Sporting Stars Support Scotland's 2019 Solheim Cup
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Sep 21, 2015 09:30 BST Sporting stars support Scotland’s 2019 Solheim Cup bid Solheim Cup stars from both sides of the Atlantic have given their backing to the event returning to Scotland, the Home of Golf, following the country’s bid to host the biennial event at Gleneagles in 2019. Scotland’s Catriona Matthew and American Paula Creamer, who lined up on opposing sides in the dramatic US victory at St Leon Rot last week, both recorded messages of support for Scotland’s bid, which was submitted to the Ladies European Tour last month. The Scottish bid, which is led by VisitScotland and supported by The Scottish Government, looks to bring the event back to Scotland for the first time in almost 20 years and has already received support from top names across the sporting spectrum. Matthew, Scotland’s number one ranked female golfer, was joined by Americans Creamer and Cheyenne Woods as well as Scots Carly Booth and Kylie Walker in pledging support for the bid via a series of passionate video messages to the Ladies European Tour. Matthew, who last week featured in her eighth Solheim Cup as a player, said: “The Solheim Cup is a special event, which is growing in profile and stature with each passing staging. I’ve been fortunate to play in eight European teams but 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. “Golf in Scotland is a national past-time and the Scottish crowds would come out to support The Solheim Cup in droves. Equally, both players and media love coming to golf events in Scotland. It is the Home of Golf and there is always that something extra every time you tee it up in a competition here.” Creamer, a wild card pick in Juli Inkster’s US Solheim Cup team in Germany last week, has previously spoken about her love of playing golf in Scotland and said: “I definitely support Scotland’s bid for The 2019 Solheim Cup. I love playing in Scotland both because it is the Home of Golf and because of all their amazing golf courses with magnificent views." Woods, who made her first appearance in Scotland during the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open at Dundonald Links in July, added: “I’ve been fortunate enough to play in a number of countries around the world but it was special to play in the Aberdeen Asset Management Asset Ladies Scottish Open in July. It was the first time I’d played in Scotland and it was a special feeling to be able to play in the country where the game began. The crowds were amazing and so supportive throughout the week. I back Scotland’s bid for The 2019 Solheim Cup and it would be great to have the opportunity to qualify to represent my country in the Home of Golf.” Scotland’s submission, which proposes staging the event on the world- renowned PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles, has now moved to the final stage with site visits from LET officials planned at Gleneagles this week before a decision is made by the Player’s Committee at the end of October. The visits, which are being co-ordinated by the EventScotland team at VisitScotland, will include a tour of the hotel and its grounds, presentations from key Scotland partners and a meeting with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Paul Bush, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “We are delighted that our bid has received so much support across the sporting spectrum, including from a number of high-profile individuals from outwith Scotland. That goes to show the high regard in which Scotland is held around the world as a destination for major events. “We are confident that our bid is a strong one and we look forward to further demonstrating to the LET this week that we not only have the passion, but the capacity, capability, credibility and confidence to hold the best-ever Solheim Cup in 2019.” - ENDS - NOTES TO EDITORS • The Solheim Cup is one of the biggest women’s sporting events on the planet and has been played biennially since 1990 (changing to odd years in 2003 following the reshuffling of the golfing calendar in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001) • Scotland has a proud association with the event having hosted it on two previous occasions: Dalmahoy Country Club in 1992 and Loch Lomond Golf Club in 2000. • Scotland’s Dale Reid has twice captained the European Team – in 2000 and 2002 – while Catriona Matthew has played a total of 29 matches across seven events, winning 16 points in the process. • Matthew also famously holed the winning putt at Barseback Country Club in Sweden in 2003 • Scotland already has a strong track record of supporting women’s professional golf with the Ladies Scottish Open (which began in 1986) supported by VisitScotland since 2007 and the Women’s British Open having been played here three of the last five years, with future commitments already made for 2017 and 2019. • If Scotland’s bid is successful, The 2019 Solheim Cup would be played on the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles, the same course that successfully staged The 2014 Ryder Cup. Notes to Editors • • Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews • VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland. • The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020. • This will be supported by seven overarching strategies: 1. Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country 2. Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations 3. Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels 4. Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice 5. Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes 6. Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all 7. Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support • VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow. • The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland. • According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland. • For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/ • Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh) • For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com • For information about business events in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com Year of Food and Drink 2015 • 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success. • Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism. • A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high- quality meat • For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland Contacts David Connor Golf PR Manager Contact for media enquiries on Golf [email protected] 0131 472 2063.