Spain is to host the Ryder Cup for the second time in the history of the biennial matches after it emerged that Camiral Golf & Wellness, the Costa Brava resort formerly known as PGA Catalunya, has been chosen to host the event in 2031.
Although an official announcement is expected in the new few days, sources have confirmed that the venue, which has hosted numerous European Tour events over the years, including Final Qualifying School, is the preferred choice to host the matches in seven years’ time.
The resort, which is located 10 miles from the city of Girona on Spain’s northeast coast, was originally built with the intention of hosting the 1997 Ryder Cup before delays to its construction meant that the event had to be transferred to Valderrama.
Opened in 1999 as PGA Catalunya, the upmarket resort boasts two championship 18-hole layouts, the Stadium course and the Tour course, and it is understood that the 2031 Ryder Cup will be staged on a composite course combining both. This was the preferred option to building a third course.
One of the losing bidders for the 2023 Ryder Cup, which went to Marco Simone in Rome, Camiral is owned by Irish businessman Denis O’Brien, who bought the venue in 2007 and has since invested many millions of euros in upgrading the facilities, with a new hotel, restaurants, spa, and an expansive residential property development.
It changed its name to Camiral Golf & Wellness in 2022 as part of a post-Covid move to rebrand the venue as an all-round health resort, with an upgraded spa, walking trails, pilates studios, a cryotherapy chamber and other health-focused facilities.
Spain’s win is England’s loss, with bids from Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire and the London Golf Club in Kent, and the yet-to-be-built course at Hulton Park in Bolton, being parked in favour of the Catalan venue, meaning that it will be at least 11 years at the earliest before the Ryder Cup could potentially return to UK shores in 2035.