Europe awaits 2018 Ryder Cup decision

FIVE countries will discover today which of them is to stage the 2018 Ryder Cup.

France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain have all bid to host a match which only once before has been held on continental Europe.

That was at Valderrama in Spain in 1997, when Seve Ballesteros led Europe to a second successive one-point victory over the Americans.

The death of the five-time major winner nine days ago has led to some calls for the 2018 contest to be awarded to Madrid in his honour.

But Le Golf National near Paris, which has staged 18 of the last 20 French Opens, would be a popular choice given all the drama that has unfolded over a closing stretch that looks tailor-made for the match.

With the Ryder Cup such big business, however, it is not just about the venue. Each bidding nation must give financial commitments and outline plans for a lasting legacy of the match.

Next year’s contest takes place in Chicago and the 2014 match at Gleneagles in Scotland, although the dates for that are yet to be announced given the weather woes encountered at Celtic Manor in Wales last October.