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| Kylie with her Deloitte Ladies Open trophy at The International in Amsterdam |
With a maiden Ladies European Tour title under her belt and two Major appearances on the horizon, Scotland’s Kylie Walker can already claim she has had a great season. However there is one tournament in her sights that the 27 year-old looks forward to more than ever, the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open.
Walker, who currently sits 7th on the money list after seven events is looking to build on the momentum gained from her win in Amsterdam, where she holed a 20-foot putt at the second extra play-off hole to register victory in the Deloitte Ladies Open.
“I was delighted to get my first win in Amsterdam, it was a great week,” said Kylie, who secured her participation in the Ricoh Women’s British Open and Evian Masters, later in the year, as a result of her victory.
The Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open takes place at Archerfield Links from 29-31 August, the fifth season in a row that the East Lothian venue has hosted the tournament. The event, which is free to enter, has a unique pro-am format on the Ladies European Tour, which is popular with Walker and her fellow players.
“I’m really looking forward to the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open, it’s brilliant for me to play a tournament in Scotland and to have a home crowd supporting. It’s such a fun format playing with the amateurs and it makes us pro’s a bit more relaxed than a normal tournament week,” she said.
“Archerfield is a first class golf facility, one of the best in Scotland. The Fidra course is a really good test, especially if the wind picks up. My best finish in the Scottish Open is 5th so it would be nice to improve on that this year.”
Walker will be looking to emulate last year’s champion Catriona Matthew, who not for the first time in her glittering career, took pride of place at Archerfield, the 44-year-old from North Berwick claimed victory in her home event for the second time in three years on the Fidra course.
Aberdeen Asset Management have committed to the Scottish Golf Union in supporting the country’s leading amateurs through to the end of 2015, maintaining a portfolio that also includes backing in the professional ranks for not just Catriona Matthew and Kylie Walker but also Colin Montgomerie, Martin Laird, Paul Lawrie, Scott Henry and Carly Booth amongst others.
“We are very proud to support Scotland’s national amateur squads and delighted to see the progress of the young players emerging through the ranks at present. It’s vital for Scottish Golf that these players are given the best opportunities to develop their games,” said Aberdeen Asset Management Chief Executive, Martin Gilbert.
“We are committed to helping Scottish golfers perform at the highest level, from our leading amateurs to our top professionals. It’s incredibly satisfying to see how our support is making a difference to these golfers lives, capped off with Kylie’s win in Holland, that’s what it’s all about. ”
The Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open is also supported by EventScotland as a key part of Scotland’s commitments to building a strong portfolio of domestic golf tournaments as part of a legacy of The 2014 Ryder Cup.
Paul Bush, Chief Operating Officer of EventScotland, said: “We are delighted to support the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open as one of a number of top-class tournaments that take place in Scotland on annual basis.
“The event is a great opportunity for Scottish talent to flourish on home soil and it will be fantastic to see Kylie playing in the tournament so soon after her maiden victory on the Ladies European Tour.”
The Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open will follow hot on the heels of the European Tour’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen in July 10-13, and will take place a month ahead of one of the world’s biggest sporting tournaments and the leading event on the global golf calendar, The 2014 Ryder Cup, at Gleneagles.
Follow the tournament at www.ladiesscottishopen.com on Twitter at @AberdeenLSO, and on Facebook at Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open.
