Italy will host the Ryder Cup for the first time, with the 2022 matches between Europe and the United States being awarded to Marco Simone Golf and Country Club on the outskirts of Rome by the European Tour.
Italy won out in the bidding for the 44th Ryder Cup over Germany, Spain and Austria.
“History has shown time and again that the Ryder Cup is pure theater with the players and the stars, and there is no question that the Eternal City of Rome will provide a wonderful backdrop for one of the great occasions in world golf,” Chief Executive Keith Pelley of the European Tour said.
This will be the third Ryder Cup staged in Continental Europe, following Valderrama in Spain in 1997 and Le Golf National in Paris in 2018.
The Marco Simone course was designed by Jim Fazio and hosted the 1994 Italian Open. The club is located in Guidonia, about 17 miles (27 kilometers northeast of central Rome. The course will undergo a complete facelift for the Ryder Cup, which Rome officials hope will help lead to the city being award the 2014 Olympic Games.
“This is enormous and fundamental for our entire movement, plus a great lead-in to the Olympic bid,” Italian Golf Federation President Franco Chimenti said.
Rome is competing against Paris, Los Angeles and Budapest for the Olympics, in which golf will be played for the first time since 1904 next year in Rio de Janeiro.
Costantino Rocca was the first big Italian star on the world-wide stage in the 1990s, but brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari plus Matteo Manassero are top players these days.
In the 2012 Ryder Cup, Francesco Molinari halved the last singles match with Tiger Woods as the Euros staged a huge comeback to beat the Americans at Medinah.
“The Italian bid was consistently strong and impressive across the board in terms of infrastructure, commercial structure and government support,” European Ryder Cup director Richard Hills said.
“The plans outlined for the golf course at Marco Simone are spectacular alongside the commitment to develop all levels of golf in Italy.”
Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minn., will host the Ryder Cup next year, followed by Le Golf National outside Paris in 2018 and Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., in 2020.
