Defending Barclay’s Scottish Open winner, Edoardo Molinari should be assured a warm welcome when he arrives at Inverness Airport later tonight (SUN).

Molinari will be among 30 players arriving on a charter flight leaving at 8pm (French time) from Cergy Pontoise airport, and close to the French Open host venue, and arriving at 9pm at Inverness.

Castle Stuart - all set to host the world's top golfers.

The Italian, who won the event by three shots last year at Loch Lomond, will be joined by recent BMW International Open winner, Pablo Larrazabal along with Ryder Cup stars Soren Hansen and Oliver Wilson plus Welshman Rhys Davies and ultra-talented Korean Seung-yul Noh.

But looking for a fruitful return to Scotland will be struggling Nick Dougherty.

Dougherty was last in Scotland on New Year’s Eve when he was married in St. Andrews but since then he’s missed the halfway cut in all 15 events this year.

Organisers of the charter flight are reserving two seats for the winner, and or his caddy and wife, of today’s (SUN) concluding French Open in Versailles.

Big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros is the first casualty from the event being played on the stunning Gil Hanse designed layout to the east of Inverness.

Quiros gave up his seat on a special charter flight that arrives into the northern Scotland city later tonight (SUN) due to a reoccurrence of a wrist injury.

The current World No. 26 is hoping he will be fit enough to take his place in next week’s Open Championship.

MEANTIME –

Those in Inverness wanting to get a glimpse of Molinari should be at the Inverness Golf Club tomorrow (Mon) as the victorious Ryder Cup is hosting a clinic for TaylorMade.