Shared enthusiasm, cohesion, understanding and absolute harmony between all the institutions and entities involved in the organization of the Solheim Cup 2023, a competition that will be held for the first time in our country from September 18 to 24, 2023.

This professional women's golf tournament, the most important on the international calendar, pits teams from Europe against the United States every two years and comes to our country thanks to the close relationship established between the main players in this spectacular project.

This union was the common thread running through the speeches of their representatives at the presentation held on Monday afternoon at the Muelle de Honor in Puerto Banús, Marbella, the perfect base for a unique competition.

Although Spain, Andalusia and the Costa del Sol are veterans at successfully hosting top-level sporting competitions, the 2023 Solheim Cup presents an unbeatable opportunity to reinforce its position as a safe tourist destination, as well as strengthen its commitment to women's sport in a sustainable event of great international relevance.

The Ladies European Tour's designation of Finca Cortesín as the tournament venue is a major boost for Andalusia and the Costa del Sol and will undoubtedly bring countless benefits to the region and its main municipalities, such as Marbella and Benahavís.

Juan Marín, Vice President and Minister of Tourism, Justice, Regeneration and Local Administration of the Junta de Andalucía, presided over the event and took the opportunity to emphasize the main lines of his Administration with respect to golf and this great tournament.

“At Turismo Andaluz, we are committed to Andalusian sport, and more specifically to women's sport, in this case golf, where 601% of new players are women. We believe that hosting both the Spanish Women's Open this year and the Solheim Cup in 2023 presents an excellent opportunity to enhance the positioning of the Andalusia brand as a tourist destination, thanks to the enormous media coverage it will generate worldwide.”.

It is also confirmation that, despite the very complicated situation we are experiencing, Andalusia is a safe destination and prepared to host events of this international importance.”.

Francisco Salado, president of the Malaga Provincial Council, referred to the Solheim Cup as the culmination of a cooperative project they have been working on for years and what it means for the Costa del Sol.

“Today we have to congratulate ourselves because we are finally seeing a dream come true: the Costa del Sol will host the Solheim Cup for the first time in history in 2023, the first time this tournament has come to our country. And we are very proud because an event of this magnitude once again puts the Costa del Sol in the spotlight,” explained Francisco Salado.

“Holding these events provides a splendid opportunity to showcase our facilities, which are maintained in pristine condition year-round. Today is a day of celebration and satisfaction for our collaborative work. It's a day that encourages us, especially during these challenging times, to continue along this same path of cooperation, which will undoubtedly bring us many more successes.”.

The president of the Ladies European Tour, who announced the designation of Finca Cortesín as the venue for the Solheim Cup on October 13, wanted to take the opportunity to highlight the importance of our country on the international stage and to thank the organizations that have most supported the project.

“The Ladies European Tour has a long and close relationship with Spain and the Costa del Sol, and we are delighted that they are hosting the 2023 Solheim Cup. It is a great source of pride to have such a diverse group of professional players from 38 different countries, and many Spanish players have also performed at the highest level.

Now they have the opportunity to represent the European team in their own country and in the most important women's team tournament in the world. I would like to thank Andalusia, Costa del Sol, Acosol, the Marbella City Council, the Benahavís City Council, the RFEG, Finca Cortesín, and Deporte & Business for helping us develop this project. We look forward to collaborating with them all in the coming years,” said Marta Figueras-Dotti, president of the Ladies European Tour.

The top representative of Spanish golf, Gonzaga Escauriaza, wanted to emphasize the importance of golf as an engine of economic recovery at a particularly delicate time for Spain.

“Hosting the Solheim Cup in our country in 2023 is fantastic news for both the sport of golf and Spanish society as a whole. Once again, we will have the opportunity to showcase to the world the excellence of our golf courses, our infrastructure, our climate, and our vast cultural and gastronomic offerings.”.

The announcement of the Solheim Cup also comes at a perfect time, as it gives us the opportunity to contribute to accelerating the recovery of tourism. Let's get to work and enjoy this spectacular sporting event right away,” declared Gonzaga Escauriaza, president of the RFEG.

For his part, Vicente Rubio, CEO of Single Home, thanked Finca Cortesín for the designation and made clear his commitment to quality, excellence and sustainability.

