Royal Dornoch Golf Club hosting Northern Open in 2025 which is attracting record entries for event
THE Royal Dornoch factor is being credited for a record number of entries flooding in for this year’s Northern Open.
The historic tournament, which was first held in 1931, now forms part of the PGA Open Series, with nine events played at venues across GB and Ireland, with £20,000 prize pots.
In recent years, it has been played at Cruden Bay, Moray in Lossiemouth and Spey Valley in Aviemore.
David Longmuir, manager of the Gleneagles-based PGA in Scotland, has welcomed a return to Royal Dornoch on Wednesday, June 4 and Thursday, June 5, where Aberdonian Greig Hutcheon took the honours in 2016.
He said: "We have received more than 200 entries and they are still coming in.
"With the field restricted to a maximum of 135 players I'm afraid we won't be able to accommodate everyone who is eager to experience the Championship Course."
“The Northern Open has been building momentum again over the last few years, with PGA members encouraged to play at our key Open Series events across GB and Ireland.
“We have had a waiting list since the venue was announced in December.
“We have received a record number of entries, and it is undoubtedly down to the Royal Dornoch factor.
“They flooded in from PGA members south of the border when it was announced that the tournament would be hosted at a course ranked among the very best in world golf. This is a huge event for us and general manager Neil Hampton and the team at Royal Dornoch are always very supportive.
“The Sandy Pipey Young Masters pro-am for our young assistants is held there every year, named in memory of the legendary Royal Dornoch caddy, and the PGA in Scotland also partners with the club for the Highland Golf Links series.”
Hampton has welcomed the return of the event to the celebrated Championship Course, which will host the Curtis Cup in 2028.
“The Northern Open has a long and proud history,” he observed.
“We are delighted to hear that the June tournament has attracted a record number of entries, and we look forward to welcoming professionals from across the country to the Highlands.”
The club says that the income supports jobs in hospitality and retail as well as supporting the many trades who service, maintain and improve local accommodation.
The club have also revealed that golfers also spend around £700,000 on caddies when they play the Championship Course.
The club also hosted Scottish Men’s Amateur Championship most recently in 2023.