Junior Ryder Cup teams receive Scottish welcome
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The two teams taking part in The 2014 Junior Ryder Cup received a heroes’ welcome from the Provost of Perth and Kinross Council Elizabeth Grant at host venue The Blairgowrie Golf Club after they landed on Scottish soil for the first time ahead of the matches from Monday September 22-23.
The young amateur stars, donning the respective colours of Europe and the USA, were in high spirits as they were greeted with the warmest of Scottish welcomes at the stunning venue.
Many local dignitaries were present as Provost Grant spoke of the buzz and outpouring of pride in the local area as it prepares to tee off a festival of world-class golf, beginning with the Junior Ryder Cup and followed by the main event, The 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles Hotel.
“It is my very great pleasure to welcome you to Perth and Kinross and to Blairgowrie Golf Club, the host of The 2014 Junior Ryder Cup,” said Grant.
“This year we welcome the 2014 Ryder Cup to the home of golf and to one of the most celebrated golf destinations in the world, Gleneagles Hotel. Perth and Kinross also has the great honour of hosting the Junior Ryder Cup for the second time following the event being held at Gleneagles in 2010.
“We are once again very pleased to welcome some of the most talented young golfers in the world to compete in this event so we thank all of those who have travelled so far to join us here.
“This is a special year for Perth and Kinross as we are delighted to be hosting the largest ever Junior Ryder Cup. It is the first time the Junior Ryder Cup has been held in the same European country, same region and at the same time as The Ryder Cup, offering golf fans a unique chance to watch both events.
“The Junior Ryder Cup organizers have been planning for a sizeable audience and we Scots are knowledgeable about our golf and are looking forward to a great competition here in Blairgowrie.
“We’re also expecting thousands of young people to attend the event over the next four days with many of them from schools across Perth and Kinross, participating in the ClubGolf programme. This programme was created especially for The Ryder Cup in Scotland.
“The Junior Ryder Cup is played in the same spirit as the main event and is recognized as a Launchpad for the golf stars of tomorrow, with players such as Sergio Garcia, Hunter Mahan and Rory McIlroy having gone on to compete in The Ryder Cup.
“Other notable players include Carly Booth and Suzann Peterssen. This year, however, we have our own local association with the Junior Ryder Cup team as Bradley Neil, the Blairgowrie Golf Club Captain and British Amateur Champion, has been successful in being selected to represent Europe.
“This has been a wonderful year for Bradley and we are proud at all that he has achieved. I am sure it will be a very special experience to compete in this very special tournament on his home course. I'm also pleased to note that the European team Captain Stuart Wilson is from Forfar just a few miles from Blairgowrie, so we have plenty of local interest in this event.”
“The Blaigowrie Golf Club is largest single sports club in Perth and Kinross and celebrates its 125th anniversary this year and the club is the scene of Greg Norman’s first European Tour victory back in 1977.
“All of us who live locally that the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup is a free evtna dn hope that many people come to enjoy the golf competition and all that Blairgowrie and eastern Perthshire have to offer.”
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