France clinches 2018 Ryder Cup after ‘exceptional’ bid

The 42nd edition of the biennial match will be staged at Le Golf National in Versailles, just outside Paris, the venue for 18 of the last 20 French Open tournaments.

The Ryder Cup has been played on the continent just once before, at Valderrama in Spain in 1997 when Severiano Ballesteros captained Europe to victory.

There had been calls from the Ballesteros family to award the 2018 event to Spain in honour of the five-time major winner, who was patron of the Madrid bid and died earlier this month.

But the Ryder Cup Europe committee resisted the emotional pull, with O’Grady insisting all five bids had been evaluated strictly on their merits.

Madrid were deemed to be France’s closest rivals but, crucially, the course they had identified for the Ryder Cup is yet to be built. It may now never be. That security proved decisive.

The final decision – to select France ahead of Spain, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands – was ratified at the European Tour’s Wentworth headquarters yesterday morning.

“France’s bid was exceptional. They have a first-class tournament venue already built,” said O’Grady. “In these tough economic times we can see where we are going. We are leaving nothing to chance. New courses can be built in that time as long as everything goes smoothly.

“Seven-and-a-half years sounds a long time but developing new areas with all the hotels, offices and roads is a big ask in that time.”

The evaluation committee’s decision to select France did not only hinge on the quality of the venue, with the event’s popularity meaning the Ryder Cup is now big business.

Each bidding nation had to give financial commitments and outline plans for a lasting legacy of the match. The French bid received government backing.

France have already secured hosting rights to the 2016 European football championships and are also hoping to stage the 2018 Winter Olympics in Annecy.

“This is very important for us for the development of golf. It helps develop the sport in the country,” said Pascal Grizot, chairman of the French Ryder Cup bid.

France’s bid contained a pledge to build 100 urban courses. The event will largely be funded by the country’s own 400,000-strong golf community, who will each pay three euros a year until 2022.

The French Golf Federation have a budget of 6m euros to improve the Ryder Cup course before the event.