Paul Casey will be looking to continue his love affair with The Gleneagles Hotel as he returns to the famous Scottish venue to defend the Johnnie Walker Championship. Casey’s maiden professional victory was achieved over the PGA Centenary Course in 2001 and last year he repeated the feat when he held off the challenges of Dane Søren Hansen and fellow Englishman Andrew Marshall to win by a stroke.
It was his sixth European Tour title, a tally he has since added to with his win in the HSBC World Match Play Championship last September and, this season, by winning the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in January.
Casey, currently 12th on The European Tour Order of Merit, will be once again hoping the glorious Gleneagles Hotel – host venue of The 2014 Ryder Cup - will inspire him to a ninth European Tour victory.
No Scot has ever won the Johnnie Walker Championship in its eight year history but Championship Chairman, Colin Montgomerie, leads the home cast looking to put that statistic right after finishing joint fourth last year.
The eight time Order of Merit winner has already proved that age is no barrier to success having won the Smurfit Kappa European Open in July to become, at the age of 44, the most prolific British winner in European Tour history with 31 titles to his name.
Montgomerie’s victory at The K Club edged him past Nick Faldo and he would dearly love to add the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles title to his other home victories at Loch Lomond in 1999 and the Aldred Dunhill Links Championship in 2005.
The best performances by home grown players to date were by Raymond Russell, second in 2002, and Alastair Forsyth, runner-up in 2003. Forsyth, who finished sixth behind Casey last year, looks to be peaking at just the right time to mount another challenge following his strong showing in last week’s KLM Open at Kennemer Golf and Country Club where he finished joint third.
“It is a nice boost ahead of Gleneagles,” said Forsyth after his final round of 66 in The Netherlands. “I played well from tee to green for all four days and I can take a lot from that. There are some good events coming up and the immediate goal is to qualify for the Mercedes-Benz Championship and then the Volvo Masters.
"I have done well at Gleneagles a few times in the past. It is one of those courses I have played well on and it is one of those tournaments I look forward to. It is a Scottish tournament, great course and I am looking forward to it.”
The 2007 Johnnie Walker Championship will also mark Richie Ramsay’s first home appearance on The European Tour since joining the professional ranks at the start of the month. Last year Ramsay became the first Scot since 1898 to win the US Amateur Championship and the Aberdonian made his professional debut in The Russian Open Golf Championship three weeks ago, where he finished joint 53rd.
Grégory Havret is among the champions from The 2007 European Tour International Schedule in the field and the Frenchman will be looking for a unique Scottish double following his success in The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in July.
