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Decision on 2018 host nation will be made between five competing bids

Ryder Cup Europe will unveil the host nation for the 2018 match between Europe and the United States on Tuesday, May 17.

The decision will be announced at Wentworth, signalling the conclusion of the first formal bid process undertaken by Ryder Cup Europe.

The process commenced in 2008 and involved a comprehensive examination of bids submitted by France, Germany, Holland, Portugal and Spain.

Richard Hills, Ryder Cup director, said: “It has been a hugely challenging and stimulating process, taking almost 18 months to complete, and Wentworth Club is a highly appropriate location to announce the host nation for the 2018 Ryder Cup.”

One of these five nations will follow Ireland in 2006, Wales in 2010 and 2014 host Scotland, by securing the right to stage the biennial contest in 2018.

While six countries initially submitted bids to secure the Ryder Cup, Sweden withdrew before the bid documents were officially lodged.

The 2018 Ryder Cup Evaluation Panel then undertook a detailed process to validate the remaining bids, including site inspections and legal consultation.

Once the decision has been made, a legally binding Conditional Host Agreement will be activated with the successful candidate. This will follow the public announcement and press conference on May 17.

“We began the bid process with a focussed symposium in London by giving the process the codename of ‘Operation Level Playing Field’, and we believe we have adhered rigidly to that promise we made to the bidding nations,” continued Hill.

“We subsequently embarked on a comprehensive process of evaluation and validation of the bids, all of which we recognised as being of quite exceptional quality.

“The Ryder Cup Evaluation Panel visited all five venues over a three-week period in April and May last year to appraise the progress being made by each country and to make site inspections.

“We were impressed by the level of commitment and clarity in the bids presented by France, Germany, Holland, Portugal and Spain as the process unfolded and the meticulous attention to detail in each bid document, which carried the unique stamp of each individual country.

“On May 17, we will be able to announce one gold medallist and four silver medallists. All five could have hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup, based on the detail and quality of their bids, and although one country will be successful, we look forward to continuing our close relationships with each one of those five countries in the future.”

Ryder Cup 2018 bid director, David MacLaren, added: “At the outset we said that we wanted to make the right sporting decision and the right commercial decision.

“We then set our five key criteria against which the bids would ultimately be judged: provision of a world-class golf course; infrastructure required to deliver the Ryder Cup; government, private and golfing support; Commercial opportunities for Ryder Cup Europe; and the contribution of the host nation to the development of golf.”

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Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered

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