A handful of Scots including double European Tour winner Alastair Forsyth remain hopeful Scottish Open organisers will tomorrow (MON) show further loyalty to Scottish golf with a last minute invitation into this week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
At this late stage 13 Scots will tee up next Thursday’s 156-player strong field headed by current World No. 37 Stephen Gallacher.
By comparison there was 27 French-born who teed up Thursday in the French Open and a superb initiative four years out from the 2018 Ryder Cup in France.
And five of the eight French Open invitations went to French-born players.
However of the five Royal Aberdeen invitations already distributed two have gone to the PGA Tour based Scots Martin Laird and Russell Knox while a third to Ireland’s rookie pro Kevin Phelan (See later story on Phelan taken off Invitation list).
But bizarrely there’s been an invitation handed to six-time Major winner and long-time former Tour player Nick Faldo and little known American Mike Miller.
England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick bemused he didn’t receive a Scottish Open invitation. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
The 22-year old Miller’s inclusion has raised plenty of eyebrows out on the Tour given Miller has contested just three European Tour events in his career missing the cut in two, including last October’s Dunhill Links Championship.
A fortnight ago the New Yorker made the cut in the Irish Open but then crashed to last place with weekend scores of 79 and 80 at Fota Island.
But then Miller, who is ranked a lowly 1208 in the world, is among 63 male and female golfers managed by Lagardere-Unlimited and the same company managing the affairs of Phil Mickelson and defending Scottish Open champion.
Aberdeen Asset Management still have three invitations to hand out and it is hoped more Scottish golfers will be given the chance to compete in their own national open and not only Forsyth but the likes of North Gaile’s Jack Doherty, Grantown-on-Spey’s Duncan Stewart and Andrew McArthur who still longs for the day he makes his pro appearance in a Scottish Open.
“I would dearly love to play a Scottish Open but then I’m not hopeful of an invitation,” he said heading to the final round of the French Open.
“I’ve only ever played one Scottish Open and that was as an amateur after winning the 2002 Scottish Amateur.”
And reigning U.S. Amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick remains disappointed after it is strongly believed a text to Aberdeen Asset Chairman Martin Gilbert seeking an invitation, and now that Fitzpatrick has turned pro, was turned down.
“It’s funny because I was in the Scottish Open after having won the U.S. Amateur but now that I have turned pro it’s no longer valid but then I thought organisers may have given me an invitation,” said Fitzpatrick.
And in yet another display of his enormous credentials the very affable Sheffield golfer made it two cuts from two in the pro ranks by playing all four days in France.
