BY NEAL REID, Solheim Cup PR Manager

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The week of Feb. 4 was a whirlwind for U.S. Solheim Cup Captain Meg Mallon, Assistant Captain Dottie Pepper, LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan and the Solheim Cup staff, who descended upon Denver for a media and promotions tour of the city.

Mallon, Pepper and Whan, along with LPGA Chief Communications Officer Kraig Kann and Solheim Cup staff, could be seen around Denver and Parker, where the 2013 Solheim Cup will be held at Colorado Golf Club, during a three-day stretch that was non-stop. From local business leaders and area media to Solheim Cup sponsors and an appearance at the Denver Golf Expo, it was a productive and busy week for building momentum and awareness about the international match-play event set for Aug. 13-18.

“It was a great promotional week,” said Mallon, an eight-time Solheim Cup participant. “It was a great time to come back to Colorado and the Denver area to get people thinking about the golf season and excited about the fact that they’re going to have women’s golf’s premier event here in August. To be able to touch a large amount of people in a short amount of time and get them excited about the event was great.”

The group visited Parker Adventist Hospital’s Trio Breast Center –the beneficiary of the Solheim After Sundown event during tournament week – on Wednesday, Feb. 6, and met with doctors, hospital administrators and breast cancer survivors during a 90-minute tour. Mallon, Pepper an Whan also did interviews with a variety of area media, from the Denver Business Journal and Denver Post to 104.3 The Fan radio and Channel 9.

The highlight of Thursday, Feb. 7, was a trip to the Denver Nuggets-Chicago Bulls game, where they met with Coach George Karl – a Colorado Golf Club member – on the court before the game for a photo opportunity. Interviews with Altitude Sports Network, on-court recognition during the second quarter and an autograph session at halftime followed and completed a special VIP night.

Mallon and Pepper participated in a question-and-answer session hosted by Colorado Avid Golfer magazine Editor Jon Rizzi on the stage at the Denver Golf Expo on Friday, Feb. 8, with roughly 100 golf enthusiasts in attendance. The U.S. Captains then signed autographs at the Solheim Cup booth at the Expo for an hour before departing, completing an immensely productive week that did great things to promote the monumental event that will take Parker by storm this August.

“There’s a palpable sense of excitement here (in the Denver area) already, and the Solheim Cup is still six months away,” said Pepper, a six-time Solheim Cup participant. “I think that’s what is most encouraging to the two of us, because so many people are planning on coming out and we know the golf course can handle it.”

Solheim Cup runneth over in Denver

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