No rush to decide venue

The Courier, 9 February 2001

No decision over the 2009 Ryder Cup venue will be made until at least July, chief executive Sandy Jones has announced.

After listening to the north east of England bid, Jones announced he will head a delegation to that region’s chosen venue, Slaley Hall in Northumberland, during the Compaq European Grand Prix, being held at the golf course in June.

He said, “We agreed at our meeting this afternoon that Ryder Cup members. would visit the tournament to meet key officials and see how it is organised.

“It is something we are looking forward to. We have plenty of time to make our decision as to where the Ryder Cup should be held.

“We have been very impressed by the north east bid and they have more than satisfied the criteria of the bidding procedure.”

Jones said he was surprised by the strength of the bid tabled by the English but insisted no applicant was well clear of the field.

“All three bids have been very impressive. Here, like in Scotland and Wales, some areas are stronger than others. In others they are weaker,” he said.

“But the north east bid possesses all the ingredients and I have no doubt about their seriousness of attaining their goal.”