Press release -
Ryder Cup completes Trophy Tour with dramatic arrival at Gleneagles
A 17-year-old junior golfer from South Queensferry, Kayleigh Singer, today (10 September) brought The 2014 Ryder Cup Trophy Tour to a dramatic close as she officially delivered the iconic Ryder Cup Trophy to The Gleneagles Hotel, flying in by helicopter.
After landing on the hotel croquet lawn, the ClubGolf graduate completed the trophy tour in front of around 1,000 assembled hotel staff, Ryder Cup employees and contractors at the 1st tee of the PGA Centenary Course.
Having started playing golf at the age of 13, Kayleigh was chosen to represent the 300,000 children introduced to golf through the ClubGolf scheme. She formally handed over the iconic trophy to Patrick Elsmie, Managing Director of The Gleneagles Hotel.
Kayleigh Singer said:
“I have had so many great experiences in golf since joining the ClubGolf programme, but this just takes it to another level. I still can’t believe I was picked from the hundreds of thousands of ClubGolf kids to present The Ryder Cup Trophy to Gleneagles. I have my fingers crossed that my favourite golfer Stephen Gallacher will be holding the very same trophy come September 28th!”
Taking in the four corners of Scotland in just five days, and covering golf courses stretching from Dumfries & Galloway to Shetland, the official Ryder Cup Trophy Tour has given thousands of golf fans in some of the most rural locations in Scotland a chance to get up close and personal with one of the most prestigious trophies in global sport.
The Official Ryder Cup Trophy Tour celebrates the legacy of The 2014 Ryder Cup, reflecting a range of issues from youth participation in the sport to encouraging tourism. The courses visited included the most Northerly, Southerly, Easterly and Westerly ClubGolf courses in Scotland.
Richard Hills, Europe’s Ryder Cup Director said:
“The legacy of The Ryder Cup is important to everyone connected with the event. We have worked hard to ensure this will be the best Ryder Cup ever, not only in terms of the number of people we welcome on course each day but also in terms of its wider benefits.
“ClubGolf has brought the game to hundreds of thousands of children across Scotland who might otherwise have never picked up a club. At the same time, our innovative education resource has helped students learn important topics from maths, history and science through golf themes. We are rightly proud of these achievements and look forward to a thrilling event here at Gleneagles in just a few weeks’ time.”
Patrick Elsmie, Managing Director of The Gleneagles Hotel, said:
“With just two weeks to go until the teams from Europe and US arrive, everyone at Gleneagles is eagerly anticipating the competition ahead. The PGA Centenary Course is looking fantastic, the infrastructure is well on its way, and we are primed to deliver a wonderful event. All who visit Gleneagles are already enjoying the extra buzz around the resort and having the trophy on display will be the icing on the cake. We look forward to extending a warm Scottish welcome to everyone involved in the Ryder Cup.”
The 2014 Ryder Cup Trophy Tour was supported by VisitScotland, as the official Ryder Cup helicopter took in the nation’s spectacular scenery and visited courses also chosen for their tourism and environmental connections.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland said:
“It has been an absolute joy to follow the progress of The Ryder Cup Trophy Tour as it flew right around the country, visiting some of Scotland’s most incredible golf courses. From the level of turnout and excitement at each stop, it’s clear that there is a huge buzz around Scotland in anticipation of hosting The Ryder Cup, one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
Having visited the most northern, southern, eastern and western courses participating in the ClubGolf programme, it is incredibly exciting to see this world-famous trophy finally landing in dramatic fashion at Gleneagles.
Hosting The 2014 Ryder Cup will not only further enhance Scotland’s position as The Home of Golf, but the legacy and economic benefits are set to be felt right across Scotland, not just in the accommodation sector but also travel and transport, Scottish food and drink suppliers, attractions and a wide range of businesses throughout the industry. Tourism is one of the country’s most important industries and we must use major events, like The Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games, as a springboard for economic success in the future.”
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Grayling (on behalf of Ryder Cup Europe) by email at rydercup@grayling.com or call:
Laura McKenzie – 07515 975 376
Rory MacDonald – 07860 752 450
Martin Allen – 07894 462 170
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- ryder cup
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors:
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- 2014 is the year Scotland welcomes the world, when it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and more than 800 Homecoming events throughout the country.For more information on Homecoming Scotland 2014, go to www.visitscotland.com
- The VisitScotland Information Centre network is a unique face-to-face channel engaging with around five million visitors and locals each year. Everyone who uses a VisitScotland Information Centre goes on to spend an additional £5.35, generating over £24 million for Scotland’s economy.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, tourism employs 270,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the industry contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
- For more information on VisitScotland’s annual review please go to www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_focus/annual_report.aspx
