Clock Ticking On Rome's 2022 Ryder Cup Status
/When Rome pulled out of the 2024 Olympics running, the winning 2022 Ryder Cup bid also became a potential target for Italian government officials opposed to funding major sporting events.
The first leg of this potential issue for the 2022 Ryder Cup venue, the not-esteemed Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, came last month when the Italian Open was moved from Rome to Turin. The Italian Open is part of the European Tour's new Rolex Series.
Now the president of the Italian Senate has stripped off a funding amendment that was to guarantee $103 million for the 2022 Ryder Cup (and presumably the Italian Open). Whether it's a technical or significant issue will become more clear in the coming weeks.
Quotes from an unbylined AP story suggest it could go either way:
"The Ryder Cup is and remains a great opportunity for the country," said Andrea Marcucci, the president of the Senate's culture and sport committee. "Grasso's 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."
Is it too early to start nominating an actual golf course that would be suitable for the Ryder Cup? Is it to early to beg to see a Ryder Cup on a links just once in our lifetimes?