SCOTTISH ROCK BAND TEXAS CONFIRMED FOR SOLHEIM CUP

 OPENING CEREMONY

24 June 2019 – Award-winning Scottish pop rock band Texas have today been announced as the headline act for the Opening Ceremony of the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles this September.

The 40 million record-selling group fronted by Sharleen Spiteri, best known for smash hits ‘Say What You Want’ and ‘Black Eyed Boy’, will tee off the event in style on Thursday, September 12, entertaining the thousands expected at the iconic Perthshire venue on the eve of the biggest event in women’s golf.  

Their performance will be the highlight of a bumper day of live music and family entertainment.

Texas are touring the UK and Europe this summer and they have included The Solheim Cup on their schedule as the penultimate stop of the year.

Shortly after Texas’s performance, Catriona Matthew and Juli Inkster, the respective Team Europe and Team USA Captains, will introduce their teams to the crowds and reveal the pairings for the first session the following morning. Broadcast live on Sky Sports, the Opening Ceremony will be hosted by high-profile sports presenter Di Dougherty.

Paul Bush, Director of Events for Event Scotland, said: “We are delighted to have Texas at the Opening Ceremony. They are a huge name with massive global appeal, and they are popular with a very wide range of ages which is perfect for the family-orientated nature of the Solheim Cup.

“The atmosphere will be electric and everyone is incredibly excited to see this show-stopping day unfold. It will be the perfect start to what promises to be a truly world-class event.”

Texas lead vocalist Spiteri said: “It’s great to be performing at this iconic venue in the heart of Scotland supporting sporting success.

“It’s wonderful to have such a prestigious event held at Gleneagles and we are proud to be asked to perform at the opening ceremony of the Solheim Cup. I would like to wish both teams good luck and look forward to watching the competition.”

Tickets are available to see Texas and all the other live acts for just £25 (free entry for those aged 16 and under with a paying adult). Reserved seating can be purchased for an extra £20.

The Solheim Cup will be screened to more than 600 million homes worldwide with the match-play format aiming to engage both the traditional golf audience as well as wider sports fans, raising the profile of women’s golf both in Scotland and internationally. 

The Scottish Government’s aspiration is that The 2019 Solheim Cup is the biggest ever European edition of the event and the most family-focused golf event in history with around 100,000 spectators expected at Gleneagles.

 For more information visit www.solheimcup2019.com 

Glasgow Airport named as official sponsor of 2019 Solheim Cup

Glasgow Airport has been announced as an official sponsor of The 2019 Solheim Cup match, taking place at Gleneagles from September 9^th-15^th, 2019.

The airport, Scotland’s principal long-haul hub, is where many of the 100,000 expected spectators at across the event week will arrive before continuing around 50 miles north to the iconic, world-famous Gleneagles.

European Solheim Cup team will wear Abacus Sportswear at Gleneagles match in September

 PRESS RELEASE

For the sixth time, Abacus Sportswear will return as the official apparel supplier to the European Solheim Cup team for the next contest, to be staged at Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire from September 9-15, 2019.

 

1,900 APPPLICATIONS FOR VOLUNTEER WORK AT 2019 SOLHEIM CUP AT GLENEAGLES

NEWS RELEASE
More than 900 potential volunteers will this week be contacted to offer them a volunteering role at The 2019 Solheim Cup, taking place at Gleneagles from 9-15 September 2019.

 

In excess of 1900 applications have been received from 27 countries worldwide for volunteer positions through the official portal, with applicants hoping for the opportunity to share in an incredible experience and help Scotland host the most successful Solheim Cup to date.

 

Now, the first tranche of notifications will be issued offering more than 900 volunteers the opportunity to help welcome 100,000 people to the Perthshire venue when the biggest event in women’s golf rolls into town.

 

Liz Taylor, Head Volunteer for The 2019 Solheim Cup, said: “The response has been amazing both locally and internationally. I feel like the response we’ve had is representative of the energy and passion that is running through the whole event and as the event draws closer and we grow our team, this can only escalate.

 

“I would urge anyone who applied to be a volunteer to keep an eye on the email they used during the application process and if they have been offered a position to respond to use as soon as possible.”

DAME LAURA DAVIES NAMED SOLHEIM CUP

VICE-CAPTAIN

 

 

By BETHAN CUTLER 

European captain Catriona Matthew has completed her backroom staff by naming Dame Laura Davies as a vice-Captain for The 2019 Solheim Cup at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland, on September 13-15.

Davies brings a wealth of experience to the European team, as both the event’s leading points scorer, with 25, and as the player with the most appearances, 12.

She will join Suzann Pettersen and Kathryn Imrie, the three vice captains having made a combined 21 Solheim Cup appearances over a 25-year spell from 1990 to 2015, amassing a total of 45 ½ points for Europe.

