Gleneagles submits bid to stage Solheim Cup in 2019
Friday 14 August 2015 17:25, UK
Gleneagles has submitted a bid to host the Solheim Cup in 2019, less than a year after the Perthshire course staged the Ryder Cup.
The biennial event is played by the cream of European and American women's golf, mirroring the format of the Ryder Cup which was won by Europe on the PGA Centenary Course last September.
The same course is the proposed venue for the three-day showpiece in 2019 and Gleneagles managing director Bernard Murphy is confident they can match what was subsequently labelled 'the best ever Ryder Cup' by then Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond.
"Hosting the Ryder Cup was a great opportunity for Gleneagles and Perthshire, and an experience none of us will ever forget," said Murphy.
"The positive impact it had on tourism and Scotland's global reputation should not be underestimated. We would be truly honoured to welcome the Solheim Cup to Gleneagles."
Top-ranked Scottish golfer Catriona Matthew, a veteran of seven Solheim Cups, said: "I have no doubt that a Solheim Cup in 2019 at Gleneagles would be the biggest and best yet and further help to enhance the stature of the event and women's golf as a whole."
And Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon believes the successful staging of the Ryder Cup and Commonwealth Games (in Glasgow) last year shows the country more than capable of hosting such large sporting occasions.
"The 2014 Ryder Cup was a magnificent spectacle and will be remembered for many years to come, while the Commonwealth Games was another huge success story for our country. We want to do the same thing with the Solheim Cup in 2019," she said.
The Solheim Cup in 2019 at Gleneagles would be the biggest and best yet.
"Not only would hosting The Solheim Cup in Scotland provide a huge boost to the profile of this fantastic event, it would continue to promote equality across the game and show that golf in Scotland, where it began, is a sport for all after the successful hosting of the Ryder Cup."
Europe, who retained the Solheim Cup with an 18-10 victory over the US at Colorado in 2013, are bidding for a third straight success in this year's renewal at the St Leon-Rot Golf Club in Germany from September 18-20.
