The 2018 Ryder Cup is heading to France after Paris was awarded the tournament by the European Tour.
Paris to stage biennial showdown between Europe and US
The 2018 Ryder Cup is heading to France after Paris was awarded the tournament by the European Tour.
The French bid was selected over rival candidates Spain, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands and 2018 will mark only the second time the event will be played on mainland Europe. The first was in 1997, when the late Seve Ballesteros captained Europe to a single-point win at Valderrama in Spain.
The host course is Le Golf National near Paris, which has a pedigree for hosting major events with 18 of the last 20 French Opens taking place there.
The course's closing stretch has also played host to some dramatic action through the years and looks tailor-made for a Ryder Cup climax.
There had been calls from the Ballesteros family to award the 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 European Tour resisted the emotional pull and focused on the strengths of the French bid - particularly the course, the location and its logistical and transport plans.
Praise
European Ryder Cup director Richard Hills was full of praise for the French bid.
"The winning bid from France stands out for a number of reasons,'' he said.
"The venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup, Le Golf National, is a truly outstanding golf course, providing excellent spectator viewing and the promise of spectacular climaxes to the matches. Transportation, logistical and infrastructure plans are also of the highest quality.''
He added: "There is no doubt that the 2018 Ryder Cup will be a memorable and dramatic and which tens of thousands of golf fans will be able to enjoy.''
Paris remains a hugely popular destination for American tourists, a factor expected to boost the galleries at the 2018 event.
The tournament's popularity means the Ryder Cup is big business and that was a key consideration too.
The French bid had government backing, with president Nicolas Sarkozy deeming it to be a priority, and every registered golfer in the country has donated to the cause.
Organisers are hoping the awarding of the Ryder Cup will boost the development of golf in France, with a target to increase the number of registered players from 400,000 to 700,000 by 2022.
The French also want three French players in Europe's Ryder Cup team by 2022.
France have already secured hosting rights for the 2016 European football championships and they are bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Chicago, Illinois will host the 39th Ryder Cup next year as America try to regain the trophy after losing at Celtic Manor in October of last year. Gleneagles has already been selected as Europe's next host in 2014.
