
Kang, who heads to Dundonald Links full of confidence following her victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, is part of an elite list of Major champions already confirmed in the 156-strong player field including Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, Ariya Jutanugarn, Inbee Park, Lydia Ko, Suzann Pettersen, Michelle Wie and current world no. 1, So Yeon Ryu.
For the first time in Ladies Scottish Open history, the tournament is co-sanctioned between the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA with an illustrious list of over 71 champions with 350 titles set to compete at Dundonald Links, which will play host to the Men’s Scottish Open just two weeks before.
The stellar field currently comprises of stars from 29 nationalities and boasts six of the world’s top ten on the Official World Rolex Rankings and 27 of the top 50 in what is the strongest Ladies Scottish Open field ever assembled.
Talking about the increased field strength, two-time Ladies Scottish Open champion, Catriona Matthew, said, “It’s fantastic to have the world’s best players come and compete in our national open and it’s a great experience for the local players to see how they get on against seasoned champions from around the world. The Championship has evolved so much this year and with new prize fund of US$1.5million it’s a great opportunity for an up and coming Scot to make a name for herself.”
Commenting on the field, Martin Gilbert, CEO Aberdeen Asset Management, said, “It has always been our vision to grow this event to a point where it becomes a staple on the world’s best players’ calendars such as Danielle Kang’s. To have 27 of the world’s top 50 already confirmed vindicates our decision to elevate the tournament to an event which benefits from the best talent on both the LET and LPGA and to one that will be beamed around the world.”
Paul Bush, Director of Events with VisitScotland, said: “In Scotland we are proud to host the world’s biggest golf events and I am delighted that the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open is now firmly in that category. This top-class field is the strongest in the event’s history and I am pleased that our partnership with Aberdeen Asset Management, the LET and the LPGA will help showcase the world’s best players on the stunning North Ayrshire coastline at Dundonald Links.”
Councillor Joe Cullinane, Leader of North Ayrshire Council, said: “This is going to be a fantastic month for North Ayrshire and we’re delighted that so many of the world’s best have committed to both events. The Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open has already proved hugely popular in the last two years and we’re sure, with this fantastic field, this will be the biggest and best yet at Dundonald Links.”
Scottish players qualified as of 04.07.17:
– Carly Booth
– Gemma Dryburgh
– Kylie Henry
– Vikki Laing
– Kelsey MacDonald
– Catriona Matthew
– Pamela Pretswell
Taking place the week before the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Kingsbarns in 2017, the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open will kick off a superb two weeks of links golf in Scotland. The back-to-back stretch of events echoes the successful strategy employed by the Men’s Scottish Open taking place the week before The Open – an approach proven to be a competitive advantage for those players competing in both Championships. The Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open is also a key element of Scotland’s commitments to the staging of The 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles.
IMG Tour Release
