Inverness golfer Russell Knox has joined the star-studded field heading to Balgownie this summer for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
The 28-year-old will tee up alongside defending champion Phil Mickelson and former world number ones Rory McIlory and Lee Westwood at the event, which takes place from July 10 to 13.
Knox, who has been based in Florida since studying business management at Jacksonville University, has posted three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, including losing in a four-man play-off to Russell Henley in the Honda Classic at the start of March.
He is currently 25th on the PGA Tour’s FedEx rankings and has earned more than $1million (£594,000) in prize money in 2014 and has broken into the top 100 in the official world golf rankings for the first time, making him the second-highest ranked Scottish player after Press and Journal columnist Stephen Gallacher.
While Knox’s parents are now also based in America, his sister, Diane Campbell, works as a DJ in Glasgow and he is hoping for some local support when he tees it up at Royal Aberdeen.
Knox won the 2011 Chiquita Classic on the Web.com Tour and shot a 59 in last year’s Albertsons Boise Open.
He said: “Playing in the Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen will be the highlight of my year.
“I would’ve loved to have played at Castle Stuart, given my Inverness roots, but, unfortunately, I was unable to as I was trying to keep my card in America.
“So it will be great to finally get the chance to play on home soil.
“Hopefully, I will have some support at Royal Aberdeen and I can put on a good performance for Scottish golf followers.
“It’s been a very good year for me so far and I feel my game can keep on improving.
“The field for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open is obviously very strong and I’m really looking forward to competing against some of the world’s top players on home soil.”
A season ticket for the tournament can now be purchased for £70. Adult day tickets are currently priced at £30, rising to £35 on the gate.
Concessions (60 and over) start at £50 for a season ticket and £20 for one-day tickets if purchased in advance.
Under-16s accompanied by an adult are admitted free of charge and all car parking is also free. Entrance to the pro-am on Wednesday is £10 in advance and £15 on the day.
Full ticket information can be found at: www. aamscottishopen.com and www.europeantour.com/ tickets