Emma Villacieros, who has dedicated much of her life to popularising the game of golf in her native Spain, has been made an Honorary Life Vice President of The European Tour.
George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, paid tribute to Mrs Villacerios’s vision and leadership at an award ceremony in the Boardroom of European Tour Headquarters at Wentworth Club during the BMW PGA Championship.
Mrs Villacieros, herself a formidable golfer and administrator, joined the Royal Spanish Golf Federation in 1965 and served as President from 1988 to 2008. She is now an Honorary President of the Federation and remains actively involved in the game.
She played a leading role in the remarkable increase in golf courses in Spain from 91 in 1989 to 324 in 2008 and was a key figure in The Ryder Cup being awarded to a Spanish venue for the first time at Club de Golf Valderrama for the first time in 1997.
Many of golf’s leading figures, including European Tour Chairman and Vice Chairman, Neil Coles and Angel Gallardo, were present along with John Jacobs, the Founding Father of the Tour, Sandy Jones, Chief Executive of the PGA, former European Tour Executive Director, Ken Schofield, Jaime Ortiz-Patiño of Valderrama and Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills to pay tribute to Mrs Villacieros.
After presenting Mrs Villacieros with a letter of commendation and her solid silver Honorary Life Vice President card, O’Grady said: “No-one has helped to develop the game in Spain more than Emma. She has been an immense driving force over the years and become a fundamental leader of the game in Spain.
“She was incredibly persuasive in convincing The Ryder Cup Board to award the event to Spain and one of her many legacies will be the construction of the National Golf Centre in Madrid, which was opened by H.M. The King of Spain in March 2006.
“She has been a fundamental leader of the game in Spain and a formidable ally to The European Tour. Throughout her Presidency, her lifelong ambition was to see golf admitted to the Olympic movement. It will speak volumes for her powers of persuasion if golf’s application to be included in the 2016 Olympic Games is successful.”
Mrs Villacieros responded: “Thank you so much. We have worked so many years together, all of us. I would like to thank you for this Honorary Life Vice Presidency. Since I met John (Jacobs) in 1969 I could see how The European Tour was going to grow and grow and grow and now we look around and we can see how much it has. This honour means a great deal to me and I feel very proud in my heart. Above all, this means friendship.”
