Paris in 2018. Whistling Straits in 2020. Rome in 2022? It sounded too good to be true, and maybe it was just that. The Ryder Cup is still going to scenic destinations in France and Wisconsin, but the one in Italy in 2022 might be in jeopardy.
The Italian Senate recently removed the guaranteed $103 million in funding Rome (and the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club) needed to host the biennial event. This means organizers in Italy will have to find the money elsewhere as it is a prerequisite to hosting the tournament.
"The Ryder Cup is and remains a great opportunity for the country," Andrea Marcucci, the president of the Senate's culture and sport committee, told the Associated Press. "[The] decision is technical; it's not about the content of the amendment.
"I hope the government quickly finds a solution which responds to the prerequisites asked for by the organizers. I want to remind everyone that the tournament has a considerable economic spin-off and television rights. The amendment in question didn't call for further public spending."
This is true. And the event brings in heaps of money. It can have an economic impact nearing nine figures. It appears at the outset anyway like a much better use of money than, say, an Olympics or other international event that requires far more money up front.
A spokesperson for Ryder Cup Europe told The Scotsman that they were considering this case.
"We are in regular communication with the Italian Golf Federation as we have been since Dec. 14, 2015, the day Italy was awarded the honor of hosting The 2022 Ryder Cup, and we continue to be so."
Rome was awarded the event over Oberwaltersdorf, Austria, Berlin, Germany, and Caldes de Malavella, Spain.