Speaking ahead of the Ladies European Tour’s season-ending event, the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, taking place at La Quinta Golf & Country Club in Malaga from Thursday, Matthew said that selecting Britain’s most successful golfer for the role was “a no brainer.”

 

“She played in the first 12, won 87 times, has a wealth of experience, is still playing, knows all the players, will be great fun in the team room… I mean, it was really a no brainer!” said Matthew.

 

“I’m delighted to have Laura alongside me on the journey to Gleneagles. She is hugely respected by the players and has a great sense of humour, which will bring a bit of levity. Her experience speaks for itself: she has played in 12 Solheim Cups, on both winning teams and losing teams, she has won 87 titles around the world and has been the lynchpin of the Ladies European Tour for the last 30 years. The players that will be in the team have such respect for her that if any of them need a question answered, they will listen to Laura. I couldn’t ask for anything better than to have Laura, Kathryn and Suzann at my side as vice captains and their combined experience will be a great asset for our team.”

 

Matthew was initially unsure whether Davies would accept the vice captaincy role, as the four-time Major champion has declared that she never wants to be Solheim Cup captain, but she could not have been keener.

 

Speaking ahead of her appearance this week in Spain, Davies said: “I’m delighted and honoured to have been asked to be a vice captain for the first time by Catriona.  She sent me a text message when I was doing commentary at The Ryder Cup and I thought, ‘Ah, I wonder what this will be about.’ Sure enough, she asked me if I would do it and I didn’t even have to think about it. I want to be part of the team and I hope that I can make a positive contribution and help in any way that I can.

 

“The Solheim Cup has always held a very special place in my heart, right from the first one in 1990. Many of my fondest memories have been made during The Solheim Cup and I’m hoping that this one, at Gleneagles, will be the best yet.

 

“Hopefully, we’ll have a really strong team, because we have some great players now. We want the American and European fans to come out in numbers, the weather to be perfect and it to be a real celebration of women’s golf. I can’t wait to get started and am looking forward to the challenge.”

 

Davies’ individual golfing accomplishments on the global stage include 87 tournament wins, including 45 Ladies European Tour titles and 20 LPGA titles. She has also won on the LPGA of Japan, the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour, the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and recently completed a clean sweep of majors on the Legends Tour, with her win at the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open conducted by the USGA in July followed by the Senior LPGA Championship presented by Old National Bank in October.

 

In addition to her tournament victories, Davies has won a record seven Ladies European Tour Order of Merit titles. She was the first non-American to finish at the top of the LPGA money list and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

 

Davies has featured in four victorious Solheim Cup teams, in 1992, 2000, 2003 and 2011, winning 25 points from her 46 matches from 1990-2011. She worked as a television commentator for Sky Sports during the 2013, 2015 and 2017 matches.

 

At The 2019 Solheim Cup, the 16th staging of the contest, Europe will look to regain the trophy for the first time in six years, following the last win in Colorado. The United States team has won the last two competitions in St. Leon-Rot, Germany and Des Moines, Iowa and will be looking to make it three in a row in Scotland.

 

The 2019 Solheim Cup will not only showcase the stunning assets of Scotland, the Home of Golf, but also build on the legacy of the successful 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. It will underline that Scotland is the perfect stage for major golf events as it seeks to help inspire a new generation of children to take up the game invented in their home country.

 

The Scottish Government’s Minister for Public Health and Sport, Joe FitzPatrick, welcomed Davies’ appointment:

 

“Dame Laura is unquestionably a legend of the game and will bring unrivalled experience and insight, helping Catriona inspire the European team.

 

“Her involvement will contribute further to this world-class event at Gleneagles, promoting Scotland on a global stage and inspiring people, particularly women and girls, to get involved in golf and in sport more generally.”

 

Make sure you don’t miss the opportunity to be there to enjoy the action and witness sporting history being made in a truly unique setting. Tickets are on sale now at www.solheimcup2019.com.

 

VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME LAUNCHED FOR

THE 2019 SOLHEIM CUP AT GLENEAGLES

NEWS RELEASE

The Volunteer Programme for The 2019 Solheim Cup has been launched today, opening up opportunities for more than 1,000 volunteers to share in an incredible experience and help Scotland make the event one of the most successful ever.

The Programme will encourage women and young people in particular to volunteer for the 2019 Solheim Cup as well as allowing both golfers and non-golfers to get involved and get the most out of the experience. 
This builds on the ambition of creating the most inclusive Solheim Cup to date when it is hosted at Gleneagles, Perthshire from September 9 to 15, 2019. 

Anyone interested can volunteer in a variety of areas including Marshals, Scoring, Transport, Administration and Television, where they will have the opportunity to learn about the event and support Organisers delivering the Solheim Cup.

 

Full details of the volunteering opportunities are available on the website. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer is invited to register their interest by signing up at www.solheimcup2019.com as soon as possible.