Ryder Cup To Italy: About The Money In Many Ways

Good to see Iain Carter taking a hard but optimistic look at Italy landing the 2022 Ryder Cup with the most lucrative bid for a golf course that doesn't look very compelling. Ultimately he concludes this was a Keith Pelley play to piggyback off the model set forth by George O'Grady with the French Open: add a huge purse for the Italian Open and bolster a late season run of events in an effort to keep more Europeans playing their home tour.

I know that's not comforting when we'll be watching golf played under power lines, but a strong European Tour is a good thing for golf.

The Italian Open currently provides a modest 1.5m euro prize fund. That pot is set to double and from 2017 the tournament will be worth 7m euros for the next 11 years.

Where the money is coming from remains to be seen. It is a mammoth commitment that will propel an event that has been in existence since 1925 to a new level.

"We have exciting plans for the development of the European Tour," Pelley stated. "Italy shares this ambition.
"Their commitment to the Italian Open will provide an inspiring benchmark."

These are the sort of prize purses that Pelley wants to have on offer week in, week out. He clearly hopes a more lucrative Italian Open will provide an example for other national championships to follow.