Big-thinking Turkey ready to roast the rest

Turkey might be nominally bidding for the 2022 Ryder Cup — their true target is 2026 — but what was once a huge empire is determined to become a major power again with golf and tourism at the top of the agenda.

For a nation with just 22 courses and fewer than 7,000 registered golfers — less than a thousand of whom are active — the thought of Europe and the USA doing battle in eight or even 12 years’ time would appear to be nothing short of a pipedream.

But given its importance to the European Tour as hosts to the penultimate event in the lucrative Final Series this week — the $7m Turkish Airlines Open by the Ministry of Youth and Sport — Turkey clearly has big plans, and deep pockets to match.