Denis O'Brien-owned Camiral in Spain to host Ryder Cup in 2031
Ryder Cup
will return to Spain in 2031 after the Costa Brava resort of Camiral, owned by Irish billionaire
Denis O'Brien
and his wife Catherine, was confirmed as the host venue.
It will be the second time the biennial event has been staged in the country, after Valderrama in 1997.
The news was announced by the European Tour Group on Tuesday.
It will only be the fourth time the tournament will have been played in continental Europe after Paris (2018) and Rome (2023) followed Valderrama as hosts.
This year's Ryder Cup takes place at Bethpage Black in New York in September. Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland will be the venue in 2027 and Hazeltine, near Minnesota in 2029.
Camiral was formerly known as PGA Catalunya, which has hosted several DP World Tour events, including the Spanish Open.
Guy Kinnings, chief executive of the European Tour Group, said: 'Today's announcement not only recognises Camiral as one of Europe's leading venues, but also the considerable contribution Spanish golf has made to the proud history of the Ryder Cup.
'The Ryder Cup has grown significantly since Spain last hosted it in 1997. It is one of the world's leading sporting events, which brings significant economic benefits and global exposure to a host region and country, so we could not be happier to be taking it to Costa Brava and Barcelona for the first time, and to Spain for the second time.'
Eleven Spaniards have represented Europe throughout the competition's history and Seve Ballesteros famously captained the team to victory over the United States at Valderrama.
Camiral, which is close to Girona and around an hour's travel from Barcelona, has also been confirmed as the host of the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship on the DP World Tour from 2028-30.
Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes, president of Spain's national sports council, said: 'The Government of Spain welcomes the selection of Camiral as the host venue for the 2031 Ryder Cup – a global sporting event that will showcase our country to millions of viewers around the world.
'The Ryder Cup is not only one of the most prestigious competitions on the international sporting calendar, but also an exceptional platform to demonstrate Spain's ability to successfully host major 21st-century events, combining world-class infrastructure, unparalleled natural environment and a globally renowned tourism, cultural and culinary offering.'
Juan Guerrero-Burgos, president of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, said: 'It is an honour for Spain to host the Ryder Cup for the second time in history.
'The previous experience at Valderrama in 1997 was extraordinary. The economic impact, media coverage and more importantly, the legacy to our sport, tourism and awareness of golf in our country were unbelievable.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Irish Times
Justin Thomas looking to earn automatic Ryder Cup spot with PGA Tour run-in
The reformatting of the FedEx Cup playoffs has brought a new dynamic to the PGA Tour 's run-in, with Justin Thomas admitting the final three tournaments – starting with the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis – will determine how he will look back on his season. Thomas, a winner of the RBC Heritage earlier in the year, has improved from 25th at the end of 2024 up to his current fourth position on the official world rankings, but is keen to add further wins in the coming weeks, and to book his US Ryder Cup spot for the match in Bethpage next month. 'I'm definitely not going to make any judgments or assess anything for the time being. With three big events left and three tournaments, I feel like I could have a good chance to go out and try to win and put myself in contention. 'That's the goal, just to try to do that each week. I'm teeing it up these next three, and hopefully we can try to get a couple of them and ultimately the FedExCup,' said Thomas of the run-in that takes in the St Jude, next week's BMW and finally the Tour Championship where, unlike in recent years, each of the 30 players who make it to East Lake will start off level. READ MORE Thomas is currently seventh in the US Ryder Cup standings and is aiming to get into the top six to earn an automatic place in Keegan Bradley's team: 'I want to be in that top six. Just for me personally, it just would mean a lot to me to get that done because having been picked, or having to rely on a pick a couple times. I definitely like the level of low stress and just the sense of calm knowing that you're qualified versus waiting for that phone to ring.' With Rory McIlroy opting to skip the St Jude, it means that Shane Lowry is the only Irish player in the 69-player field which does not have a cut. Lowry is currently 17th on the FedEx Cup standings and on course for a return to the Tour Championship later this month, with the top-30 earning their spots in East Lake. Japan' Hideki Matsuyama takes a selfie after winning last year's FedEx St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind. Photograph:Lowdown Purse: $20 million (€17.2 million)/$3.6 million (€3.1 million) to the winner. Where: Memphis, Tennessee. The course: TPC Southwind – designed by Ron Prichard – is a 7,288 yards, par 70 layout that also had inputs from former tour players Fuzzy Zoeller, Hubert Green and Loren Roberts. There are just short of 100 bunkers strategically located throughout the layout, while 10 water hazards come into play. There are two outstanding par-3s on the homeward run: the 168 yards 11th hole, considered a shorter version of the 17th island hole at Sawgrass, and the 205 yards 14th, which traditionally ranks as one of the toughest holes on the PGA Tour. Some fairways were recontoured in the past year to facilitate a new drainage system while new greens have also been constructed since Hideki Matsuyama's win last year. The playoffs: This is the first of three tournaments to close out the PGA Tour season. The FedExCup playoffs feature a progressive cut, with fields of 70 (69 here given Rory McIlroy's absence) for the FedEx St Jude Championship, 50 for the BMW Championship (Caves Valley Golf Club, Owings Mills, Maryland) and 30 for the Tour Championship (East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia), where the FedExCup champion will be determined. The field: The 69-player field, with no cut, has nine of the top-10 from the world rankings playing, headed by world number one and recent Claret Jug custodian Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy has opted to skip this tournament at a course where he traditionally has fared poorly, with the Northern Irishman having a busy schedule ahead that sees him play the final two events of the FedEx Cup playoffs before returning to Europe for the Irish Open and the BMW Championship ahead of the Ryder Cup. Irish in the field: Shane Lowry is the lone Irish player in the field and has been paired with Cameron Young – last week's winner of the Wyndham Championship – for the opening round (3.15pm Irish time). Lowry is playing for the first time since The Open and currently lies in 17th position in the FedEx Cup standings. Betting: No surprise that Scheffler – a four-time winner on the PGA Tour this season, including the PGA Championship and The Open – has been installed as a strong 11-4 favourite, with Xander Schauffele rated 16-1. Justin Thomas has shown improved form of late and is available at 22-1. Cameron Young's breakthrough win last week should attract some interest at 35s while another in-form player, Chris Gotterup, is also available at 35-1. On TV: Live on Sky Sports (from 1pm) and on Sky Sports Golf (from 6pm).
