New Tour CEO kicks the tyres

New European Tour CEO, Keith Pelley, has visited PGA Catalunya Resort the candidate course for Spain’s bid for The 2022 Ryder Cup.

As part of the final stages of bid evaluation, Pelley and Ryder Cup Director, Richard Hills, visited the Costa Brava Barcelona bid to get a first-hand view of the commercial, political and operational merits of Spain’s bid for the 2022 Match.

The Spanish delegation was led by Miguel Cardenal, Secretary of State for Sport and Ivan Tibau, Catalunya’s Sport Secretary.

The Secretary of State for Sport said; “The Ryder Cup is Spain’s priority major event focus. We are not bidding for any other comparable major event. The Prime Minister and Cabinet have given their unanimous support to this event. We have before us a historic opportunity to change the history of golf in Catalunya and in Spain through delivering The 2022 Ryder Cup”.

Course owner, Denis O’Brien, led the delegation on a tour of PGA Catalunya’s Stadium Course. Speaking during the event, O’Brien said; “This bid enjoys unified commitment from all of the stakeholders who are contributing politically, financially and operationally.  We have developed a unique offer and all of the bid leadership stand united in assuring the European Tour that what we have said we will deliver will be delivered.”

We think PGA Catalunya would be great for a Ryder Cup. It has everything there, and nice weather in October will make a change for sure. We think they’ve got this one in the bag.