July 12, 2023: Denis O'Brien, Chairman of Digicel Group, plays a shot during the Pro-Am prior to the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in the UK.Getty Images

Golf’s biggest team match is coming to Spain as the 2031 Ryder Cup will take place in Camiral Golf Course in Girona.

2031 also marks a return to Spain, 34 years after Spanish great Seve Ballesteros led Europe to victory over the USA at Valderrama. The course is the number 1 course in Spain, ranked amongst the top 20 in the world, and has five-star Hotel and a state-of-the-art Wellness Centre.

The course, formerly known as PGA Catalunya, is part of the Quinta do Lago group owned by Denis and Catherine O’Brien and has previously hosted the Open de Espana three times in 2000, 2009 and 2014 and the Sarazen World Open in 1999.

Camiral is on the doorstep of Barcelona, Girona and Costa Brava and speaking with Extra.ie, course owners and entrepreneurs Denis and Catherine O’Brien talked about how hosting the Ryder Cup is a destiny fulfilled and what it will mean for the local economy of Girona and Catalunya.

"Hosting The Ryder Cup is the realisation of a long-held dream to bring golf’s greatest sporting event to Catalonia and Spain.

"For the communities of Girona, Costa Brava and Barcelona, it will create immediate economic benefits, driving high-value golf and leisure tourism in the years leading up to The 2031 Ryder Cup, and a long-lasting legacy built on the reputation of hosting one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

"We would like to thank the Catalan and Spanish Government and the Spanish Golf Federation for all of their support and we look forward to continuing our great relationship with the Ryder Cup Committee."

Camiral is one of the most sustainable golf courses in Europe, using 100% recycled wastewater and harvested water for irrigation to water the course. The Ryder Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, watched by millions around the globe and is looking to leave a lasting legacy, with long-term economic benefits worth millions to the community before, during, and after the event.

With Adare Manor being the next European host in 2027, today’s news also means that the Ryder Cup will be hosted by two Irish-owned Golf Courses over the next decade.

*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.