Ryder Cup: 17,500 apply to be volunteers

A RECORD 17,500 applications from 27 different countries were received to fill 1,800 volunteer positions for next year’s Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

The successful applicants were all notified yesterday, with 50 per cent of them living in Scotland and the majority coming from Perthshire, Lanarkshire, Stirlingshire, Fife and Aberdeenshire.

“I am delighted to welcome each and every one of the 1,800 people who have volunteered to be part of the experience at Gleneagles next September,” said European captain Paul McGinley. “No golf tournament could exist without volunteers, and that is especially true in terms of a competition of the size and magnitude of the Ryder Cup, so I thank them all for their participation.”

Successful applicants will pay £75 for the food, drink and clothing they will be given at the event as they fill roles such as scoreboard carriers, safety marshals and buggy drivers. Each will get a guaranteed half day of viewing time on the course during each day of competition.