BALLESTEROS FACTOR IN RYDER CUP 2018 VENUE DECISION
FROM THE BBC SPORT WEBSITE
The 2018 Ryder Cup venue will be announced today at Wentworth, with some calling for the showpiece event to take place in Spain in honour of Seve Ballesteros.
The five-time major winner died earlier this month after a long battle with cancer.
Ballesteros' family are among those to suggest that Tres Cantos, near Madrid, should be chosen over bids from France, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal.
"It would be the greatest tribute to him," Baldomero Ballesteros said at his brother's funeral.
"I appeal to the sensitivity of the Ryder Cup committee to agree the greatest honour that could be bestowed on Seve is to award the competition to Spain. I appeal on behalf of the family."
Forever linked with the Ryder Cup after leading Europe to victory as player and captain, a weakened Ballesteros even made a rare public appearance in May 2010 to support Spain's bid.
"It would have made my brother very happy, for it was one of his dreams," Baldomero Ballesteros added.
However, Ballesteros' former Ryder Cup team-mate Bernhard Langer said it would be "absolutely unfair" for Spain to be awarded the event again.
Ballesteros led Europe to a single-point win over the United States at Valderamma in 1997.
"It's time the Ryder Cup went to Germany, France and Portugal," Langer, himself a former winning captain, told Spain's El Mundo newspaper
"There'd be no big problem if it were to return to Spain again but it would be unfair."
Germany is proposing the Ryder Cup be held at Wittelsbacher Golf Club, an hour north of Munich; Portugal has the new Comporta Dunes project south of Lisbon on the Alentejo coast; and the Netherlands is offering The Dutch, 45 minutes from Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
But the best-known course under consideration is Le Golf National near Paris, which has been the venue for all but two French Opens in the last 20 years.
Pascal Grizot, who heads the Ryder Cup commission at the French golf federation, said he has been informed that the French bid, which is backed by the state, is among the favourites.
He said France's main rivals are Spain and Portugal but that his bid is suffering from the lack of French golfers ranked in the world's top 100.
No French golfer won on the European Tour last year while Germany's Martin Kaymer secured four titles.
"Some other bidding countries have contributed more than France to the Ryder Cup history and the European Tour might be tempted to favour one of those countries," Grizot told French sports daily L'Equipe.
"But we are ahead of the Netherlands and Portugal from this point of view."
The 2010 Ryder Cup, won by Europe, tool place at Celtic Manor in Wales, while the 2014 event will be played at Gleneagles in Perthshire, the 2012 event being in MedinahIllinois.
The decision will be announced at the headquarters of the European Tour at Wentworth.
The 2018 Ryder Cup venue will be announced today at Wentworth, with some calling for the showpiece event to take place in Spain in honour of Seve Ballesteros.
The five-time major winner died earlier this month after a long battle with cancer.
Ballesteros' family are among those to suggest that Tres Cantos, near Madrid, should be chosen over bids from France, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal.
"It would be the greatest tribute to him," Baldomero Ballesteros said at his brother's funeral.
"I appeal to the sensitivity of the Ryder Cup committee to agree the greatest honour that could be bestowed on Seve is to award the competition to Spain. I appeal on behalf of the family."
Forever linked with the Ryder Cup after leading Europe to victory as player and captain, a weakened Ballesteros even made a rare public appearance in May 2010 to support Spain's bid.
"It would have made my brother very happy, for it was one of his dreams," Baldomero Ballesteros added.
However, Ballesteros' former Ryder Cup team-mate Bernhard Langer said it would be "absolutely unfair" for Spain to be awarded the event again.
Ballesteros led Europe to a single-point win over the United States at Valderamma in 1997.
"It's time the Ryder Cup went to Germany, France and Portugal," Langer, himself a former winning captain, told Spain's El Mundo newspaper
"There'd be no big problem if it were to return to Spain again but it would be unfair."
Germany is proposing the Ryder Cup be held at Wittelsbacher Golf Club, an hour north of Munich; Portugal has the new Comporta Dunes project south of Lisbon on the Alentejo coast; and the Netherlands is offering The Dutch, 45 minutes from Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
But the best-known course under consideration is Le Golf National near Paris, which has been the venue for all but two French Opens in the last 20 years.
Pascal Grizot, who heads the Ryder Cup commission at the French golf federation, said he has been informed that the French bid, which is backed by the state, is among the favourites.
He said France's main rivals are Spain and Portugal but that his bid is suffering from the lack of French golfers ranked in the world's top 100.
No French golfer won on the European Tour last year while Germany's Martin Kaymer secured four titles.
"Some other bidding countries have contributed more than France to the Ryder Cup history and the European Tour might be tempted to favour one of those countries," Grizot told French sports daily L'Equipe.
"But we are ahead of the Netherlands and Portugal from this point of view."
The 2010 Ryder Cup, won by Europe, tool place at Celtic Manor in Wales, while the 2014 event will be played at Gleneagles in Perthshire, the 2012 event being in MedinahIllinois.
The decision will be announced at the headquarters of the European Tour at Wentworth.
Labels: RYDER CUP
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Tuesday, May 17, 2011
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