Cruden Bay has emerged as the frontrunner to host the 2019 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
The £5.6million event, being held at Dundonald Links this week, will return to 2015 venue Gullane Links next year.
Trump International Links was reported as the favourite to host the tournament in 2019 but Aberdeen Asset Management chief executive Martin Gilbert revealed Cruden Bay is in pole position.
He said: “We would love to go back to the Aberdeen area at some stage and if we went back we’d look at various courses.
“There are various criteria that come in.
“Royal Aberdeen was a great success although some of the players thought it to be a bit too tricky.
“The (European) Tour have been to see Cruden Bay. The thing is there we’d have to do a composite type course.
“Trump, I don’t need to tell you is a great golf course but there are issues if we went there.
“Politics aside, Trump would be an ideal venue, but you can’t put politics aside. That is the issue so we will wait and see.”
Cruden Bay emerges as frontrunner to host 2019 Scottish Open
