
2031 Ryder Cup to be hosted in Girona, Spain, says Catalan golf federation
Ramon Nogué, president of the Catalan golf federation, told the AP by phone Friday that 'next week it will be official' that Girona will be announced as the host of the golfing event between the best male players of Europe and the United States.
'Any announcement in relation to future editions of the Ryder Cup will be made in due course,' Ryder Cup Europe said.
The Camiral resort, which was previously called PGA Catalunya, has hosted European Tour events and the Spanish Open.
It has been owned by Irish businessman Denis O'Brien since 2008. Irish media have reported that O'Brien has invested tens of millions of euros in upgrades to the courses and the hotel, as well as accommodation on the property.
This will be the second time for Spain to host the Cup after Valderrama in 1997, and just the fourth time it will be played in continental Europe after Le Golf National outside Paris in 2018 and Marco Simone outside Rome in 2023.
The Ryder Cup is closely tied to Spain because of European team stalwarts Seve Ballesteros, José María Olazábal and Sergio García.
___
___
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
6 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Brian Harman hunts down another British Open title with early lead at Royal Portrush
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Brian Harman took dead aim in a mild breeze and surprising sunshine Friday at Royal Portrush for a 6-under 64 that sent him into the weekend hunting another British Open title. He was called the 'Butcher of Hoylake' when Harman won the claret jug at Royal Liverpool two years ago because the British press was fascinating by the Georgia native's love for hunting. Now it's about his golf, and it was superb. Harman played bogey-free, only once having to stress for par as Royal Portrush allowed for some good scoring in weather that again did not live up to its expectation. Not that anyone was complaining. Temperatures were warm, at least by Irish standards. The breeze was noticeable without being overly punishing. 'They're very different golf courses, but the golf is similar,' Harman said. 'You've got to be able to flight your golf ball. You've got to know how far everything's going. Then you can't get frustrated. You're going to end up in funny spots where it doesn't seem fair, and you just have to kind of outlast that stuff.' Among those who finished, Harman at 8-under 134 was three shots clear of a group that included Harris English (70), Harman's former teammate at Georgia; Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark (68), Tyrrell Hatton of England (69) and Robert MacIntyre of Scotland (66). Rory McIlroy broke par for the second straight round and lost ground. Thousands of spectators followed him along hills ands knobs. There were cheers, but not many roars as McIlroy went around in 69. He wasn't at his best in the opening round and was pleased to be only three behind. He was at least five shots back going into the weekend. But at least he's still playing, after a terrific rally to miss the cut by one shot at Royal Portrush in 2019. 'I didn't have this opportunity six years ago, so to play an extra two days in this atmosphere in front of these crowds, I'm very excited for that,' McIlroy said. 'I feel like my game's definitely good enough to make a run.' Scottie Scheffler played in the afternoon. He hit his shot down the middle of the fairway, his next one to 6 feet, his third one in the hole for a birdie. And then out came the umbrellas and some of the heaviest rain of the week. It lasted only a few holes. Harman had a five-shot lead after 36 holes at Hoylake when he won in 2023, and he wound up winning by six with a game so steady that no one made a serious run at him. He is likely to have a little more company this time around. But his game looked to be as superb as ever. He was putting for birdie on just about every hole. He was never out of position. Harman opened with an approach to 3 feet on the first hole and drilled his second shot on the par-5 second to 18 feet for a tap-in birdie. He finished with another dandy, an approach to 8 feet on the 18th hole. 'I'm not trying to be heroic or do anything crazy. I know that I've got the game to do it, and it's just a matter of executing and staying in my own head,' Harman said. Among those chasing is Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, making yet another case that he could be the first American playing captain the Ryder Cup since 1963. Bradley is coming off a win at the Travelers Championship. Now he appears to be finally figuring out links golf. Bradley has missed the cut the last five times and his best finish in 11 appearances is a tie for 15th in 2013 at Muirfield. He shot 67, a round that began with a 5-wood to 18 feet for eagle on the second hole that Bradley said was among the best shots he has hit this year. 'It was nice because I really wanted to play the weekend for the first time in, like, years,' Bradley said. 'But I also wanted to play well enough to get myself in position, so that was a great start to the round.' ___


