Spain Announces Catalunya as Its Candidate to Host the 2022 Ryder Cup

(PGA Catalunya Resort, Barcelona) - Real Federación Española de Golf, in partnership with Generalitat de Catalunya and other public Spanish and Catalan stakeholders, have announced their intention to bid to bring The 2022 Ryder Cup to Catalunya. PGA Catalunya Resort (Girona), recently awarded European Golf Resort of the Year 2015, is the proposed venue for golf’s biggest confrontation between Europe and the United States.

The Real Federación Española de Golf is working closely with stakeholders from across Spain and Catalunya, including the Sports Council of Spain (CSD), Generalitat de Catalunya, PGA Catalunya Resort, Diputación de Barcelona, Diputación de Girona, Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava Girona, City of Barcelona, City of Girona, City of Caldes de Malavella and the Federación Catalana de Golf to develop their bid dossier for submission to the European Tour Selection Committee by 30th April 2015.

Gonzaga Escauriaza, President of the Real Federación Española de Golf, said: “Few countries in the world have contributed as much to the development and promotion of European golf as Spain has over the last 30 years. Bringing The Ryder Cup to Spain is a central part of our strategy and will continue our proud PGA European Tour heritage. The Ryder Cup's power to drive participation amongst new players and showcase our world class courses across the globe is unique. We are delighted to have received so much committed support from stakeholders and we look forward to submitting a compelling bid to The European Tour.”

Iván Tibau, Secretary General for Sport, Generalitat de Catalunya, said: “The world cities of Barcelona and Girona will be the gateways for golf fans from across the globe to experience the world leading cultural attractions, hospitality and landscape of Catalunya. We have a world class venue, established infrastructure and an unparalleled track record of delivering the world’s largest events. We should be very confident in our credentials and our ability to meet all of the requirements of a modern Ryder Cup. All of our partners recognise the wide ranging benefits that The Ryder Cup will generate - our bid committee is unified in its commitment to bringing The 2022 Ryder Cup to Catalunya.”

Denis O’Brien, PGA Catalunya Resort proprietor, said: “From its inception, the Stadium Course was designed and built with the intention to one day host The Ryder Cup. Hosting the 2022 match would be the realisation of this vision. We have worked extremely hard and invested significantly in recent years to make PGA Catalunya Resort unique. It is much more than a golf resort; it is a global golf destination. We have plans to further develop our courses and luxury property offering to introduce to the world the next generation of golf resort. This bid has our full commitment.”

RFEG is partnering with The Sports Consultancy to manage Catalunya's bid response.