Kentucky is the birthplace of Kentucky bluegrass. A large portion of the bourbon whiskey in the United States comes from here. Every year, the horse racing events here are the grandest, and the college basketball games are also the most popular among the American people.
So, can it become the permanent U.S. base for the Ryder Cup?
According to the statement from Ted Bishop, the President of the U.S. Golf Association, this possibility is increasing.
Last week, at a meeting of the Rotary Club in Louisville, Ted Bishop proposed the concept of hosting the Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club every four years when it is held in the United States.
“I think this is one of the great prospects for Valhalla, and maybe one day in the future, it will become the permanent venue for the Ryder Cup on home soil,” Ted Bishop told the U.S. media. “Here, you can come in and create infrastructure like Augusta for the Masters. Think about what you can do here; you know you can host the Ryder Cup here every four years.”
Valhalla hosted the U.S. PGA Championship twice in 1996 and 2000, and this August, it will once again host the final major championship of the season. It was also the venue for the 2008 Ryder Cup, where the U.S. team defeated the European team 16.5 to 11.5. That was also the first victory for the U.S. team in this biennial transatlantic competition since 2000.
The venue for the U.S. Ryder Cup team will not open until 2028, with future venues being Hazeltine in Minnesota (2016), Whistling Straits in Wisconsin (2020), and Bethpage Black in New York (2024).
The Ryder Cup has never been held consecutively at the same U.S. venue, although Europe has done so twice since World War II. Royal Birkdale hosted it consecutively in 1965 and 1969, and the Belfry hosted it three times in a row from 1985 until 1993, with the event returning there in 2002.
