Scotland will be ensuring The Ryder Cup
trophy makes a grand entrance to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando this
Wednesday when it is “piped” into the Orange County Convention Center led by a
bagpiper in full Highland regalia.
The 17-inch trophy, which will be the coveted
prize for the winning team at The 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in September,
will be making special appearances at the Scotland,
Home of Golf stand at booth #1973 throughout the week.
And to mark the occasion it will be
welcomed in true Scottish style as it makes its way to Scotland’s exhibition
stand at 8am on Wednesday 22 January
2014.
It will be joined on the march by
another coveted trophy to be played for in Scotland this year, the Aberdeen
Asset Management Scottish Open trophy, which is currently the property of Phil
Mickelson following his thrilling win at Castle Stuart last year.
The two trophies are set to provide a
great draw for delegates looking to come to the stand to find out more about
Scotland, the Home of Golf and they will be complemented by the presence of 16
partners from across the golfing landscape in the country where the game was
born.
In addition Oliver Horovitz, author of “An American
Caddie in St Andrews” will be making guest appearances on stand from 2-5pm on
Wednesday and Thursday of the show as a guest of Links Golf St Andrews to share
his experiences of playing and caddying in Scotland.
As if there wasn’t reason
enough to visit the Scotland, Home of Golf stand there will also be daily whisky tasting sessions from 3pm
where delegates can come and enjoy some of the legendary Scottish hospitality.
The Aberdeen Asset Management
Scottish Open will also be hosting a media
lunch in the media center on Wednesday 22 January to which all accredited
media are invited.
As well as the presence at
the PGA Show, Scotland is also celebrating the 10th anniversary of
its annual Scotland Golf Day alongside the show which has been used
successfully to foster relationships with key partners of the golf tourism
industry in Scotland.
The 10th
instalment of the Scotland Golf Day at the Grand Cypress Resort on Tuesday 21
January will also see The Ryder Cup trophy and the Aberdeen Asset Management
Scottish Open trophy make special appearances.
Kevin Keenan, board member of
industry group Golf Tourism Scotland, said: “The PGA Show is undoubtedly one of
the highlights of the golfing calendar and we have successfully promoted and
marketed Scotland as the Home of Golf here for many years now.
“The delegates at the PGA Show are
always massively enthused to find out more about golf in Scotland and we expect
this year to be no different – but we hope that by having both The Ryder Cup
and Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open trophies on the stand there will be
that extra little bit of incentive to come and see us.”
Alan Grant, Golf Marketing Manager
with VisitScotland, added: “There is no doubt that 2014 will be a truly
special year for golf in Scotland as The Ryder Cup makes its return to the
country for only the second time and the first since 1973. We are delighted to
have the opportunity to display The Ryder Cup trophy on our stand and we wanted
to make sure we marked the occasion appropriately with a traditional Scottish
welcome.”
