Rahm’s house dreams of becoming the “new Guggenheim” with Ryder

The Meaztegi Golf Club, a course half an hour from where Jon Rahm was born and designed by Severiano Ballesteros, dreams of becoming “a new Guggenheim (Museum)” for Bilbao and Bizkaia if it will finally host the 2031 Ryder Cup, a decision that is still far away and at the expense of the initial decision of the PGA of Catalonia.

“It is possible and achievable“, considered in an interview with EFE Carlos Roca, the manager of Meaztegi, who compared the Ryder to the museum that has been a huge economic tractor for Bilbao since its inauguration in 1997 due to the economic and social dimension of one of the most media sporting events on the planet.

A competition in which Jon Rahm from Biscay plays a prominent role in recent editions.former number 1 in the world ranking and current number 3, who will have the opportunity to play at home in a tournament of his choice.

Roca is excited about the prospect of organizing the 2031 edition of the traditional biannual golf showdown between Europe and the United States, although it is clear that this can only happen in the future and, initially, if the PGA of Catalonia finally decides not to host the event.

“Ryder courses have become iconic courses and all golfers love to play them. Why is Valderrama Valderrama? Because that’s where Ryder is played. You ask Americans to name a course in Spain and they say Valderrama because Ryder is played there,” he explained.

Roca knows the magnitude of the Ryder Cup and what it means to host it in Meaztegi, the course that hosts “Seve & Jon golf for children”, the initiative that Jon Rahm’s children aspire to and Severiano Ballesteros to promote golf the least.

The presence of genius from Barrika, a town 34 kilometers from Meaztegi, was another powerful effect of the tournament. “Imagine how Jon would love to play an event like that on his land, in his house?”a Roca commented that the Meaztegi “does not yet meet” the demands of a Ryder but “could meet” in the future without problems.

“Other fields cannot follow because there is a city development around them or a town next to them.“He commented, certain that some holes would have to be “redesigned” and the surrounding infrastructure expanded on land that is not on the course. Some land, about 40 hectares, “that does not have to be acquired, but simply used,” he emphasized.

“Yes, the holes where there should be more spectacle need to be redesigned.” to accommodate the “300,000 spectators who are moved by a Ryder event.” “About 300,000, of which maybe 50,000 attend each of the six days of the tournament,” he said.

In that sense, Roca believes that, economically, a Ryder Cup in Bizkaia will be “like a new Guggenheim” because of its size and impact.

“I heard an impact of 1.3 billion euros and also 350, but that depends on whether it is short or long term. But what I can tell you is that in Paris – in the 2018 edition – in just one week that the event lasted, the impact was 325 million, 100 more than the previous edition”, which was in Scotland.

In this 2023 edition, in Rome, an economic impact of 1.5 billion euros was published.

“About 15,000 beds are needed and Bilbao has 10,000, but the effect will not remain in Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa and Álavabut will also reach the surrounding territories,” continued the manager of Meaztegi.

Roca also explained that Ryder does not charge a “specific fee” for choosing a venue, but instead “requires an investment before, during and after” the tournament.

“I don’t know what it asks for, but I know how they worked in other editions, that the host country or region is asked to make investments in the sport for ‘X’ amount of time, before, while and Some investments are not only to carry out the tournament, but to affect both the economy and social in the area for a period,” he explained.

“You want to make an impact“, he insisted, considering that an event like this would be “before and after” both in sports, because it would “make golf famous,” and in the economy, because it would be like “a new Guggenheim .” Meaztegi.