Top home hope Sandy Scott, the seventh-best ranked amateur in the world, has been forced to pull out of the Amateur Championship at his home course of Nairn.
The 22-year-old, who has continued to flourish at the Texas Tech University, was one of the favourites to land the silverware come this Saturday.
Rise and shine 🌅
It’s time for the 126th Amateur Championship 🙌 pic.twitter.com/NTlH3kCgJw
— The Nairn Golf Club (@NairnGolfClub) June 14, 2021
However, the wrist injury, which also kept him out of last month’s Walker Cup, has lingered and he’s had to withdraw.
Two Nairn golfers still chasing glory
His younger brother Calum, another rising star, did get the entire six-day R&A tournament started this morning from the first tee at 7am.
Fraser Fotheringham is another home golfer aiming to be involved at the end of the week, with the field mainly British due to travel restrictions amid the Covid pandemic.
The first stage of the 126th Championship involves 144 players, with each playing two rounds of 18 holes.
The 64 lowest scores over those 36 holes will compete in the match-play stage of the championship.
Each match will consist of one round of 18 holes – except the final, which is over 36 holes.
Massive prizes on offer for the Amateur champion
This is a massive competition for amateur golfers, with the champion receiving full exemptions to The Open Championship and the US Open and, by tradition, an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament.
This year’s winner will also be given the chance to tee off in an event on the European Tour.
The Monday tee-off times are here, with the leaderboardatn this link.
Colin Sinclair, the chief executive officer at Nairn Golf Club, gave this insight into the preparations for this year’s championship held at the seaside town’s highly-acclaimed course.
- We will will have regular updates and player interviews from the championship this week.