“In recent years, Finca Cortesín has established itself as the leading resort in the world of luxury. In our pursuit of excellence, we have received numerous awards that place us as the number one resort in Spain and Portugal, although what is most important to us is the recognition of the thousands of guests who have visited us,” summarized Vicente Rubio.

“We face this new challenge with the conviction that we are prepared for it, not only because of the experience gained during the three editions of the successful Volvo World Match Play Championship, but also because of the countless improvements we have made to the resort and the course in recent years, deepening our commitment to sustainability. The Solheim Cup is the event that fulfills all our aspirations, and we are sure that Finca Cortesín is the ideal venue to host it.”.

In turn, Ángeles Muñoz, mayor of Marbella and host of the event, emphasized the importance of this great tournament, the Solheim Cup, being held in such a special destination.

“Welcome to this unique location that perfectly embodies this symbiosis of quality, excellence, and sport. This is a very important day for all of us who worked to ensure this destination was chosen to host the 2023 Solheim Cup. It is a truly unique destination.”.

First of all, I want to thank the vice-president and his entire team who have worked tirelessly to bring the Solheim Cup here, just as the Ryder Cup did in Cádiz. Having the women come to play in Spain, and especially in Andalusia, is a fantastic decision. We want it to be a major attraction; I believe we have a unique opportunity, and that's how it should be seen.

”This is an event that will transcend mere sport. I believe we will have the opportunity to showcase our extensive complementary offerings, which include our climate, our hotels, our organizational capacity, our complementary services, our gastronomy, leisure activities, and our culture. And I must say that we will do so with all the generosity that such an event deserves,” assured Ángeles Muñoz.

Manuel Cardeña, the CEO of Acosol (a public company belonging to the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol that manages the complete water cycle), made clear the importance of caring for the environment and sustainability in an event of this nature and stressed the commitment of the venue, Finca Cortesín, to the responsible consumption of water.

“It is a source of pride for Acosol that Finca Cortesín has been chosen as the venue for the 2023 Solheim Cup, as it is a golf course that we irrigate entirely with reclaimed water and will be the first to have our specific quality seal for irrigation with this type of water.

”In these times it is vitally important to carry out sustainable management of our resources and that is why we support events of this global relevance, as they highlight the work we do regarding environmental care, sustainability and the circular economy,” explained Manuel Cardeña.

Íñigo Aramburu, general manager of Sport & Business, emphasized the great reach of an event of the level of the Solheim Cup and the positive effect it should have, across the board, on the whole of society.

“Bringing the Solheim Cup to Spain is the successful culmination of a project in which all the entities involved have worked hard with effort and enthusiasm, but it also offers a wonderful opportunity to Spanish society.

We want everyone to feel ownership of the project; for professional and junior players to be motivated to give their best and aspire to a place in the tournament or the PING Junior Solheim Cup; for courses to get involved and see it as an ideal tool for promoting the benefits of golf; for fans to experience it with passion, from now until 2023; for society to perceive it as the ideal vehicle for promoting equality, solidarity, and tolerance, essential foundations of women's sport; and for companies to align their words with actions and participate in a top-level international event.

"In short, we want the Solheim Cup to transcend the sporting sphere and leave its mark," said Íñigo Aramburu.

The Solheim Cup was first played in Florida in 1990 and was named after Karsten and Louise Solheim, founders of Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, the company that markets the PING brand of golf equipment.

The Solheim Cup features two teams of 12 players representing Europe and the United States competing over three days in the same format as the Ryder Cup. As previously mentioned, the Solheim Cup will be held for the first time in Spain at Finca Cortesín (Costa del Sol, Andalusia) in 2023.

More information on the website www.solheimcup2023.eu, on the Twitter account @SolheimCup2023, on the Instagram account @solheimcup2023esp and on the Facebook page Solheim Cup 2023.

The 2023 Solheim Cup, officially hosted by Finca Cortesín, is sponsored by PING, Costa del Sol, and Rolex as global partners; and by Andalucía, Acosol, the Marbella City Council, and the Benahavís City Council as official partners. Solán de Cabras is the official supplier. Marca and Radio Marca are the official media outlets. The LET, the LPGA Tour, the RFEG, and Deporte & Business are collaborating in its organization.

SOURCE: Solheim Cup 2023 Organization