Hallelujah to hearing PGA Tour voice 'shared commitment' to Scottish Open

The Rolex Series event, of course, is now co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, and there is absolutely no denying that its stature, both on and off the course, has grown considerably as a result of that arrangement.

Yes, you still hear the odd moan and groan about the Scottish contingent having been reduced to the field effectively being split between the two circuits instead of mainly consisting of DP World Tour card holders and some invitations for big-name Americans.

It is telling, though, that the majority of home fans aren’t concerned about that, as evidenced by the fact that, for the second year in a row, a new attendance record was set, with a figure of 91,128 for last week’s tournament eclipsing last year’s figure for the week of 88,735.

It had already been announced that the event will be backed by Genesis, the Korean executive car brand, through to 2030 and will continue to be staged at The Renaissance Club for the same duration, with the majority of people - the players in particular - being very happy indeed about that.

As has been the case since 1987, the Scottish Open has occupied the prized slot on the schedule the week before The Open Championship and thank God that an attempt by the Swedes, I believe, to steal that was fended off after the tournament ended its lengthy stint at Loch Lomond.

There has been no mention of that becoming something to worry about again, but there was a little bit of anxiety in the air on Scotland’s Golf Coast last when the new PGA Tour schedule for 2028 was raised with some of the players and, in particular, the Scottish Open’s position on that.

Put simply, it just wouldn’t fit in with what is being proposed for the Championship Series, mainly because they are going to feature 130-player fields and be exclusive to PGA Tour players as they battle it out in a two-tier set up including promotion and relegation. Bob MacIntyre also voiced concern about a potential $20 million event being held in Scotland, believing there is no such need.

In fairness to the PGA Tour, nothing has yet been decided and, though Scottie Scheffler offered a very American view on the matter, here’s hoping that Rolapp and Tiger Woods, who is heavily involved in the schedule shake up, listen to both MacIntyre and Rory McIlroy effectively saying that the Scottish Open should be treated differently to some other events currently on the US circuit.

“The Genesis Scottish Open has become one of the premier events on our global schedule,” said Christian Hardy, the PGA Tour’s Senior Vice President, International, via email to this Genesis Scottish Open-loving correspondent. “It consistently attracts one of the strongest fields in professional golf and provides players with a world-class experience at a critical point in the season. Beyond that, it reflects the strength of our Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour and our shared commitment to showcasing elite golf on an international stage.”

Hallelujah for that!