Finca Cortesin, venue for next year’s Solheim Cup, has unveiled a brand-new first hole that will serve to ramp up the excitement and drama for all formats of the team matchplay event.
The re-designed par-four hole has been reduced from 431 yards off the back tees, to a new length of 280 yards, featuring a narrow, well-protected fairway, and a large lake on the left-hand side that reaches the front of the green.
The new-look hole is the result of consultation between the Ladies European Tour, tournament organiser Deporte & Business and Finca Cortesin.
Vicente Rubio, Managing Director at Finca Cortesin, said: “This new first hole is very much a risk-and-reward hole. Players can either try to reach the green with one shot or play more conservatively. The design of the hole and the great difference in height between the tee and the green will make it a spectacle, and I have no doubt that it will be a success.
The characteristics of the new hole will also allow us to accommodate more than 1,000 people around the first tee, which will make for a great atmosphere and the perfect hole to start a Solheim Cup.”
Players to have already played the new hole include Suzann Pettersen, the European captain, who with nine appearances in the Solheim Cup, knows extremely well what it feels like when a player prepares to take that first shot.
“The sensations you experience have nothing to do with other moments you can experience in golf, like leading a major, because in this tournament you don’t just play for yourself, you do it for your teammates, for your team…. you put all your heart into it and you want to give your best. That first tee of the Solheim Cup is all adrenaline and energy,” said Pettersen.
Stacy Lewis, the American captain, has also had the opportunity to see first hole at Finca Cortesin first-hand and did not hesitate to praise its design. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a first hole like this in the Solheim Cup. You can reach the green, but the water comes into play quite a lot.
“The first tee is like an amphitheatre, and the stands are going to be high up, practically above you, which will make the public feel very close. It’s definitely a great hole for the Solheim Cup,” she added.