THE RENAISSANCE RULED OUT AS SCOTTISH OPEN VENUE

FROM THE SPORT.SCOTSMAN.COM WEBSITE

http://sport.scotsman.com/golf
By MARTIN DEMPSTER

The long-awaited decision on a venue for next year's Barclays Scottish Open now appears to be a choice between a move to Castle Stuart as part of a multi-year contract with the Inverness course or staying at Loch Lomond, its home for a decade.
It had been hoped an announcement would be made by the European Tour before Christmas but that has now been put back until early next month, although the reason for that is not entirely clear.

One thing for certain, how-ever, is that the 2011 event will not be staged in East Lothian at The Renaissance Club, which had been in the running along with Castle Stuart until recently.

"The Scotsman" newspaper understands it has been ruled out due to the fact it doesn't yet have a proper clubhouse, while the European Tour would also rather wait until three new holes in the pipeline there are not only built but also bedded in before hosting one of the biggest events on the circuit.
It had been suggested Castle Stuart could host next year's tournament before it then moved to The Renaissance Club for a spell, but a problem with that is the return of the Open Championship to Muirfield, its next door neighbour, in 2013.
Having two major events back-to-back in such close proximity is a situation both the European Tour and the RandA are believed to be keen to avoid.
As things stand, it appears Castle Stuart, which has earned rave reviews since opening its doors 18 months ago, is still the likely option for next year and, quite possibly, for another two years after that.

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