Fife courses announced as Senior Open qualifying hosts

The event’s joint owners, The R&A and the European Senior Tour., have announced that Fairmont St Andrews, Ladybank, Lundin Links and the world’s 13th oldest golf club, Scotscraig, will each host an 18-hole qualifying competition on Monday, July 23.

The iconic Old Course is set to become the centrepiece of the senior golf calendar in 2018 when the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex returns to Scotland, the Home of Golf, from July 26-29.

It will be the first time in the 32-year history of the Senior Open that the Championship has been played over the Old Course, creating a golden opportunity for the legends of the game to re-live past glories, or avenge near misses and disappointments over the world’s most famous golfing location.

Defending the title will be Bernhard Langer, who won at Royal Porthcawl in tremendous style last month and is now exempt for a double-header in Scotland - The 147th Open at Carnoustie from July 19-22 and the Senior Open at St Andrews the following week.

Fairmont St Andrews, along with Ladybank and Scotscraig, hosted final qualifying for The Open in 2010.

Ladybank has been a constant feature on The Open qualifying rota since 1978 and on six occasions subsequently.

Lundin, which celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2018, hosted final qualifying six times between 1978 and 2005 with Scotscraig staging that event on six occasions between 1984 and 2010.

Langer said: “I am looking forward to two very special weeks in Scotland next July.

“Firstly, I can play another Open Championship at Carnoustie, a links that I love and where I won my Senior Open in 2010.

“Then I can look forward to spending a week in St Andrews to defend my latest Senior Open title.

“It’s one of my most favourite places and a fantastic place to play golf with all the tradition and history attached to it.”