Marc Warren has defended criticism the host Castle Stuart course is a poor test for Scottish Open competitors.
Former champion, Graeme McDowell labelled the Gill Hanse-designed links gem laid out along the Moray Firth as lacking ‘prestige’.
McDowell won in the event in 2008 at Loch Lomond and a success that led to the Northern Irishman gaining a first-ever Ryder Cup cap.
However his remarks went over like a lead balloon among Northern golf fans who are again sure to come out in their thousands for the last tournament at Castle Stuart before the tournament moves next year to Royal Aberdeen.
Marc Warren defends Castle Stuart declaring it to be a superb Scottish Open test.
But Warren, who let slip a first Scottish Open success a year ago, reckons McDowell has got it all wrong.
“I would say the exact opposite because if a course is too tough the week before the Open and I was an American, for example, and it was too brutal two weeks in a row, then I wouldn’t play,” said Warren.
“But Castle Stuart lets you relax a little bit more off some of the tees and play your way into some form.
“The important thing about a links course is how the ball runs and how you can attack the holes and play your shots around the greens.
“Castle Stuart offers the perfect opportunity to work on these types of shots without being under the stress of finding fairways 10 yards wide, which is what the Open is.”
And Warren hasn’t given up hope of making amends for his Castle Stuart crumble and also qualify for the following week’s Open Championship.
He’s only made his Open debut last year at Royal Lytham and also is yet to have walked out onto Muirfield.
And while Warren missed out on qualifying earlier last week at Sunningdale, he still has two bites of the Muirfield cherry.
He needs to be among the top-five non-exempt Muirfield players inside the top-20 on the Race to Dubai money list at the close of this coming week’s French Open.
At present, Warren is fourth but lying in 22nd place and £20,001 outside the top-20.
If he should miss out then Warren will need to win a week later at Castle Stuart to secure the last spot into the 142nd Open.
“I’ve never played Muirfield but I saw it the other week when I was at the Renaissance playing and it looks spectacular, lush and green,” he said.
“I am taking the philosophical view that if I don’t make it so be it, but I’d love to play in the Open and Muirfield would be a great place to start.”
At Colin Montgomerie is going to miss a first-ever Scottish Open since making his debut in 1987.
Monty is committed to contest the Senior US Open in Omaha, Nebraska.
