Rome Announced as Host of the 2022 Ryder Cup

By Christian Radnedge

Rome will host the Ryder Cup for the first time in 2022, asthma Ryder Cup Europe announced on Monday.

The Marco Simone Golf and Country club will stage the biennial golf tournament between Europe and the USA 17km from Italy’s capital.

The successful bid beat competition from fellow European nations Austria, Germany and Spain to become only the third continental host after Valderrama in 1997 and Paris in 2018.

Initially, seven bids were put forward when the process began in June 2014, but Denmark, Portugal and Turkey withdrew their interest in the early stages.

Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour – the managing partner of Ryder Cup Europe – led a five-strong bid evaluation committee to visit all four countries and their proposed venues for the tournament.

Pelley praised the ambition of the Italian bid, in particular the pledge to redevelop the 27-hole Marco Simone course to meet the demands of hosting the Ryder Cup.

“I would like to offer my congratulations to Italy whose bold and ambitious bid has seen them become the host nation for The 2022 Ryder Cup,” he said. “History has shown time and again that The Ryder Cup is pure theatre with the players the stars, and there is no question that the Eternal City of Rome will provide a wonderful backdrop for one of the great occasions in world golf.

“With Paris in 2018 and now Rome in 2022 being the respective host cities for Europe’s next two stagings of biennial contest against the United States, the magical appeal of The Ryder Cup is set to continue.”

Europe’s Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills, part of the evaluation committee, added that Italy’s bid succeeded due to the significant backing given to it by the public and private sector.

Hills said: “The Italian bid was consistently strong and impressive across the board in terms of infrastructure, commercial structure and Government support. It was a worthy gold medallist in this particular contest, although there were three impressive silver medallists too in Austria, Germany and Spain, who conducted themselves in a professional manner throughout the process.

“The plans outlined for the golf course at Marco Simone are spectacular alongside the commitment to develop all levels of golf in Italy, and we look forward very much to working with the Italian 2022 Ryder Cup team over the coming years.”

The praise for Italy’s bid may embolden Rome’s candidature to host the 2024 Olympic Games. The decision is made by the International Olympic Committee in 2017.

{jcomments on}