Rome has been awarded the 2022 Ryder Cup -- "the first time the tournament will be held on Italian soil," according to Sarah Ebner of the LONDON TIMES. Italy will be "only the third European country" outside Great Britain and Ireland to host the competition. The event will be held at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, "which will be completely rebuilt for the 44th tournament." In addition, the purse for the Italian Open will rise to a guaranteed €7M ($7.7M), beginning in '17. In '16, the prize fund will double from its current figure of €1.5M ($1.65M) to a minimum of €3M ($3.3M). Four countries -- Austria, Germany, Italy and Spain -- bid for the event, which will follow Hazeltine National in Minnesota next year, France in '18 and Whistling Straits in Wisconsin in '20 (LONDON TIMES, 12/14). REUTERS' Tony Jimenez reported there were "initially seven bidders but Denmark, Portugal and Turkey withdrew their interest in the early stages." The tour said it was "particularly pleased by the pledge to undertake a complete reconstruction of Marco Simone to meet the highest standards demanded by the matches." European Ryder Cup Dir Richard Hills said, "The Italian bid was consistently strong and impressive across the board in terms of infrastructure, commercial structure and government support" (REUTERS, 12/14). In London, Mark Tallentire reported Spain, which staged the '97 tournament at Valderrama, and Germany, yet to host one, was the perceived favorite but Italy's pledge to promote the Italian Open to a €7M tournament "made the difference in the final analysis." The Marco Simone course will "undergo a complete reconstruction" and "will probably form part of Rome’s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games" (GUARDIAN, 12/14).
