Six countries bid to host 2018 Ryder Cup

A total of six countries have announced their intention to bid to host the 2018 Ryder Cup. The deadline for the submission of bids is the end of April 2010 with an announcement expected the following year.

The countries – France, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden – have thrown their hats into the ring to host the team event. The 2010 renewal of the event will take place at The Celtic Manor resort, Wales before moving to the United States’ Medinah Country club in 2012. Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland will host the 2014 match with the 2016 match due to be played at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.

Following the announcement of Gleneages’ staging of the 2014 match, it was decided that the European home match would return to the continent if suitable venues were found. Currently, Valderrama in Spain is the only venue to have hosted the Ryder Cup away from Great Britain and Ireland, in 1997.

The 2018 match between Europe and the United States will be the 42nd meeting of the two in the biennial encounter, although players from continental Europe only became eligible to play in the Ryder Cup in 1979.

Each of the six bidding nations have been staunch supporters of the European tour since it officially began in 1972; showing support for the development and continued growth of the game through the nurturing of players and hosting of tournaments.

The match will return to the United States in 2020, with the venue to be Whistling Straits, Wisconsin which has already hosted several top tournaments on the US PGA, including the 2004 PGA Championship. The same tournament will return to the venue in 2010 and 2015.