SCOTTISH Open organisers have still to decide if the European Tour event will return to Castle Stuart next year.
However, if sponsors Aberdeen Asset Management decide to switch the venue, Marc Warren will not be complaining. If the Glasgow golfer never sees the majestic stretch of linksland outside Inverness again it will be too soon.
The 31-year-old squandered a seemingly unassailable lead in the final round yesterday to gift Jeev Milka Singh victory.
Warren, three shots clear at one point, played the last four holes in a disastrous four-over-par to miss out on a play-off by a shot.
It was an agonising conclusion to a tournament in which Warren had played superbly, and should have won. The £140,750 cheque he pocketed for his efforts on the banks of the Moray Firth was no consolation.
"The crowd had been unbelievable all week and it should have been a victory march to a home win on the last few holes," said Warren.
So our 13-year wait for a home winner – Colin Montgomerie was the last Scot to triumph at Loch Lomond in 1999 – continues. For all that Warren squandered his chance for success, nobody could begrudge Singh the biggest win of his professional career.
The 40-year-old played well across the Gil Hanse/Mark Parsinen-designed course on a dramatic final day. His five-under-par 67, the joint lowest score of the day, was quite remarkable in the windy and occasionally wet conditions.
He came from five behind overnight leader Francesco Molinari and triumphed at the first hole of a play-off with the Italian.
The man from Chandigarh rolled in a 12ft birdie putt to huge cheers from the galleries. Singh's win earned him a place in The Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes this week and he is hopeful he can do well.
"Growing up in India, I didn't play links golf or in the wind," he said. "But playing in the European Tour, I am used to it. I have changed my game to be a wind player. I like playing in the wind and I like links golf. It requires imagination and feel.
"I am looking forward to The Open Championship and hope I can take this form forward. My win has given me a lot of confidence.
"I have had a lot of injury problems so to win after four years is a really good feeling."
Meanwhile, Molinari, who had led from the first round after posting a course-record 62, is still confident he can land his first Major, despite the play-off defeat.
He said: "It was disappointing not to finish it off, but it was still a good week.
"I holed a good putt on the 72nd hole to get into the play-off. I will only take positives from it.
"I gained a lot of Ryder Cup points and a lot of Race to Dubai points. You have to take your hat off to Jeev."
Molinari, though, will not be the only player buoyed by how he performed ahead of The Open.
Claret Jug hopefuls Henrik Stenson (eighth), Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, Freddie Jacobsen and Martin Laird (tied 16th) and Louis Oosthuizen (24th) are all playing well.
Laird started the final round in contention but struggled in conditions he is not used to on the US PGA Tour and posted a disappoint 74.
He will look to iron out some flaws in his putting stroke before the first round of The Open gets under on Thursday.
He said: "I struggled to get the ball in the hole. I didn't putt very well. It was good to get used to hitting shots in the wind, but my putting must improve."