QUALIFIERS AND A CHAMPION: DUNDONALD LINKS HOSTS OPEN ROUTE AND WOMEN’S SCOTTISH OPEN IN SAME SUMMER 

Ayrshire venue hosts Open Final Qualifying and the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open within a month, cementing reputation as one of the UK’s premier tournament venues 

Dundonald Links (July 29, 2026): Dundonald Links has underlined its position as one of the UK’s leading championship venues after successfully hosting two international golf events within the space of a month: final qualifying for The 154th Open and the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open. 

The back-to-back staging is a feat few courses in the UK are equipped to deliver. Dundonald Links’ track record speaks for itself, with 2026 the fourth time that the venue has hosted The Open Final Qualifying and the eighth occasion that it has staged the Women’s Scottish Open. 

Final qualifying saw 72 players compete for five places at Royal Birkdale, with Dundonald Links proving itself a fitting set-up for the game’s oldest Major.  

Among those to qualify were Scotsman Jack McDonald, who qualified for his second Open appearance with a winning score of five under across the two rounds, and Englishman Matthew Baldwin, who secured his fourth appearance at the 154th Open. 

McDonald said: “Dundonald is a great test. The greens, you really had to think about how it was landing into the greens. It was a great test of golf and the fairways were premium. 

“They make it seamless. It’s a great place to come and play golf. It always has been. The facility they’ve got here is fantastic. It’s a great course, a great hotel.”McDonald went on to make the cut at Royal Birkdale, finishing eight-over-par for the tournament.  

Just last week, the course welcomed 144 of the world’s best women golfers, alongside crowds of 11,000 across the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open.South Korea’s Jenny Shin claimed a hard-fought wire-to-wire victory, with rounds of 66-67-71-75 earning her a two-shot win to end a wait of more than a decade for her second LPGA Tour title. 

The world number 36 said: “I want to thank all the staff members outside the course and the pro shop, they have been pretty incredible. I’m quite familiar with some of the staff and they have been coming up to me and cheering me on. The golf course was unbelievable despite how dry it was.” 

David Ross Nicol, director of golf at Dundonald Links, said: “To host final qualifying for The Open and the Women’s Scottish Open within the space of a month is a huge undertaking, and one our team took enormous pride in delivering.  

“It takes a complete shift in preparation to move from presenting the course for a Final Qualifying field one week to a full professional women’s field just weeks later, but that’s exactly what our greenkeeping and operations teams are built for.” 

Dundonald Links has built a reputation as a venue capable of hosting golf at the highest level, having previously staged both men’s and women’s Scottish Opens in 2017 and the R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship in 2014. This summer’s double confirms its place among the UK’s most in-demand tournament courses. 

The Kyle Phillips designed course was voted the best conditioned course for the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, at the Ladies European Tour (LET) 2026 season launch.