Scotland announce bid to stage the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles

ClubGolf graduate Katriona Taylor former Ladies European Tour player Catherine Panton-Lewis submitted Scotland's bid for the tournament ©VisitScotland

Scotland have announced they are bidding to host the 2019 edition of the Solheim Cup at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire as they look to continue to stage the world’s biggest golf events in the country.

VisitScotland’s Events Directorate have launched the bid for the tournament having received the backing of the Scottish Government and are pledging to take the bi-annual event to new heights, should their bid prove successful.

Their decision to proceed with a bid for the tournament comes a year after Gleneagles successfully staged the Ryder Cup, which pits Europe’s top professional golfers against the United States.

With Solheim Cup mirroring the format of the Ryder Cup, VisitScotland believe they will be able to attract a huge worldwide audience and a large media profile for the event, in addition to promoting equality throughout the game should they be given the right to stage the event.

“Our Events Directorate has gained a strong reputation throughout the world for bringing major events to Scotland and helping delivering them to the highest of standards,” Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland.

“We are delighted to have led this bid on behalf of Scotland and The Scottish Government and look forward to helping deliver a world-class Solheim Cup in 2019 in the same way as we did with The Ryder Cup in 2014.”

The decision to choose Gleneagles was taken after a detailed selection process by VisitScotland involving the Scottish Government, the Scottish Ladies Golf Association, Scottish Golf Union and Transport Scotland.

Scotland’s bid was officially submitted to the Ladies European Tour by 16-year-old ClubGolf graduate Katriona Taylor and former Ladies European Tour player Catherine Panton-Lewis, having been passed the documents by Jamie Hepburn, Scotland's Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health.

Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, Jamie Hepburn and Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, had earlier given the bid documents to Katriona Taylor ©VisitScotland

VisitScotland believe their bid reflects the country’s commitment to legacy and the future success of the innovative ClubGolf junior programme, while First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon claimed it will also show their ability to stage major sporting events.

“Last year Scotland showed what it can do on the world-stage when it not only held, but significantly enhanced, some of the biggest events in the world of sport,” she said.

“The 2014 Ryder Cup was a magnificent spectacle and will be remembered for many years to come, while the twentieth Commonwealth Games was another huge success story for our country, we want to do the same thing with The Solheim Cup in 2019.

“Scotland is now renowned as a world-class tourism and events destination.

“Not only would hosting The Solheim Cup in Scotland, the home of golf, 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.”

Should the Solheim Cup be awarded to Gleneagles play is set to be held in either August or September, while an estimated 30,000 spectators will be expected to attend day of the event, from both Scotland and from overseas.

“The event, and the women’s game as a whole, has enjoyed an enhanced media profile in recent years but taking it to Gleneagles and Scotland, which was a great venue for The Ryder Cup, would undoubtedly help to further elevate its status on the world stage as the leading event in women’s sport,” said Panton-Lewis.

“I very much hope to see The Solheim Cup staged in Scotland in 2019.”

St. Leon course of Golf Club in Germany is set to stage this year’s edition of the tournament, while Des Moines Golf and Country Club in the United States is due host the Cup in 2017.