Published July 17, 2008 on June 30, 2018

Trio of Stars Announced for Hero Challenge at Edinburgh Castle

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Rafa Cabrera Bello, Andrew “Beef” Johnston and Shubhankar Sharma will tee it up in the stunning surroundings of Edinburgh Castle when the Hero Challenge – the European Tour’s fast and fun night golf contest – returns on Tuesday, July 10, 2018.

The trio are the first of six players to be confirmed for the event at the world-famous visitor attraction just two days before they compete in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at Gullane Golf Club from July 12-15.

Defending Scottish Open champion Cabrera Bello will be aiming to open the tournament week in style when he takes to the purpose-built arena on the castle esplanade. The Ryder Cup star will be joined at the historic venue on the great rock that dominates Scotland’s capital city by fans’ favourite Johnston and Indian golf’s latest star Sharma, who has won two European Tour titles this season.

All three will be aiming to emulate Masters Tournament champion Patrick Reed’s win at the first Hero Challenge on Scottish soil in 2017.

A successful debut for the Hero Challenge at the British Masters supported by Sky Sports in 2016 was followed by three spectacular editions last year at the British Masters, Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, as Hero MotoCorp Ltd – the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – reaffirmed its commitment to innovation on the European Tour.

In 2018 the drama of the night golf contest will be increased further as a series of iconic city locations perform hosting duties, starting with the 12^th century Edinburgh Castle, a key part of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site.

Three-time European Tour winner Cabrera Bello said: “I can’t wait to come back to defend my Scottish Open title and taking part in the Hero Challenge in a world-famous location like Edinburgh Castle will be an amazing start to the week.”

Johnston, who sealed his first European Tour title at the 2016 Real Club Valderrama Open de Espana said: “It’s safe to say that I’ve never played golf in a castle before, so this is going to be fun. I was part of the first ever Hero Challenge and the crowd loved it as much as we did, so I can’t wait to see what this one brings.”

21-year-old Sharma has become India’s highest ranked golfer after a stunning season so far. He said: “I’ve watched the Hero Challenge and thought it was such a great way of bringing new audiences to golf. I can’t wait to take part for the first time – and what a location to start off in.”

The Hero Challenge will take place from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm on Tuesday, July 10 and will be shown live across the European Tour’s platforms.

The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open once again takes its place as part of the Rolex Series – the premium category of tournaments on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, each with a minimum prize fund of US$7million. Some of the world’s best golfers will tee it up in Gullane from July 12-15, including defending champion Cabrera Bello of Spain, 2015 champion Rickie Fowler, five-time Major winner Phil Mickelson, World Number Three and 2014 winner Justin Rose, and the 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson.