The Northern Open is 95 years-old this season and Moray Old Course, the wonderful, rigorous links in Lossiemouth which hosts the 2026 showpiece, has played a significant part in the championship’s story.
The latest chapter unfolds from June 3-4 when PGA professionals from across the UK and Ireland make the trip to the north of Scotland for a two-day shoot-out that is now part of The PGA’s Open Series.
From its inception in 1931, the Northern Open has remained a staple of the domestic scene and boasts a list of champions which features some of the great names of Scottish golf.
Moray, itself, first staged the championship back in 1937 while the 1962 edition underlined the enduring competitive zeal of the celebrated Glenbervie pro, John Panton.
That year, Moray would be the scene of Panton’s seventh and final Northern Open conquest. Along with the formidable Eric Brown, this decorated duo held the championship in a double nelson.
Between 1948 and 1962, Panton and Brown reeled off 12 wins between them.
In 1962, Panton, who would also win eight Scottish PGA Championships during a tremendous career, was 45.
Bob Tuohy, meanwhile, was a 22-year-old Australian who set a sprightly pace and was five-shots ahead of the veteran Scot with 18-holes to play.
Panton, though, refused to surrender and, with a fine exhibition of iron play which was a hallmark of his golf, posted a superb course record 69 to win by a single shot.
“Just when most of us thought the Panton, Brown domination of the championship was at long last over, Panton proved us all wrong,” wrote the Glasgow Herald’s golf correspondent, Cyril Horne, of affairs that day.
It was, as Horne also observed, “an extraordinarily fine effort.”
The indefatigable Panton would produce another fine effort when the Northern Open returned to Moray in 1969 and finished runner-up as a sprightly 50-something to Harry Bannerman.
Here in 2026, the current generation of golfers will be looking to add their names to Moray’s roll of honour.
Another prolific Glenbervie man, Graeme Robertson, will strive to emulate Panton’s success in this parish as he aims to accelerate his comeback from injury.
Robertson, a two-time Scottish PGA champion who won the Northern Open at Cruden Bay in 2024, began the new campaign in style with victory in the Tartan Tour’s opening Order of Merit event at Spey Valley earlier this month.
Craig Lee, the Northern Open champion at Royal Dornoch last year, defends his crown while Graham Fox returns to a happy hunting aiming to lift the trophy for a second time after his dramatic and spectacular win at Moray in 2023.
During a tense tussle, Fox conjured the kind of finish that grandstands were invented for on the closing hole and trundled in a raking birdie putt of over 60-feet to pip Paul O’Hara by a shot.
It was another memorable moment in Moray’s Northern Open story.
David Longmuir, the manager of The PGA in Scotland, said: “The Northern Open is one of the most historic and prestigious events in our calendar and now forms part of The PGA Open Series.
“Moray is a wonderful course, with hospitality to match, and it will really test the skills of our members.
“We are once again indebted to everyone at Moray for their support and hard work. To all the players, we wish you well.
"To the members at Moray, we thank you for your support and we would love to see you during the competition.”
