Tickets go on sale for Solheim Cup at Gleneagles in 2019

Tickets went on sale today for the biennial women’s golfing tournament the Solheim Cup, which is due to be hosted in 2019 at Gleneagles.

The Europe versus United States competition takes place at the famous Perthshire course after a successful bid was made in 2015 by EventScotland to secure the event on 11^th to 15^th September next year.

Top women golfers from both continents will take part in the 16th edition of the prestigious golfing contest, which is set to feature the likes of Scots golfer Catriona Matthew.

Matthew, an official ambassador for Scotland the Home of Golf, played in her ninth Solheim Cup in Iowa this year, winning three points.

She said: “The players are really looking forward to coming to Scotland to experience a Solheim Cup at Gleneagles. They watched an amazing Ryder Cup played there in 2014 and now can’t wait to be part of something similar for The 2019 Solheim Cup.

“Their experiences of the world’s best golf courses in Scotland, along with the renowned Scottish hospitality, both at past Solheim Cups as well as Ricoh Women’s British Open and Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open, means that everyone is anticipating that this will be the best Solheim Cup ever.”

Scotland’s staging of The 2019 Solheim Cup is being led by the EventScotland team within VisitScotland’s events directorate.

Paul Bush, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “A high bar has been set by The 2017 Solheim Cup in Des Moines and we are all relishing the challenge of taking The 2019 Solheim Cup to an even higher level.

“We have a strong track record of hosting and enhancing major events in Scotland and we look forward to making The Solheim Cup the must-attend sporting event of 2019. It is important to us that this is seen as a bucket-list event and we want everyone to consider attending, regardless of whether they are an ardent golf fan or a family who may have never considered a golf event as a day out before.”

USA retained the trophy by 16 ½ to 11 ½ points at Des Moines, Iowa (US), from August 14-20, boasting record crowds for a US Solheim Cup.

A variety of packages and tickets, starting from £10, are now available at SolheimCup2019.com with special family ticket packages and early bird discounts available soon.

The week will begin with the PING Junior Solheim Cup taking place at Gleneagles; the U18 event will be showcased as “never before” as Scotland seeks to ensure that this is the most family-orientated Solheim Cup ever staged, say organisers.

VisitScotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government, has stated the ambition to ensure the 2019 edition of the Solheim Cup will serve to both grow golf and leave a lasting legacy of increased participation in women’s sport.

Themes of equality, innovation and experience will be ‘thread through all the events communications as The 2019 Solheim Cup aims to engage both the traditional golf audience and the wider sport fan, raising the profile of women’s golf both in Scotland and internationally’.

The Scottish Government and VisitScotland have been long-time supporters of the women’s game having partnered with the Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open, including recently significantly enhancing the Aberdeen Asset Ladies Scottish Open which took place as a co-sanctioned LET and LPGA event for the first time this year.

However, this year has been a tough one for the Ladies European Tour, with seven events lost from the schedule; there were 28 events in 2008 compared to just 15 in 2017. Talks have taken place at a senior level in a bid to revive the fortunes of the LET after the departure of its CEO Ivan Khodabakhsh earlier this month. The Solheim Cup is not affected by the talks, according to reports.