Organizers lose guarantee for 2022 Ryder Cup funds

Published February 08, 2017

Organizers of the 2022 Ryder Cup in Rome will have to find new funds or risk losing the event after the president of the Italian Senate on Wednesday stripped off an amendment to a bill that would have provided a guarantee of 97 million euros ($103 million).

The guarantee is one of the conditions necessary to organize what ranks among golf's most important tournaments.

The amendment was approved on Tuesday by the Finance committee, but Senate President Pietro Grasso said Wednesday that its content was unrelated to the legislation it was attached to.

"The Ryder Cup is and remains a great opportunity for the country," said the president of the senate's culture and sport committee, Andrea Marcucci. "Grasso's decision is technical, it's not about the content of the amendment.

"I hope the government quickly finds a solution which responds to the prerequisites asked for by the organizers. I want to remind everyone that the tournament has a considerable economic spin-off and television rights. The amendment in question didn't call for further public spending."

The 2022 Ryder Cup was awarded in 2015 to the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia, just outside Rome.

Funding for major events in Italy has become an issue after Rome withdrew its bid for the 2024 Olympics following Mayor Virginia Raggi's rejection of the candidacy in September over cost concerns.

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