The fact that the AIG Women’s Open went ahead at all is a great success story; but, the outcome of the event made last week all the more remarkable. The first golfing major hosted in the UK in 2020 will be remembered for all of the right reasons.
Long-term health issues and loss of her tour card, combined with her last-minute arrival and adverse weather conditions made Sophia Popov’s win noteworthy and remarkable. It is strangely appropriate that this year’s AIG Women’s Open Championship is a story of perseverance and resilience, especially when hearing she was on the brink of giving up the game entirely only last year. It is a timely reminder of what can be achieved when you remain focussed, confident and determined to succeed.
Indeed, the winner’s story is not too dissimilar to current events. The recent pandemic has thrown the world into disarray; events cancelled, people unable to work and large-scale uncertainty about the future. But, through all of that, the R&A demonstrated their determination and ability to host another memorable tournament.
The Spectrum Events Team were delighted to be involved at Royal Troon and to be part of a significant global sporting story. No, the crowds weren’t there, but the players, caddies, officials, press and technical crews were, and our team worked extremely hard to ensure their safety throughout.
We too had to make adjustments and adapt to the current conditions. Working in ‘bubbles’, our team delivered deep cleans of the clubhouse and all structures ensuring the whole venue remained adequately sanitised. These services were provided in addition to our standard events services such as the provision of consumables, sanitary and hygiene, clinical waste services, waste segregation and free sanitary products. We want to thank every one of our team for the hard work and dedication they showed during the last two weeks; firstly, at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open and the AIG Women’s Open last week.
Rebecca Bell, Operations Director at Spectrum commented, “It’s been a challenging, but rewarding week; the weather and the special circumstances certainly made it a different experience for our team. However, we were delighted to be back working with the R&A, and we’re especially pleased that the event has been such a great success.”
This week, the future looks much brighter for Sophia Popov than it may have done in recent months. Hopefully, with the same determination, drive and commitment, our resilience will pay dividends, and we will soon see many more events added to the calendar.
