The 2010 Ryder Cup was given the royal seal of approval on Wednesday afternoon when His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales visited The Celtic Manor Resort in the City of Newport, Wales.
Upon arrival the Prince of Wales was greeted by HM Lord Lieutanant of Gwent, Mr Simon Boyle and Mrs Catriona.
After a tour of the clubhouse, which was undertaken by the Celtic Manor Resort’s owner and Chairman Sir Terry Matthews, The Prince of Wales was accompanied by George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour and Ryder Cup Limited, on to the clubhouse, where he met the two Team Captains.
Along with Jim McKenzie, the Head Greenkeeper at The Celtic Manor Resort, Europe’s Captain Colin Montgomerie and his American counterpart Corey Pavin gave an overview of the Twenty Ten Course, the first to be purpose-built for The Ryder Cup.
The Prince of Wales then moved on to the PGA Improvement Centre in the Tented Village, where he tried his hand at putting, afterwards joking: “Thank God I didn't knock my teeth out,” having missed several attempts.
Ryder Cup Wales Chairman John Jermine was next to meet the Prince of Wales to explain the benefits to Wales of hosting the event. He was delighted with the royal visit, saying: “The welcome from the crowd was fantastic and everywhere we went you could feel the love and affection they had for him, which he reciprocated.
“He was truly marvellous and spoke to so many people he met along the way. He’s really made their day, and I’m sure the people he met will remember it for the rest of their lives. So he’s made a tremendous contribution to this event.
“We were so honoured he could spare the time out of his hectic schedule to come along and visit The Ryder Cup, which is probably the biggest sporting event this country will ever host. I’m absolutely ecstatic he’s coming along to the Welcome to Wales concert tonight, and I’m sure he’ll have a great time.
“First of all he’s hosting a dinner for the players and their wives in the castle later on tonight, and then he’ll come along and join us at the concert in the Millennium Stadium. We’ve got a tremendous cast so I’m sure he’ll enjoy it, and I’m sure everyone will enjoy having him there.”
