Major winner Graeme McDowell admitted he got it wrong about Castle Stuart Golf Links after yesterday’s difficult opening round at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
The former US Open champion is playing Castle Stuart for the first time since 2011 after opting against playing at the Inverness course in 2012 and 2013.
Three years ago McDowell claimed the Scottish Open had lost its prestige because Castle Stuart wasn’t a strong enough course.
The links, co-designed by Gil Hanse and Mark Persinen, proved a stern test for the world’s elite golfers yesterday with strong winds ensuring scoring was much higher on the opening day than in the previous three events at Castle Stuart with only 20 players in the field breaking par.
McDowell, who won the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in 2008, made a fine start in the breezy conditions with a two-under-par 70 that left him only one shot behind first round leaders Felipe Aguilar and Scott Hend.
The Northern Irishman was more than happy to retract his previous criticism of the course and said: “It’s a really nice golf course – people are going to say I’m full of it having criticised it pretty heavily and now I’m saying it’s good.
“But I’m allowed to change my mind and I like the golf course. I’m enjoying it even though it was tough today.
“I inadvertently criticised the place a few years back when trying not to do so and I have been pleasantly surprised by how good the golf course actually is from what I remember from 2011.
“I don’t think I played in this wind direction and this was the one it’s designed to be played in.
“It’s a good test of golf and good preparation for next week at the Open championship on a lot of levels.”
McDowell, who apologised to Aberdeen Asset Management chief executive Martin Gilbert after making the comments three years ago, said he has received a warm welcome in Inverness.
He said: “It’s been great. Martin Gilbert and myself have got a little closer over the years and like I say, it was inadvertent.
“It was an attempt to get the Irish Open thrust into a better spot in the calendar more than anything. I was just being a little selfish. I am really quietly surprised by how good the golf course is.
“It’s no bearing on what we did here in 2011, it is completely different. There are some nice changes and a couple of nice bunkers have been added. The welcome’s been fantastic.”