Eagle Lands At Home Of Golf

Oct 12 2008 By Euan Mclean

Our Finalists Gear Up For St Andrews

THE Majors have passed and the Ryder Cup is behind us but there's still one more massive golf title to be won this season.

The Sunday Mail and American Golf's fantastic Where Eagles Dare contest is set for a nail-biting climax today when our Grand Final gets under way at the stunning Fairmont St Andrews resort.

An elite field of 15 finalist swill gather at the picturesque clifftop setting overlooking the home of golf and battle for glory on the new-look Kittocks Course.

This unforgettable weekend is the end of a long road that began in May when we asked club golfers across the country to tell us about their dream eagles and albatrosses scored this season.

As usual the response was enormous and our mailbag was bulging with amazing tales of golfing glory.

Every week our friends at American Golf - Scotland's premier equipment Schwartzel: One-shot lead specialists - gave away a superb Nicklaus DPT Draw Back driver and invited our winners to be custom fitted for it at one of their eight Scottish stores.

The club has been a huge hit with our delighted winners who raved about its incredible forgiveness and playability.

But this wonderful prize is just the tip of the iceberg - as our weekly winners will discover today when they roll down the scenic boulevard leading to Fairmont St Andrews.

The finalists and their guests will enjoy a lavish weekend at the five-star resort, starting with a practice round today to size up The Kittocks ahead of the competitive action tomorrow.

And they'll need it.

Formerly known as The Devlin course the newly renamed track has undergone an extensive upgrade to expand it into a magnificent 7049-yard, par-72 championship track.

Sweeping along a rugged seaside landscape The Kittocks provides a breathtaking stage and worthy test for our finalists.

But this weekend is about more than just top-class golf because the finalists and their guests will lap up sumptuous luxury at one of the finest hotels in Scotland.

The new signature Fairmont Spa offers tranquility to anyone who prefers pampering to pars and the 16-metre swimming pool plus refurbished health club cater for more energetic guests.

Then tonight everyone will gather for the finalists' gala dinner to enjoy the mouthwatering delights prepared by Fairmont's expert chefs.

After a relaxing evening the action tees off tomorrow morning but no matter who is named Where Eagles Dare Grand Champion all our finalists will leave feeling like winners.

Once again American Golf have been fantastic supporters of an event that unites the premier name in golf retail with Scotland's biggest newspaper.

Robert Kerr, regional manager for Scotland, said: "American Golf are proud to support another fantastic Where Eagles Dare competition.

"We were pleased to offer some great custom-fitted Nicklaus clubs as prizes and I'm sure the winners will enjoy using them. I look forward to attending a weekend of high quality golf and hospitality from the Sunday Mail and Fairmont St Andrews."

Sunday Mail sports editor George Cheyne said: "Where Eagles Dare never fails to capture the imagination of the Scottish golfing public - and puts MailSport and American Golf at the forefront of golfers' minds across Scotland whenever they stand over an eagle putt.

"The finalists all held their nerve to produce the dream strokes needed to qualify and can now look forward to reaping the full rewards with this VIP weekend.

"Once again I'd like to thank American Golf and Fairmont St Andrews who provide five-star hospitality in a truly idyllic setting."