5 need-to-know facts about the European Golf Team Championship

The mixed-gender, three-event championship is set to take the golf world by storm…

This summer, golfers from countries all over the world will come together to compete in the first European Golf Team Championships, part of the first ever multi-sports European Championships. With the competition to take place from August 2-12, here’s what you need to know…

1. The championship will be held at Gleneagles
Gleneagles has been chosen as the destination for the European Golf Team Championship. It’s home to the world-famous PGA Centenary course, created by Jack Nicklaus, which is set in acres of beautiful Perthshire countryside. The course was the host of the Ryder Cup in 2014; the 2019 Solheim Cup is due to play there, too.

2. It’s part of the inaugural European Championships
The golf championship takes place within the larger European Championships, the first of its kind, which will include sports such as athletics, aquatics, gymnastics, cycling, rowing and triathlons. Most of the events will take place in Berlin or Glasgow, which makes the golf championship’s peaceful setting unique to the event.

3. There will be three events
Over the ten days, spectators will be able to enjoy Men’s Matchplay, Women’s Matchplay and an 18-hole Mixed Team Championship, where each team will be made up of four golfers.

4. Male and female players will compete together
Men and women will compete for equal prize money at the event in a unique decision by organisers. Qualification will be decided by the world rankings of each gender.

Mark Lichtenhein, chairman of the Ladies European Tour, said: “As we have seen through the Olympic Games in Rio, the recent Oates Vic Open in Australia and the announcement to have mixed teams in the GolfSixes in the UK, there is a tremendous public appetite to see men and women competing."

5. The event is predicted to attract over one billion viewers
Organisers of the golf championship have praised the event, with Gleneagles managing director Bernard Murphy expressing that the course was proud to be part of a “ground-breaking moment in sporting history.”

Frank McAveety, the leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "The European Championships will be a new highlight on the global sporting calendar, set to be played out in front of a potential television audience of up to one billion people."