By Mel Morgan, Commercial Manager
World Sports Department

Waterford Crystal trophies have long been associated with supreme achievement throughout the world of sport, and especially with the royal ancient game of golf.

This seems to me a most appropriate association, in that the skills of the master artisan reflect, in an artistic context, the sublime qualities of the champion golfer - most notably, superb hand-eye coordination, a relentless quest for excellence and the natural extension of individualism via the tools of the trade.

Through the efforts of Kevin Hall, retired export sales manager, Waterford was greatly honored to accept the commission for The Solheim Cup trophy in early 1990. It was designed by Billy Briggs, who at that time had worked for the company for almost 20 years, first as a master cutter, then as one of its top designers.

Billy called upon his experiences as an accomplished amateur sportsman to derive inspiration for what he considered to be one of the most important projects of his career. Deliberately avoiding the gothic styling of traditional trophies, he chose sleek, flowing lines in a rising tribute to sporting achievement. The urn-shaped trophy, whilst retaining the influence of 200 years of evolving glassmaking, became a unique and instantly recognizable symbol of the event, beautifully encapsulating and reflecting its stature and quality as a premier sporting occasion.

Richly decorated with deeply incised patterns, The Solheim Cup trophy demanded the highest standard of workmanship from masters of three great crafts of glassmaking – blowing, cutting and engraving.

Using a technique originating with the ancient Egyptian civilization, one that has hardly changed since the Middle Ages, the center panel features a superb intaglio engraving of The Solheim Cup logo, which was designed to incorporate the trophy.

And so evolved one of golf's loveliest prizes, born of fire and sand, proudly crafted with loving attention to detail by master artisans, designed to last forever, and now instantly recognizable as the symbol of one of the game's grandest events.

The Cup itself has enjoyed many wonderful moments in its brief lifetime. In addition to being raised high in the air at closing ceremonies by the winning captains of each Solheim Cup event, the Cup has been inspected by airport security personnel prior to trans-Atlantic trips on several occasions. It has flown in the cockpit of the Concorde. In addition, it has been cuddled like a baby in the arms of a hotel general manager who stored it overnight in his safe.

The Solheim Cup is quite heavy, weighing more than 20 pounds. Its overall height, including the mahogany base, is 19" inches. The top diameter of the cup is slightly larger than a golf hole - 4" inches - while the base diameter is 8" inches. It is valued at more than $50,000.

A slightly smaller replica of The Solheim Cup has been created by Waterford and permanently resides at the Nicklaus Hall in the Muirfield Village Golf Club clubhouse, Dublin, Ohio. It is in stellar company, displayed along with trophy replicas of the Ryder Cup, the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship, British Open, The Memorial, The Tradition, PGA Senior Championship, USGA Senior Open Championship and the PGA Tournament Players Championship.