As we approach a Ryder Cup on the outskirts of New York City, the DP World Tour has announced another global city as the host of the 2031 Ryder Cup: Barcelona.
Long rumored to be in consideration — even reported by one Spanish news organization last October — Camiral Golf and Wellness, a resort in the Catalonia region of Spain, will host the event six years from now. And while that may feel like it’s the distant future, there’s still plenty of context surrounding the decision. Here’s what you should know:
It was more than a decade ago now that Spain was in serious consideration to host the 2022 Ryder Cup — pushed to 2023 by the pandemic — but was beaten out of that honor by the Italian bid. Instead, Rome hosted the Ryder Cup, famously won in dominant fashion by the Euros at Marco Simone.
Now, many years later, Spain finally has its spot on the calendar. It will be the second Spanish Ryder Cup, the first coming in 1997 at Valderramma, a contentious match that Europe won 14.5-13.5.
The DP World Tour has historically announced future RC sites eight years in advance, so Spain has waited extra long for this announcement.
That might be because it’s a new name on an old resort. Camiral used to be known as PGA Catalunya before it was renamed under new ownership. Don’t worry, it’s not new to competition. The course has hosted a handful of Spanish Opens (2000, 2009, 2014), the final stage of DPWT Q-school for eight years and the 2022 Catalunya Championship. Similar to Marco Simone hosting the Italian Open in the years before the Ryder Cup, Camiral will host the newly revived Catalunya Championship in 2028, 2029 and 2030.
The biggest event in golf has been growing for decades, and one directional decision has been more obvious than any other: the governing bodies want the event near some of the biggest cities in the world. After visiting Rome, this year’s Cup is just outside New York City. A brief departure will take place in Ireland and Minnesota before coming back strong with Barcelona (2031), San Francisco (2033) and Washington D.C. (2037). The 2035 Ryder Cup has not been awarded yet, but various purpose-built projects in both London and Manchester have expressed interest in hosting.
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Perhaps more than anything else, the Ryder Cup has become big money. How that money is brought in, and split up, has been a major point of contention in recent years. And getting local governments and sponsors involved has been a major piece of Ryder Cup business. Look no further than the reported €40 million that the Catalan government was expected to contribute, and also the announcement release:
“As part of the agreement for the region to host the Ryder Cup in six years time, Estrella Damm, the brewing company founded in Barcelona in 1876, will become the Official Beer of the 2031 Ryder Cup. They will also become the title partner of the DP World Tour’s Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship for five years beginning in 2026, with the 2028, 2029 and 2030 tournaments taking place at Camiral.”
The value of getting a Ryder Cup in your region is worth being a title sponsor for a completely different event.
All natural signs would point to Garcia being the European captain for Spain’s second Cup, just like Seve Ballesteros captained the Euros the last time Spain hosted, in 1997. Garcia would be an obvious fit, in part because he grew up about a three-hour train ride from Barcelona, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. But also because he would be 51 at the point, removed from his competitive days, and still one of the greatest Ryder Cup players of all-time. (It would also be another six years of time to help heal some of Garcia’s transgressions toward the DPWT in his commitments to LIV Golf.)
Initial reports about Camiral’s interest in hosting included the resort building a specific, third course for the Ryder Cup. But that went sideways when the Catalan government rejected the plans. Instead, it sounds like the Ryder Cup will feature a composite course between the two on property, the Stadium and the Tour Course. Which holes will be used remains to be seen. It was not included as part of the announcement by Ryder Cup comms, but that’s okay. We’ve got six years to figure it all out.
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