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Having the best Spanish basketball player of all time as an ambassador is a marvel. Pau Gasol, a devoted golfer for a couple of years now, not only promised to spread the word about the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin, but he also promised to try to go to the tournament to live the experience. And since he is a man of his word, this Saturday he was just another spectator.
Well, not just another spectator, because his presence does not go unnoticed; first, for reasons of height, of course, and secondly because everyone wants to complete their visit to the Solheim with a photo with him. If enjoying the best golf in the world is already something magnificent, immortalizing the day with a photo with Carlota and Pau, two stalwarts of our sport, is priceless.
In his visit to Finca Cortesin, the former NBA player has followed the Fourball of the Navarre golfer and wished her luck for the decisive day on Sunday.
The ‘Solheim Cup Experience’ kicks off at Plaza Andalucia
The Plaza Andalucía is the point where the ‘Solheim Experience’ begins. This large common space is the one that welcomes the fans with a large giant screen next to a stage that in downtime entertains the day. There, visitors can enjoy some Andalusian tapas, or a hamburger, whatever they prefer, or have a soft drink.
In addition to the purely gastronomic, the square houses a Solheim merchandise store -who doesn’t want to take home a polo shirt, a flag or any other souvenir of the event- and a series of stands with fun experiences for the spectator. All this while following the game on the screen and sharing the nerves with fans from all over the world. Plaza Andalucía, ‘the place to be’.
The United States wants the fourth
The fourth on European soil, of course. To date and not counting the present one, eight editions of the Solheim Cup have been played in Europe, two in Scotland (1992 and 2019) and Sweden (2003 and 2007), and one each in Germany (2015), Ireland (2011) and Wales (1996) with a balance of five local and three foreign triumphs. With their remarkable performance in the Foursomes they have has set course for what could be the fourth, but they still needs to finish it off… and that is the most complicated part.
Finca Cortesín, a sustainable scenario
This edition of the Solheim Cup has been committed to becoming the most environmentally friendly of all those that have been held and, in addition, shows the way forward for the future. To get this far, Finca Cortesín was chosen as an environmentally friendly venue, which has led it to achieve the recognized GEO Certified® label.
Thanks to the use of 100% recycled water from the nearby town of Manilva, the resort also received the ACOSOL seal of quality in May 2022, making it the first golf course in Spain to receive this recognition.
In addition to the golf course, where Finca Cortesín has installed bermuda grass on the greens, reducing water consumption by 30%, the resort has also implemented other initiatives, such as the creation of bee hives to encourage the necessary pollination.
Caps, polo shirts and tiles, the most demanded items at the official tournament store.
“Between 25 and 40% of the people who come in buy,” says Javier Espejo, head of the official tournament store. “The average ticket is between 85 and 110 euros, depending on the day. Approximately 6,000 people enter the store every day. What they buy most are caps, polo shirts and golf accessories. There is a lot of variety and people are delighted with everything. We have 25 volunteers a day in the store led by Luz, Agus, Sara and Alba, who do a spectacular job,” explains Espejo.
“John Solheim himself came to the store and was fascinated by some tiles that are made by Alicia Guerrero, an artist from Malaga. They are numbered from 1 to 200, there is one model per team and he came specifically looking for numbers 1 to 5 of both designs,” he added.
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.