San Francisco Chronicle
6 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Arsenal signs England forward Noni Madueke from Chelsea
LONDON (AP) — Arsenal's transfer spree continued with the signing of England forward Noni Madueke from Chelsea on Friday. He is Arsenal's fourth signing of the offseason after midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgard and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. The 23-year-old Madueke's move comes after two and a half years at Chelsea, where he won the Club World Cup and Conference League. 'Noni already has valuable experience at the top level and we know he will make a big impact at Arsenal," sporting director Andrea Berta said. Madueke reportedly signed for a fee of 48.5 million pounds ($65 million) on a five-year contract. Madueke is also a part of Thomas Tuchel's England squad and is in contention to play at next year's World Cup if the team qualifies. 'Noni is an exciting and powerful young player, with his performances and numbers in recent seasons being of consistently high quality," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. 'At just 23, Noni already brings experience of club and international football, and he knows the Premier League very well. Having seen the quality of Noni's performances up close in recent seasons, we're really excited he is joining us." ___


San Francisco Chronicle
6 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Pogačar crushes rivals in brutal uphill time trial and solidifies Tour lead
PEYRAGUDES, France (AP) — Tadej Pogačar delivered another crushing defeat to his Tour de France rivals by dominating an uphill time trial and reinforcing his grip on the yellow jersey on Friday. The brutal effort in the Pyrenees mountains was all about strength and stamina. It was just a painful experience offering no respite after already 12 grueling stages of racing. Riders first covered 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles) to reach the bottom of the climb to Peyragudes, a daunting 8-kilometer (5-mile) ramp with a steep gradient. On that brutal terrain, Pogačar reigned supreme and killed any suspense. He increased his lead in the general classification to more than four minutes. 'I really wanted to go all out from start to finish, smashing the pedals as much as possible,' he said. 'I almost blew out in the end but I saw the time on the finish arch and it gave me an extra push because I saw I was going to win.' It was Pogačar's 21st stage win at cycling's biggest race. Setting off last, the three-time Tour champion was faster than everyone else on the flat section, putting five seconds into time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel. Jonas Vingegard was eight seconds off the pace through the first time check. Pogačar was even better as soon as the road started to climb and he crossed the finish line at Peyragudes with a lead of 36 seconds over Vingegaard, his closest challenger. Primoz Roglic was third, 1 minute, 20 seconds off the pace. Pogačar said he rode 'on instinct,' having decided not to use the race radio. 'I suffered a bit with three kilometers to go. I took a deep breath and recovered some power because I knew the last kick was super steep and I wanted to have somewhat good legs,' he added. Evenepoel cracked in the climb and was overtaken by Vingegaard, who started his effort two minutes after his Belgian rival. Pogačar, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader, cemented his grip on the race during Thursday's first big mountain stage on the slopes of Hautacam, where he destroyed the field to take the stage win and reclaim the yellow jersey. Overall, Pogačar has a 4:07 lead over Vingegaard. He has been in dominant form since the start of the season and, barring an accident, his current form leaves little doubt about who will be wearing the yellow jersey when the race finishes in Paris on July 27. 'So far, so good,' Pogačar said. "We're just a bit over halfway now and it's still a long way to Paris but if we keep riding like this and don't do any mistake, then we can be satisfied with this margin." Evenepoel salvaged his third place overall, 7:24 behind the race leader, but he was under threat from Florian Lipowitz, just six more seconds back in fourth place. After taking a beating in Hautacam, Vingegaard conceded more time to Pogacar but reassured himself by limiting his losses in the time trial. Unlike Pogačar who used a road bike, Vingegaard opted for a time trial machine and used an aerodynamically designed helmet. 'Yesterday was one of my worst performances and today was one of my best,' Vingegaard said. "The Tour is far from over. We have to keep believing we can do something here in the race." Saturday's stage The peloton faces another day of suffering during Saturday's Stage 14 from Pau to Luchon-Superbagnères. It features four major climbs, including the final ascent to the ski resort of Superbagnères, which is more than 12 kilometers long.