The 100th staging of the Scottish PGA Championship will bring the curtain down on the 2016 Tartan Tour season.
Staged over the King’s Course at Gleneagles, the £40,000 event, which boasts a roll of honour that reads like a who’s who of Scottish golf, will be played from October 17-20 and will feature a field of 66 players.
"We are delighted that the 100th Scottish PGA Championship will be staged at Gleneagles, which has been the event's home since 1999," said PGA in Scotland secretary Shona Malcolm.
"We will be trying to do something to commemorate the event reaching this milestone and hopefully that will involve a few of the winners from yesteryear."
Chris Kelly won the Scottish PGA title for the second time in his career last year and the Glasgow man will also be defending the Northern Open crown in 2016. It will be held from June 21-24 at Royal Dornoch and will be part of the celebrations to mark 400 years of golf in this renowned neck of the woods.
The order of merit schedule gets underway with the P&H Championship at the Renaissance club from May 23-25 while the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open qualifier at Lossiemouth and the Paul Lawrie Invitational at Deeside are among the other highlights on the domestic diary.
One feature missing from the Scottish scene, however, is the series of Ladies Tartan Tour events, a fledgling mini-circuit that was viewed as an important stepping stone for those finding their feet on the professional stage.
“While the loss of the Ladies’ Tartan Tour is disappointing, the decision was not made lightly,” added Malcolm.
“Over five events last year, PGA professionals made just 16 appearances in total and not all of them were Scottish. The concept was good but it just didn’t take off practically and, with no gender discrimination in the PGA, all members are entitled to play in the events on the main schedule.”
Tartan Tour, 2016 Order of Merit events
May 23-25, P&H Championship, The Renaissance
June 21-24, Northern Open, Royal Dornoch
July 2-3, Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Qualifier, Moray
Aug 2-3, Deer Park Masters, Deer Park
Aug 27-28, Kerr Investments Pro-Am, Dumfries & Galloway
Oct 17-20, Gleneagles Scottish PGA Championship, King's Course
Other main events
July 5-7, Gleneagles International Pro-Am, Queen's, King's & PGA Centenary Courses
Aug 22-24, Scottish Young Professionals' Championship, West Lothian
Sept 6-8, Paul Lawrie Invitational, Deeside
Sept 13-14, Carnegie Invitational, Skibo Castle
Sept 18-19, Sandy Pipey Masters, Royal Dornoch
Sept 26-28, Highland Golf Links Pro-Am, Nairn, Royal Dornoch & Castle Stuart
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