Loch Lomond Golf Club is rightly lauded as one of the most thrilling golfing spectacles in the world so it is appropriate that three of the game’s most exciting and flamboyant talents – Camilo Villegas, Ian Poulter and Adam Scott – will take to its fairways from July 9-12 in The 2009 Barclays Scottish Open.

The swashbuckling stars draw almost as many female admirers as male golf fans to their appearances around the globe and the same will be the case in Scotland next month when the trio aim to get their hands on the gleaming silver trophy and the lion’s share of the £3 million prize fund.

For Villegas, who took up Membership of The European Tour at the start of the 2009 season, the trip to Scotland will represent his debut in The Barclays Scottish Open and the 27 year old Colombian admitted he cannot wait to tee up.

"I'm excited about being a part of The 2009 Barclays Scottish Open," said Villegas who confirmed his potential by winning the final two events of the FedEx Cup on the US PGA Tour season last year, including The Tour Championship. "I know that the tournament always has an outstanding field and I've heard great things about Loch Lomond and the fans there, so it will be a good test and a great experience."

Both Poulter and Scott are no strangers to the Loch Lomond crowds and indeed both have gone close to victory in the past, the Englishman finishing fourth in 2005 after a storming final round 65, while the Australian’s best performance came in 2001 when he finished in a tie for third.

Poulter, who thrilled the world of golf with his stirring performance in last year’s Ryder Cup at Valhalla where he was the most successful of the 24 players on show with four points out of five, revealed he has the perfect outfit in line to, hopefully, toast his eighth European Tour success.

“I am launching four new tartans in my own clothing line this summer so there is definitely a Scottish theme in there,” said the 33 year old. “One of them will be a limited edition for The Open, which will be red, white and blue – a kind of union jack theme – and the other three will be out in the summer.

“They are all authentic tartans, approved by the Scottish Tartans Authority, and it will be great to wear them at The Barclays Scottish Open, hopefully I’ll get a good reaction from the crowd. I have in the past to be honest – I love playing there, the fans are great and I think they like what I do.
 
“Loch Lomond is somewhere I have always played and enjoyed. It’s a very good golf course, one that I like and feel I play well on and I just love playing in Scotland – it’s the home of golf. I have been close at Loch Lomond before, hopefully I can pull it off this time.”

Scott has nine international tournament victories to his name and six European Tour titles – including a victory in Scotland in the Diageo Scottish PGA Championship at Gleneagles in 2002 – and would like nothing better than to make it a magnificent seven next month.

“I have always enjoyed playing The Barclays Scottish Open and to follow this with The Open just up the road at Turnberry makes for two weeks of fantastic tournament golf in Scotland,” he said.

The eclectic trio perfectly sum up the worldwide appeal of The Barclays Scottish Open whose starting list features players from across all continents of the world.
From Europe there are the exciting young talents of Germany’s Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland; Asia provides the likes of the Thai duo Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng; Australians Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby along with New Zealander Danny Lee bolster the Australasian contingent; Africa boasts its Major winning trio of Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman; while American Ryder Cup star Boo Weekley flies the Stars and Stripes alongside 2009 Buick Invitational winner Nick Watney and Brian Gay, winner of both the Verizon Heritage and the St Jude Classic on the US PGA Tour this year.