Match...

...is the name of the commemorative sculpture that was unveiled at Gleneagles in April this year to celebrate Europe beating America to win the Solheim Cup (the most prestigious event in women's golf) in 2019.

It really is quite lovely and a fitting tribute to the team, the Cup and the history of the game.  More info below for anyone who's interested :D

After my brief jaunt out, I returned to get started on painting the Chookie Birdie Commission.  I have to finish it by tomorrow as I will be busy Friday prepping food for friends coming over on Saturday.  I have now painted the whole piece but have some more paint layers to add.  

It's at that horrible stage where my confidence in it is not high and I am convinced it is rubbish, but I have repeated my mantra - it's not rubbish, it's just not finished yet - several times to provide reassurance.  If I still feel the same this time tomorrow night, I'm in trouble!  

The England / Denmark game was on while I was doing my Tesco order and I couldn't help but be drawn in.  Well done England!  Even I can recognise what a big deal this win is :-))  I actually hope they go on to win but fear if they do, the right wing mob will hijack it as proof GB (ie England) is great again, and it's all thanks to Brexit!  

Oh and I believe Trump was on the ten o'clock news as he's attempting to sue social media for censoring him. Thankfully I missed that!  


The following info is an extract from Martin Dempster's article in the Scotsman on 29th April 2021
Match has been created by Jephson Robb, one of only a few Scottish artists to have work in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
At 1.75 metres tall, referencing the average height of the competitors in the event, the stainless-steel mirror polished sculpture sits atop a Scottish Whinstone circular plinth.  It has been inscribed with the names of players, captains and assistants and the 14½-13½ final score on the PGA Centenary Course, where the sculpture is situated alongside the opening tee.
Sculpor Robb took inspiration for the sculpture from Norwegian Suzann Pettersen, holing the winning putt on the final green for Team Europe.
“Several times I watched that final moment of the finesse of a delicate putt that decided who won and it struck me just how much golf is a sport of two games: powerful driving and skilful putting,” he said.  “My starting point for the shape was the circular shape of the golf swing. The overall spherical nature of the sculpture makes references to the global nature of the competition as well as to a golf ball.
“The circular plinth is a direct reference to the hole and, specifically, the final putt at the final hole that decided the winner.”
The sculpture also contains a number of hidden elements, namely a Saltire, the profile of a cup, and two matching hearts going against each other, a nod to the event’s love and rivalry.  In naming it ‘Match’, Jephson also took inspiration from beyond the Solheim Cup itself.  He added: “Of course, its name acknowledges the staging of this truly incredible match play event at Gleneagles, but for me, ‘Match’ has a number of other important meanings.

“It represents the strong bond Karsten Solheim, who’s family founded the event, had with his wife, Louise; their commercial ‘Match’ with professional golfers when developing their first PING putters in the 1960s; and, on a very personal level, Gleneagles is where I married my ‘Match’.”
Gleneagles is the only venue in Europe to have hosted both the Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup, which was held there in 2014 and also delivered a European victory for a team led by Paul McGinley.