Women golfers dream big of winning the AIG Women’s Open – and a healthier planet

Stockholm, Sweden, August 4, 2022 – Continuing an exciting summer of women’s sport in the UK, the world’s best women golfers tee off this week at Muirfield, Scotland, for the AIG Women’s Open. Players will not only be breaking barriers as inspirational role models bringing more women into sport, but will also be doing their part to create a legacy of an eco-friendlier, healthier planet.

All the players competing in the 2022 Championship have been given a unique pack (image above) containing a customised re-useable Player’s Edition water bottle and sports spout produced by Swedish water and beverage company Bluewater, which is also delivering drinking water as clean as nature intended for fans, staff and players through its unique hydration stations (photo below) located at key sites across Muirfield.

“Bluewater offers unique and sustainable solutions for pure, delicious and planet friendly water while ending the world’s reliance on single-use plastics,” said Philip Russell, Managing Director of Bluewater UK & Ireland. He noted that the delivery of “The Open Water Initiative” project at the AIGWO, led by The R&A in partnership with MasterCard and adidas, is both helping to fight climate change by restoring forests in Earth’s most vulnerable geographies, while also changing people’s attitudes towards plastic.

Dave Noble, President of Bluewater’s Events and Venues business, added: “Bluewater, which has embedded ending the need for single-use bottles at the heart of its business mission, is proud to be collaborating with the AIG Women’s Open for the third year in succession because golf is a sport that is open to all and is taking its sustainability footprint seriously”.

As a sport that has well recognised benefits for both mental and physical health, golf has seen a surge in popularity in recent years. In Great Britain, 25% of female golfers in 2020 were new to the sport – and had tried it for the first time because of the Covid-19 pandemic. As The R&A continues its proactive drive to make golf more appealing, accessible, and inclusive, the greater engagement with women and girls has been a key success story.

“Particularly for outdoor sports like golf, staying well hydrated and doing so in a way that doesn’t rely on environmentally damaging single-use plastics has to be a key priority”, continued Philip Russell. “Bluewater is proud to be continuing our engagement with the AIG Women’s Open, as one of the world’s foremost events in women’s professional sport, and to be playing our part in the staging of a more sustainable Championship.”