Gleneagles to host 2019 Solheim Cup

SCOTLAND has won the right to host the Solheim Cup in 2019, when Gleneagles will become the third venue in the home of golf to stage the biennial event.

Gleneagles will host the 2019 Solheim Cup. Picture: Getty Images

In what was a straight fight, Scotland was given the nod ahead of Sweden after the two countries were short-listed from an initial 10 countries from all over Europe.

“I want to congratulate the Scotland bid team for their work,” said Ivan Khodabakhsh, chief executive of Ladies European Tour.

“It was an extremely close decision and our heartfelt thanks go to our friends from Sweden for their hugely impressive bid.

The European team celebrates after winning the Solheim Cup at Dalmahoy in October 1992. Picture: TSPL

“The Bro Hof Slott Golf Club is one of Europe’s very finest courses and we look forward to working with them in the future.

“The competitive nature of the bidding process for the 2019 event is testimony to the growth in interest in women’s professional golf and women’s sport in general.

“The Solheim Cup has grown to be the biggest event in the women’s game delivering outstanding value to its partners at a local, national and international level.

Scotland first staged the event in 1992 at Dalmahoy before it returned eight years later at Loch Lomond. Both stagings resulted in European wins.

Ladies European Tour CEO Ivan Khodabakhsh with Nicola Sturgeon. Picture: Contributed

“This is tremendous news, not only for golf tourism and events in Scotland but for Scotland as a whole,” said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of the announcement.

“As a nation we take a huge amount of pride in welcoming major events to our country and in women’s golf they don’t come any bigger than the Solheim Cup.

“The outstanding success of 2014 still looms large in the memory and I am delighted that Gleneagles and Scotland will once again play host to a major international team golf event.

“It will help cement Scotland’s reputation as the Home of Golf and the perfect stage for major golf events and help inspire a new generation of children to take up the game invented in their home country.”

The success in securing the event comes on the back of last year’s Ryder Cup - the first to be held in Scotland since 1972 - being hailed an outstanding success.

“I am excited that the Solheim Cup will be returning to Scotland, home of Europe’s first win,” said John A. Solheim, PING chairman and CEO.

“Gleneagles is certainly one of the great venues in golf and will provide a wonderful experience for all. I’m sure that the members of the 2019 Solheim Cup teams will be up to meeting the challenges of this exceptional golf course.”

Eight-times Solheim Cup player Catriona Matthew would seem an obvious choice as European captain for the 2019 event.