2022 Ryder Cup awarded to Italy

• Italy wins right to host the 2022 Ryder Cup
• Match will be played at Marco Simone Country Club
• Disappointment for Austria, Germany and Spain

The 2022 Ryder Cup will be played in Italy.

The historic capital city of Rome will become the third destination on the Continent of Europe to stage the biennial contest between Europe and the United States of America, following Valderrama in Spain in 1997 and Le Golf National in France, which will host the event in 2018.

The Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, located 17km from the centre of Rome, will play host.

Four nations – Austria, Germany, Italy and Spain – had participated in an exhaustive and comprehensive bid process to identify the country best qualified to stage the match. Initially, the number had been seven when the process began in June last year, 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 who ‘thoroughly examined and evaluated’ all four bids, including undertaking a series of site inspections.

“Italy’s bold and ambitious bid has seen them become the host nation for the 2022 Ryder Cup” – Keith Pelley

The Italian bid was consistently strong across all the areas evaluated and, in particular, in their pledge to undertake a complete reconstruction of the golf course at Marco Simone to the highest standards demanded by Ryder Cup Europe, in addition to a hugely significant commitment to the Italian Open in terms of guaranteeing a €7m prize fund for the championship for 11 years, beginning in 2017. In 2016, the prize fund will double from its current figure of €1.5m to a minimum of €3m.

“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,” said Pelley. “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.

“The Italian bid was consistently strong and impressive across the board” – Richard Hills

“In addition, we have exciting plans for the development of the European Tour and our international schedule for the benefit of all our players, and Italy shares this ambition. Their commitment to the Italian Open will provide an inspiring benchmark.”

Richard Hills added: “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 medalist in this particular contest, although there were three impressive silver medalists 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.”

Since the inception of the European Tour in 1972, Italy has hosted 54 tournaments.

The awarding of the 2022 Ryder Cup will continue Italy’s legacy in the contest which began when Costantino Rocca became the first Italian golfer to play in the match at The Belfry in England in 1993. The United States won on that occasion but Rocca tasted victory on his next two outings, at Oak Hill Country Club in 1995 and at Valderrama in 1997, where he famously beat Tiger Woods 4&2 in the final day singles.

Since then, brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari have carried the Italian flag into the biennial contest, appearing together in Europe’s narrow victory at The Celtic Manor Resort in 2010 while Francesco was part of the triumphant European team two years later, his half-point in the final singles match, again against Tiger Woods, putting the seal on the remarkable Miracle of Medinah.

Since the inception of the European Tour in 1972, Italy has hosted 54 European Tour tournaments with nine Italian players having lifted a total of 20 European Tour titles between them, the most successful being Rocca with five. In addition Italy has played host to 82 European Challenge Tour events and eight tournaments on the European Senior Tour.

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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor