The prestigious 2031 Ryder Cup golf tournament is just a step away from coming to Catalonia.

BarcelonaThe Ryder Cup, the golf competition that has pitted Europe's best players against those from the United States since 1928, is approaching Catalonia. According to ARA, negotiations between all parties have reached an agreement with the goal of holding it in 2031. All that remained was to finalize the distribution of the funds required to guarantee its organization, an agreement reached in recent days. The Generalitat (Catalan government) wanted greater private investment, and an announcement will be made in the coming weeks, likely before the British Open golf tournament this July.

The competition will be held at the Camiral Resort Golf & Wellness in Caldes de Malavella, known colloquially as PGA Catalunya and owned by Irishman Denis O'Brien. Bringing the Ryder Cup to Girona is a project that had already been in place for 10 years, but the lack of agreement halted it in 2023, when that year's competition was held in Italy, near Rome. The change of government, with the arrival of the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) to the Generalitat, served to revive talks that had seemed at a standstill. In fact, the presidential office has sought to play a central role in the latest negotiations, in part to ensure they avoid the mistakes made with the America's Cup sailing competition, a competition that failed to meet expectations. The final contract has yet to be signed, as the final hurdle was securing private financing, which would have to be higher than initially anticipated, a condition of the Isla government's decision to formalize a new major sporting event in Catalonia.

In recent months, Girona had managed to position itself ahead of other Spanish cities such as Madrid and Bilbao, where golfer Jon Rahm campaigned, and to establish a strong communication channel with the competition's organizers, who were keen to return to Spain, where the tournament was previously held in 1997 in Valderrama. The Ryder Cup is jointly organized by the professional golf tours of the United States and Europe, united under the umbrella of a company with Irishman Guy Kinnings as CEO. The organizers wanted to announce the 2031 tournament's location by the end of 2024, but ended up agreeing to delay it to close the deal with the Catalan bidder, the only one left with a chance. In fact, the 2033 edition already has a location, in San Francisco. The Ryder Cup is held every two years, alternating between a European and a North American venue.

Irrigation with non-potable water, a condition

The Catalan bid seemed dismissed in 2023, when the Generalitat ruled out the construction of the third course requested by the organizers at the PGA Catalunya facilities. Now, both parties have agreed to hold the tournament without this third course, as the solution would be to create a third course by joining holes from the two existing 18-hole courses. It was also key to ensure that the PGA would run on water reclaimed from the non-potable wastewater treatment plant, installed in 1999. The government, in fact, has emphasized that it could not support an event that was not sustainable in this regard. The PGA already made an investment in this direction years ago to operate even during droughts without wasting public water. Neighborhood platforms and political parties such as the CUP (Coup de la Revolucion) oppose the project and denounce the sporting model it represents and the environmental impact this tournament could have.

In recent months, the talks have accelerated. Part of the negotiations have revolved around how the budget of between 110 and 120 million euros should be raised. The owner of PGA Catalunya, Irishman Denis O'Brien, through his company Camiral, is providing part of the money for facility improvements, and public investment will also come from entities such as the central government, the Girona and Barcelona Provincial Councils, the La Selva Regional Council, and the Caldes de Malavella City Council. The Barcelona and Girona city councils are not participating in this investment. There is also a two million euro grant from the Higher Sports Council (CSD) to help build stands and marquees to host the tournament. The key issue is the 40 million euros that Salvador Illa's government had pledged to contribute months ago, upon taking office. The failure of the Copa América has significantly affected the negotiations, with debates within the government over whether or not that amount could be invested. Thus, the government wants to invest less public money and wants a large portion of the money invested to come from tourist taxes.

The emergence of private investors willing to contribute part of that money has helped unblock everything and move closer to a final agreement that should be announced in the coming weeks. The talks have dragged on longer than expected, but there is optimism among all parties. And among those opposed to the project, questions are already being asked, as has the Comunes group, which registered a series of questions in the Catalan Parliament regarding the Ryder Cup project, as according to this group, the Camiral company has acquired the land located between the railway line and the N-II highway to expand its facilities. Social groups and farmers have expressed concern about the lack of transparency and the potential environmental and urban planning consequences the tournament could have.

This year, the Ryder Cup will be held in September in New York, in 2025 in Ireland, and in 2029 in Minnesota, as the tournament is held every two years, alternating between European and American venues. In 2031, then, it's Europe's turn. It will be held in Catalonia, before returning to the United States in 2033 in San Francisco.