Tartan Pro Tour forms official link with European Challenge Tour

By Paul Third

December 20 2022, 12:00 pm

The Tartan Pro Tour, founded by Paul Lawrie, has become an official feeder tour to the Challenge Tour. Image: PA

The Farmfoods Tartan Pro Tour will become an official feeder tour to the European Challenge Tour from 2023.

The order of merit leader at the end of next season will secure an exemption to play on the Challenge Tour circuit in 2024.

Tartan Tour founder Paul Lawrie is delighted to be able to extend the pathway for aspiring professionals in the game.

The former Open champion said: “This is a huge step forward for Tartan Pro Tour.

“Since we began these events during the pandemic in 2020, our goal has been to provide playing and development opportunities to better prepare up-and-coming players, professionals and amateurs, to compete at higher levels of the sport.

“To now be a part of the player pathway onto the European Challenge Tour, I feel we’ve really achieved that and it will be an added incentive for those players aspiring to play at the next level of the game.”

Tartan Tour schedule announced

The official link-up between the two tours comes as the Tartan Tour announces its 2023 schedule.

The Scottish-based tour will include 13 stroke-play events across three days over 54 holes at prominent venues between May and September.

Barassie Links will host the opening event with Gleneagles, venue of the 2014 Ryder Cup, hosting the final event of the season at the end of September.

Former Open champion Paul Lawrie. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Lawrie added: “We return to many of the fantastic venues which have been part of our journey from the beginning (in 2020) and are delighted to visit some new venues next season.

“The Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews, Macdonald Cardrona Golf & Spa, Downfield Golf Club, Portlethen Golf Club and Gleneagles Centenary Course join the list and I’m delighted they have come on board this year.

“Each host venue has been so accommodating and helpful with making the dates work; the quality of these courses is very high, so it will be great for the players to play competitive golf and test themselves at each of these varied course types.

“I want to say a massive thank you once again to Farmfoods for their outstanding support as well as The R&A and all our official tour partners for their backing.

“The venues which support the development of golfers through these events is also incredible.”

Places for Scottish Challenge at Newmachar up for grabs

Players will compete for prize money in the region of £350,000 on the tour.

The three leading players from the 2023 Tartan Pro Tour Order of Merit who are not otherwise exempt following the conclusion of the Macdonald Cardrona event on July 19, will win an invite to the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A from August 10-13 at Newmachar Golf Club.

The Tartan Pro Tour is open to professional golfers and elite amateurs, male and female.

Every penny of players’ entry fees are added into the overall prize fund for each event and supplemented by corporate funding from the Tartan Pro Tour’s sponsors and partners.