PARKER, Colo., Aug. 1, 2009 – Colorado Golf Club has been selected as the site of the 2013 Solheim Cup, as announced today by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
“We are proud to announce that the 2013 Solheim Cup will played in Denver, one of America’s great golf cities.” said Marty Evans, acting LPGA Commissioner. “Colorado Golf Club is one of the young giants on the golfing scene and we look forward to showcasing 24 of the world’s best players there.”
The 2013 Solheim Cup will be the 13th staging of the event, which was started by Karsten and Louise Solheim, founders of PING and Karsten Manufacturing Corporation; PING has sponsored The Solheim Cup since its inception in 1990.
“Colorado Golf Club is an ideal choice to host the 2013 Solheim Cup,” said John Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “The Denver area has been a consistent and passionate supporter of women’s golf for many years. Our goal is to provide the professionals a challenging test of golf in a setting that brings fans the excitement and enjoyment offered only when players compete solely for pride and country. Colorado Golf Club promises that and much more.”
“It’s a tremendous honor to host the 2013 Solheim Cup,” said Mike McGetrick, a founder and managing partner of Colorado Golf Club. “I have had the good fortune to attend many previous Solheim Cups, and I know how exciting the competition is for both the golfers and the fans. This golf course will be an exciting stage for the matches.”
LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member Juli Inkster, a veteran of seven Solheim Cups, has been a recent visitor to the venue, working with McGetrick, her longtime instructor.
“It’s a very good match-play golf course and will make for a great Solheim Cup venue,” said Inkster. “There are so many strategies and options out there. Anything can happen on almost any hole, and then you have the risk-reward par-5s at 15 and 16 and a fantastic par-3 at 17. It will be a good test for all players. And, to combine it with a huge sports town like Denver, I know the event will be fabulous.”
About Colorado Golf Club
Colorado Golf Club, located in Parker, Colo., just outside Denver, will also be home to the 2010 Senior PGA Championship. Opened in 2007, Colorado Golf Club was designed by the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The Founders of Colorado Golf Club gave Coore and Crenshaw a single directive: Find the very best golf course the 1,700-acre piece of property had to offer. Situated on the broad foothills in the shadow of Pikes Peak, one of the country’s most beloved mountains, the duo uncovered a layout that plays through ponderosa-studded hillsides, rugged ravines and washes and open meadows – all the while providing picturesque views of Colorado’s Front Range. GOLF Magazine and Sports Illustrated named Colorado Golf Club the top new private course in America in 2007. The golf course debuted at 23rd on Golfweek’s list of Top 100 Modern courses in 2009.
“It’s a golf course that could only be here, only be in Colorado,” Crenshaw said. “This land is gifted for golf. We just followed where it led us, and the result is something unique, interesting and challenging, both for the membership and for tournament players.”
Colorado Golf Club is also home to a low-density community of 170 homes featuring more than 1,100 acres of protected open space. For more information, visit the Club’s Web site, www.coloradogolfclub.com.
About The Solheim Cup
The Solheim Cup is named in honor of Karsten Solheim, and his family, the makers of PING golf equipment. The Solheim Cup is the most prestigious international team event in women’s professional golf. It is a biennial, trans-Atlantic team match-play competition featuring the best U.S.-born players from the LPGA and the best European-born players from the LET. The U.S. Team leads the competition, 7-3, and has never lost on home soil. The 2009 Solheim Cup will and be played at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., Aug. 21-23. It will be contested at Killeen Castle in County Meath, Ireland, in 2011, and then moved to Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo. in 2013. In addition to founding sponsor PING, Global Partners of The Solheim Cup include AIB Group and Rolex. For more information, log on to www.SolheimCup.com.
Contact:
Connie Wilson/Mike Scanlan, LPGA, 386.274.6200, connie.wilson@lpga.com/mike.scanlan@lpga.com
Tom Ferrell, OnTour Media for Colorado Golf Club, (303) 478-6293, tferrell@ontourmedia.com
