Finca Cortesin, the course that will host the Solheim Cup from 22 to 24 September 2023, has unveiled its new hole 1.
A par-four where the players will face the challenge of reaching the green with the tee shot while a bustling grandstand full of spectators creates a unique atmosphere. The show is on.
The ambience on hole 1 of the Solheim Cup is unlike any other golf tournament. The
atmosphere and the decibels created by the Europeans and the Americans with their
chants, music and colours mean that at that moment, the spectacle is transferred to
the stands.
For this reason, the three parties involved in the organisation of the event: Ladies
European Tour, Deporte & Business and Finca Cortesin, agreed that the first hole of
the 2023 Solheim Cup should be a place where a large number of people could gather
and at the same time be a challenge for the golfers.
And that place existed, but it was not the original hole 1 of the course, it was hole 4,
so the team at Finca Cortesin, with Vicente Rubio, its Managing Director, got to work
to make the necessary changes.
As a result, the new hole 1 at Finca Cortesin is now a 256-metre par 4, with a large lake on the left side that reaches the entrance to the green, a narrow, well-protected
fairway and a large but lively green.
“It is a good decision to have made this change. The characteristics of the new hole 1
will allow us more than a thousand people over the tee, which will make for a great
atmosphere. I think it’s the perfect hole to start a Solheim Cup,” said Vicente Rubio.
“This hole is, as they say, a risk and reward hole. Players can either try to reach the
green with one shot or play more conservatively. The design of the hole and the great
difference in height between the tee and the green will make it a spectacle, and I have
no doubt that it will be a success,” he concluded.
Players already experiencing this hole include Suzann Pettersen, the European captain,
who with nine participations in the Solheim Cup, knows very well what it feels like
when a player prepares to take that first shot.
“The sensations you experience have nothing to do with other moments you can
experience in golf, like leading a major, because in this tournament you don’t just play
for yourself, you do it for your teammates, for your team….You put all your heart in it
and you want to give your best. That first tee of the Solheim Cup is all adrenaline and
energy,” confessed Pettersen.
Stacy Lewis, the American captain, has also had the opportunity to check the
characteristics of the new hole 1 at Finca Cortesin and did not hesitate to praise her
choice: “I don’t think we’ve ever had a hole 1 like this in the Solheim Cup. You can
reach the green but the water comes into play quite a lot”.
Lewis also highlighted the shape of the tee of this hole, as “it’s like an amphitheatre,
the stands are going to be high up, practically above you, which will make the public
feel very close. It’s definitely a great hole for the Solheim Cup,” he concluded.
The Solheim Cup 2023, an event of exceptional public interest whose official venue is
Finca Cortesin, is sponsored by PING, Costa del Sol and Rolex as global partners; and by the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía, with co-financing from the European Union, Acosol, the Marbella Town Hall and the Benahavís Town Hall as official partners, and Reale Seguros as official sponsor. Solán de Cabras, Eversheds Sutherland, Casares Town Hall, Toro, Vithas, E-Z-GO and Jet Set Sports are official suppliers. Marca and Radio Marca are official media.
C/O IAGTO
C/O IAGTO