Oslo, Norway: Suzann Pettersen has established a new collaboration with the non-profit GEO Foundation, to help the mission of accelerating sustainability in and through golf around the world.

The partnership will see Norwegian Pettersen becoming closely connected to GEO’s advocacy and communications, as well as programmes, certification and the celebration of leadership results. 

Pettersen becomes the first professional golfer to become a GEO Sustainable Golf Champion and joins an existing and growing community of leaders across the sport, including course and club managers, and association leaders who are making real and measurable contributions to sustainable golf.

Pettersen, a stalwart of Europe’s Solheim Cup team for the past decade, said: “As a Dow Ambassador for over 12 years and after participating in Dow’s inaugural LPGA Tour tournament, the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, I really started to understand the impact and importance of Dow’s partnership with GEO.

“It was fascinating to learn more about all the efforts to run the event in a more environmentally-conscious and community-orientated way. Then, when I saw that my home course, Oslo Golf Club, was also certified by GEO for its great work, I thought this is something I’d really like to get behind.

“As a mother of a young child, it is incredible how concerned you become over the future of the planet, its bio-diversity, air quality and climate. These things are absolutely vital to the health and well-being of future generations, so we all need to do our best to make things better. 

“And golf, perhaps of all sports, has such a wonderful role to play. We can showcase how to manage community landscapes with a low use of resources and leaving space for a lot of wildlife; we can collaborate with communities to make good things happen beyond our boundaries. Much of this has been provided for by golf for many years, but we all need to up our efforts.

“For my part, I’ll be taking this role seriously. I’m so passionate about a sustainable future, and to see golf as a leader. We have already kitted our house out with geo-thermal energy, have invested in hybrid and electric cars, and with GEO I’ll be carrying out any essential future travel as climate-neutral – using a dedicated golf offset programme they have set up. I just hope I can make a difference, and am proud to stand alongside those other amazing and often less visible sustainability champions in golf.”

Jonathan Smith, Executive Director, GEO Foundation, said: “We are thrilled that Suzann has stepped forward to help the great cause to promote sustainable golf. She has had such a fantastic career as a competitor, culminating in the final putt of the 2019 Solheim Cup securing a victory for the European Team.

“Through our partnership she will continue to play a hugely important role in raising awareness, encouraging action and helping draw attention to successes around some of the defining issues of our generation. We could not have asked for a better ambassador and we’re so excited about what we can help achieve together for golf and society at large.”

Smith said he hoped Pettersen’s appointment as an ambassador for sustainable golf is the first of many.

He said: “We are delighted to be speaking with other players and their agencies about how to become credible, high profile and highly valuable influencers in this space. Sustainability needs a big team effort, and we welcome others to join the growing community that is driving sustainability in and through the sport.”