Paul Lawrie hopes the north-east golfing community takes advantage of the chance to watch two big tournaments on their doorstep.
The Farmfoods Scottish Challenge, which is being organised by Lawrie’s Five Star Sports Agency, gets under way at Newmachar tomorrow.
Later this month, Lawrie will be part of the field when the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship takes place at Trump International Links from August 24-27.
Lawrie believes there will be plenty to entertain those heading along to watch both events.
He said: “It is an ideal opportunity for north-east golfing fans to see some golfers at the start of their careers in the Challenge Tour this week who are trying to get themselves up the golfing ladder.
“And then in two weeks’ time it is an opportunity to see some people who have been playing the game a long, long time.
“I have had so many people telling me who much they enjoyed watching the Senior Open in Wales because of the bad weather and the different types of shots we had to play as we are all a little bit older and don’t hit the ball as far.
“The event at Trump International Links will have that in abundance with some of the players they have got playing.
“It would be great to see a decent crowd there to watch.”
Strong field at Newmachar
There are several players in the field at Newmachar who have won titles on the DP World Tour, including Matteo Manassero, Brandon Stone and Lucas Bjerregaard.
Aberdeen’s David Law is one of 24 Scots in the field for the event with Euan Walker, Sam Locke, Rory Franssen, Chirs Doak, Craig Lee and Michael Stewart among those who are also teeing up.
Lawrie said: “There are a lot of names who people will know.
“They are all talented players. Some of them are starting out on their careers but there seems to be a lot more players who are well known who are playing on the Challenge Tour.
“That is great for this tournament. Hopefully some people come out to watch.
“We would like to see as many spectators and fans as possible. A lot of these guys are playing well and it should be brilliant golf.
“With Five Star Sports Agency, we took the tournament on last year and we learned a lot.
“Everyone did a really good job but it was really early in the season.
“Thankfully the tour managed to get us a much better slot in the schedule.
“Early May in Aberdeen can be tough. The greenkeeping staff did a great job but they had to pull out all the stops to get the course in the condition it was in.
“This time around is a lot easier for everybody and the forecast is looking good.
“The field was pretty good last year but it seems a lot stronger this year.
“There is an awful lot of players on the Challenge Tour this year that have pretty good experience from the DP World Tour.
“Having a local player like David Law, who plays on the main tour, playing is a massive positive for the event.
“He decided to put this in his schedule because he had some time off.
“It has been a lot of work getting it ready but we are looking forward to it.”
It's #ScottishChallenge week 🏴 pic.twitter.com/rYWhUcAwi9
— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) August 7, 2023
Spain’s Javier Sainz defeated Jeremy Freiburghaus from Switzerland in a playoff at Newmachar last year.
Manassero, a four-time winner on the DP World Tour, missed the cut last year after rounds of 74 and 76.
But the 30-year-old is well on track to return to the main tour having won twice on the Challenge Tour circuit this season with victories at the Copenhagen Challenge in May and the Italian Challenge last month.
Lawrie added: “The standard is very high.
“The number of people who get onto the main tour from the Challenge Tour and keep their card is high.
“That should be no real surprise because the standard is very good.
“If you win on the Challenge Tour you have to play some really good golf.
“It is a tough tour to win on and you have to play some proper golf to win.
“We are all excited to see what will happen this week.”
Entry is free for spectators at this week’s Farmfoods Scottish Challenge at Newmachar. Tickets for the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship can be purchased through the Legends Tour website.