First on the agenda, was a visit to Germany which started on Tuesday, with trips to Spain and Italy carded for next week,
while a trip to Austria is scheduled for the last week of this month.
At present there is no date confirmed for the visit to Portugal. The news comes as Portugal’s odds of hosting the event was given a boost with confirmation that Turkey had withdrawn its bid to host the event.
Last week, Ryder Cup Europe officials received confirmation from Turkey that they have withdrawn from the bidding process.
The Portuguese Golf Federation (FPG) had late last year revealed it had submitted its intention to stage this prestigious event worth hundreds of millions of euros in direct and indirect revenue.
Deemed the third biggest sports event in the world after the Olympic Games and the football World Cup, the Ryder Cup sees Europe’s finest golfers taking on the best from the United States and attracts tens of thousands of golfing fans.
Following the inspection visits, the prospective host nations for what will be the 44th staging of the biennial contest between Europe and the United States, will make their formal submission of Official Bids on or before the closing date of Thursday 30 April, 2015.
After that, a period of detailed analysis of each bid by a management team working on behalf of Ryder Cup Europe – together with the assistance of an independent panel of experts – will be undertaken, with the announcement of the successful host country and venue for The 2022 Ryder Cup expected this autumn.
Portugal had back in 2009 formalised a bid to host the 2018 Ryder Cup, which was won eventually by France.
According to a study conducted by Deloitte back in 2010, hosting the Ryder Cup in 2018 would have represented an economic impact in the region of 550 million euros for the country, three times the amount raised by Euro 2004, which was staged in Portugal.
The candidature was surrounded by controversy, with strong opposition being voiced at the time when Herdade do Comporta in the Alentejo was presented as Portugal’s formal venue to host the event.
Located 120 kilometres from Lisbon and 170 kilometres from the Algarve, the venue was criticised by Algarve officials as being less able to host an event of this magnitude and cater for the countless number of fans who traditionally follow the Ryder Cup on either side of the Atlantic.
Speaking to The Portugal News shortly after the bid was formalised, Algarve Tourism Board President Desidério Silva said that while it was premature to discuss details of Portugal’s final bid, “the Algarve has consistently been voted the best golfing destination in Europe. We have everything in place to host a successful event.”
The FPG has however admitted that due to the current economic situation of the country, a cautious approach would be advised, but added that “this is an excellent opportunity for Portugal to become one of the world’s principal golfing destinations.”
Celtic Manor in Wales hosted the event in 2010, and the 2014 contest, was staged in Scotland.
With the selection of two British venues in succession, it was decided that the next European home match would be staged on the continent, with France winning the vote. With no contenders from the United Kingdom for 2022 the event is once again set to be staged on mainland Europe.
Only once before has the tournament been held off the British Isles, with the famous course at Valderrama in Spain hosting the Ryder Cup in 1997.