A series of events took place on the Costa del Sol yesterday (September 21) to mark the start of the countdown to the hosting of the 2023 Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin in Malaga from September 22-24.
The events, called ‘One Year To Go’, saw a variety of activations across the region, including 365 local schoolchildren hitting biodegradable golf balls into the sea from the harbour wall at Puerto Banús.
European Solheim Cup team Suzann Pettersen took part in an exhibition match at Finca Cortesin with two local celebrities, while a clock counting down the days to the matches being held was unveiled in Benahavís by local major José Antonio Mena, accompanied by Pablo Mansilla, President of the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation; Arturo Bernal, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Junta de Andalucía; Francisco Salado, President of the Diputación de Málaga; and Margarita del Cid, Vice President of the Diputación de Málaga. Allan D Solheim, a member of the family that sponsors the matches, and representative from the Ladies European Tour, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation and Deporte & Bussines, the match organisers, were also in attendance.
Pablo Mansilla said: “We have been fighting for a long time for the arrival of this tournament in Spain and Andalusia, and now there is only one year to go. Once again, Andalusia will once again be the world epicentre of golf and women’s sport thanks to the Solheim Cup.”
Manuel Cardeña, Deputy Mayor of Marbella and CEO of Acosol, stressed that “the arrival of the Solheim Cup for the first time in Spain, and more specifically on the Costa del Sol, offers us a great opportunity to strengthen our position as a tourist destination and to be the epicentre of world golf in 365 days, something we have to take advantage of.”
