Scotland's top FootGolf players in Helensburgh this weekend

Top FootGolfers from across the country will head to Helensburgh Golf Club on Sunday, June 2, to contest the Loch Lomond Open, the latest event in the FootGolf Scotland Tartan Tour.

The 36-hole event sees players playing 18 holes in the morning and 18 holes in the afternoon on the course, with the winner being the player who cards the lowest score across the day.

A total of 20 Scottish internationalists are taking part in the tournament, including 14 of the 20-strong squad that faced off against England and Ireland in the Tri-Nations Cup at the Irish Open at the beginning of May.

And Neil Shave, who is Scotland captain and tournament director of FootGolf Scotland, is encouraging as many people as possible to head down to the court to watch the players in action.

Scotland vice-captain Matt Morgan, who finished second in the Irish Open and is currently ranked number five in the world, is one of the favourites to lift the trophy, as is Joe McCourt, the reigning Scottish champion.

But stiff competition will come in the form of 2015 and 2016 Scottish champion Gavin Craig, and Glasgow FootGolf Club manager Stuart Campbell, who won his first event earlier this year, and finished second in the amateur category at the South Open, held at Woking in Surrey, earlier this month.

The field also boasts the experienced David "Quigs" Quigley, who, alongside Morgan and Shave, was part of the Team UK side that won the Euro FootGolf Championships in France in 2017, and lost out to France in the World Cup final in Marrakech in December.

Not to mention Declan Reid and Mick Eardley, who both finished in the top five in two previous FootGolf Scotland events this year - and the amateur category at The Irish Open.

And Shave says the event will be a great advert for the sport in Scotland.

The 30-year-old, from Doune in Perthshire, said: "The Tartan Tour has grown stronger every year since it began.

"Last year we beat England home and away and, although we lost out to them at the Tri-Nations Cup at the Welsh Open, and the Tri-Nations Cup at The Irish Open earlier this month, the quality of players in Scotland is improving greatly.

"The fact we beat both Wales and Ireland away from home shows that, especially as Ireland have competed in World Cups.

"We have a lot of quality players in Scotland now, who are regularly posting great scores both north and south of the border, and we have a couple of genuinely world class players in our ranks, like Matt, Quigs and 2018 Scottish champion Joe McCourt."

And Neil says that, with the incredible views of both Loch Lomond and the River Clyde that the course boasts, combined with the quality of players on show, locals would be mad not to head down.

He explained: "We are extremely excited and proud to be taking a Scottish Tour event to Helensburgh Golf Club.

"It shows the continued development of our sport as we continue to grow, not only in numbers but also in the standard of what we are offering our participants.

"There will be live coverage on the FootGolf Scotland Facebook page but if anyone is nearby and at a loose end they should definitely come down and watch.

"The first round kicks off at 9.30am, with the second round scheduled to start at 2.30pm.

"It's not often you get to go and watch the best players in your country plying their trade without having to pay.

"This is like the equivalent of getting to go and see the Scottish football team playing for free."

Anyone interested in playing FootGolf competitively can find out more by visiting the

.

Players of all ages, genders, experience and abilities are welcome.

The other Scottish internationalists competing this weekend are Glasgow FootGolf Club captain Rory Cassidy, and players Ali Dick, Stewart Robertson, Stevie Robinson and Tom McMahon, Cumbernauld FootGolf vice-captain Donny McKenzie, and player Brian McMahon.

Ayr FootGolf Clubcaptain Paul Macfarlane, and players Jack Grigor, Martyn Little and David Craig, Muckhart FootGolf Club player and World Cup star Gavin Howe, and Muckhart FootGolf Club vice-captain Callum Haig will also be battling it out on course.

The players in question qualified for the national side due to their impressive performances in previous FootGolf Scotland events.

There will be cash prizes for those who finish high up the leaderboard and registration closes on Saturday, and anyone interested in playing should visit the

for full details.