There were certainly concerns raised at the time about the decision of the R&A to give the contract for live coverage of The Open to Sky Sports over the tradition of the BBC. Whether the argument has been settled or not the level of coverage and style of delivery of The open clearly went up a notch or two at Troon in 2017 and this has been recognised in awards.

SkySports’ innovative coverage of The 145th Open at Royal Troon in July 2016 has earned them a BAFTA after being named best sports production during the awards ceremony in London.

The Sky Sports team won the award for best sports production for their enhanced coverage of the championships, including the thrilling climax when Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson were embroiled in a sensational final-day battle watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

The Open was named the winner ahead of BBC's coverage of the Rio Olympics and the Six Nations clash between England and Wales, while the Paralympics on Channel 4 was also nominated.

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, said: “This is a tremendous accolade, not only for the team at Sky Sports but for golf in general to have beaten off competition from so many top-class sporting productions. It is also a triumph for the stunning Ayrshire coastline which provided the perfect backdrop for the high-class drama that unfolded on the course.

“I’m especially delighted for our Golf Events Executive Katy Mathieson, who was part of the Sky Sports team producing coverage from Royal Troon before joining EventScotland last year. We have a great relationship with Sky Sports through the world-class portfolio of golf events taking place in Scotland and we look forward to working with them on many more in the coming years.”

However, we all know that regardless of how good the TV coverage may be there's nothing to beat watching the pros in action in real time whether it be in searing sunshine or from under an oversize golf umbrella!

SIGTOA members are already booking ahead for clients for Carnoustie 2018, Portrush in 2019 and of course the return to The Old Course for the 150th anniversary in 2021.

Tickets are now available for the 2017 Ricoh Women’s British Open to be played at the wonderful Kingsbarns Links jsut south of St Andrews in Fife and with the world’s top five players already confirmed, golf fans can be assured of witnessing some world-class play between the 3rd and 6th of August.

The Women's British Open is renowned as one of the world’s most international Majors, with players from 30 nationalities competing last year, the 2017 Championship makes its welcome return to Scotland playing over Kingsbarns for the first time and 21-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn will be looking to defend her title over the challenging layout.

There is a special advance purchase offering there is 20% off general admission one-day tickets and season tickets for all purchases online until Midnight 10 June 2017. If you are playing nearby at that time or looking to plan a trip around the event why not give one of the SITOA members a call or email and they will advise you on golf, accommodation, transfers and tickets for your Scottish golf trip.

Upgraded Clubhouse tickets and Official Corporate Hospitality packages are also available in the Champions Club overlooking the 18 green and these areas of upgrades and VIP add ons is for certain one of the areas of expertise of every golf tour operator in SIGTOA.

The Ricoh Women’s British Open was founded by the LGU in 1976 and has been staged in conjunction with IMG, a global leader in sports, events, media and fashion, since 1984. The event has been co-sanctioned by the LPGA and LET since 1994, and gained Major status in 2001. The LGU merged with The R&A in January 2017.

Kingsbarns has hosted the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship since 2001, Final Qualifying for The Open in 2010 and the 2013 Ricoh Women’s British Open Final Qualifying. The course has been widely acclaimed by players and media alike since opening 14 years ago and has fitted seamlessly into the famous golfing area of St Andrews.

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