Irish Times
16 hours ago
- Irish Times
Villarreal fans decry Thomas Partey's proposed signing as club's ‘darkest day'
News that former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is poised to join Villarreal has roiled fans of the Spanish club, with hundreds signing a petition urging the club to halt what has been described as the 'darkest day in the club's history'. Partey appeared in a London court on Tuesday, charged with five counts of rape relating to two women, and a charge of sexual assault against a third woman. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021 and 2022 when Partey was playing for Arsenal. Partey's lawyer has said he denies all the charges. Partey was granted conditional bail on Tuesday, and the chief magistrate told the court he understood that the 32-year-old would soon be moving to Spain. Villarreal have agreed to sign the Ghana international on a one-year contract with an option to extend by 12 months. The news came as a shock to Villarreal fans, said Rahul Lakhani, a football journalist and La Liga expert behind the La Liga London account. 'It's rocked the community,' Lakhani said. 'I've had people in my social media responding quite aggressively to me, saying he's innocent until he's proven guilty. But the overarching reaction is that Villarreal fans don't want their names associated with him.' READ MORE Scores of fans have voiced their opposition to the move on social media, using a hashtag that translates as No to Thomas Partey. Others have passed around contact details for the club's official channels, urging people to complain. As Arsenal gear up to host Villarreal in a friendly on Wednesday, Lakhani described Partey's potential signing as a 'stain' on Villarreal, a club long deeply intertwined with its hometown of 50,000 people. 'They're seen as someone who isn't like Real Madrid or Barcelona, or the Big Six,' he said. 'They're the antithesis of that – they're a club that has helped their community a lot, they're seen as a family-run club.' Partey's arrival would probably alter this image, he said: 'Their name is now going to be associated with wanting to sign someone who has five [rape] charges over his head, rather than being known as a club that plays good football or punches above their weight.' More than 800 people have signed a petition that describes the move as a 'slap in the face' to the club's supporters and 'all victims of sexual abuse worldwide'. The petition was launched by the online content hub Villarreal Report, which this week said the signing would be 'an act of pure betrayal of the highest order' against the club's supporters and Villarreal's values. 'The darkest day in the club's history is drawing closer by the second,' it said on social media. Villarreal did not respond to a request for comment. Earlier this year, as Partey's contract with Arsenal neared its expiry date, the north London club confirmed they were in talks over a new contract. After they failed to agree a new deal, it emerged that Partey, who has played for Atlético Madrid, Mallorca and Almería, was instead heading to Spain. He was charged days after he left Arsenal, after an investigation that began in 2022. Partey's lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, has previously said he 'denies all the charges against him' and that he welcomed 'the opportunity to finally clear his name'. Some Villarreal fans have embraced the prospective signing, hinting at the deep divisions sowed by Partey's expected arrival. 'For Villarreal it's a top signing, I think it's great for the team,' said Borja Jiménez Ortega, who heads the L'Os Groc supporters' club in Madrid. 'I have a lot of confidence in the club.' The view was widely shared among the 60 members of his fans group, he said. 'There's just two or three who don't want him.' Others pointed to the wider message being sent by the club. 'I'm against this signing,' said César Márquez Trabado, the president of the supporters' club Peña Amarilla Villafranca de los Barros. 'It's true that he would fit in very well at Villarreal because he's a player of tremendous quality, but I believe that there are ethical limits that should not be crossed, even if the player has not been convicted of the charges against him.' It was a view shared by many, he said. 'I would say that 90 per cent of fans are against this,' he said. 'Because in the end, the team may improve in the short term. But in the long term, this will do a lot of damage to our image.' – Guardian
Irish Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Padraig Harrington put through his GAA paces by viral star Rory Stories
Padraig Harrington was put through his paces as he took on viral comedian Rory Stories in a GAA and golfing challenge. The pair were invited to the K Club in Kildare where they were on hand to help promote this year's Irish Open held at the 2006 Ryder Cup venue. Harrington will play in the event this September, while Rory, an 18-handicapper, will likely watch from behind the ropes. To make things fair in the challenge, it was a best-of-three closest-to-the-pin with a hurling round, a football round, and a golfing round. Harrington, a three-time major winner and short game wizard, had an advantage in the golf round, while Rory, a talented GAA player in his prime, would have been favoured for the other two rounds. Although sport has a funny way of making things even, all three rounds were hotly contested. Harrington grew up playing GAA before focusing on golf. This year's competition takes place from September 4-7, and Ireland's top stars, such as Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Seamus Power, are all confirmed to play. Alongside them will be Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, while other star players will also be confirmed closer to the time. The one thing working against the Irish Open is that Donald will likely announce his Ryder Cup picks before the start of the Irish Open. Donald did the same in 2023 before teeing it up at the K Club.
