FREED GROUP WOMEN’S SCOTTISH OPEN ACHIEVES SUSTAINABLE GOLF MILESTONE

The FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open presented by Trust Golf has achieved the notable milestone of becoming the first GEO Certified® Tournament on the Ladies European Tour, recognising the tournament’s leadership as a more sustainable golf event.

The distinction is awarded and assured by the international non-profit GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, and is based on the strength of commitment, breadth and depth of action, and range of tangible measured impacts across a broad sustainability agenda.

The tournament, run by IMG and co-sanctioned by the LPGA and LET, returns to Dundonald Links, Ayrshire, Scotland, this week from August 3-6 under the new title sponsorship of FREED GROUP and supported by long term partners, VisitScotland. The 2022 edition, a prominent example of the LET Celebrating the Green presented by Dow initiative, was recognised for its comprehensive approach to minimising adverse environmental impacts while maximising benefits to the community.

Harry Owen, Senior Director, Golf Events, IMG, said: “The FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open presented by Trust Golf has been inspired on this sustainability journey by our hosts at Dundonald Links and we are thrilled to achieve this notable first on the LET.  This was a truly collaborative team effort and our thanks to the many partners and suppliers across the event and for the support through the LPGA Accelerator Grant provided by Dow to access tools and programs to help us track and deliver positive impacts. While we are still at the start of this journey, working towards these industry standards has helped accelerate our actions and results and provided clear areas to continually improve and push boundaries in the years ahead.”

Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Scottish Government, said: “This is a deserved accolade for the pioneering work undertaken by the FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open to deliver a world-class golf event that minimises environmental impacts while providing additional benefits to local communities. Their commitment to renewable energy, locally-sourced food and innovative ideas like apparel made from recycled materials are all in keeping with our vision of making Scotland the perfect stage for events.”

Alexandra Armas, CEO of the LET, commented: “Congratulations to the FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open on this excellent achievement of being the first LET tournament to achieve GEO Certified tournament status. All of our tournaments…