The Three Main English Contenders To Stage The 2035…

The Three Main English Contenders To Stage The 2035 Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup looks like it's heading back to England in 2035 for the first time since The Belfry staged the event way back in 2002.

The news of an impending bid from Hulton Park in Bolton, near Manchester, sparked the debate and it seems the only other contenders also come from England.

The Belfry was a regular home for the Ryder Cup, staging the battle between Europe and America four times between 1985 and 2002, but the showpiece event hasn't been back in England since.

In the United Kingdom it's been to Wales at Celtic Manor and Scotland at Gleneagles and next year's event will be at Adare Manor in Ireland, while on the continent Paris and Rome have played host and Spain will do the honors in 2031.

England seems primed to be next up, and the early noises so far suggest there are just three contenders to host what is now a huge global sporting event.

The country boasts some iconic courses, and there is an argument to say that one of England's Open courses would be a better choice to host the Ryder Cup such as Royal Birkdale or Royal Liverpool.

There's also the likes of Wentworth that you could consider and a plethora of others already established with long histories that would be wonderful Ryder Cup hosts.

But it seems that so far at least the contenders are a proposed new build in Bolton, a redevelopment project in Luton and a DP World Tour host venue just outside London.

So here's a closer look at the contenders to stage the 2035 Ryder Cup.

Hulton Park

Hulton Park has not yet officially launched its bid, but it's all the rage in the news thanks to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham revealing a £240 million ($320 million) funding package for the project.

World No.3 Tommy Fleetwood has already given his backing to Hulton Park's impending bid, with the proximity to big cities Manchester and Liverpool a big plus for the proposed venue.

“Whenever it’s on the Ryder Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, and bringing that to the North West of England would be something very special that we’d remember forever," said Fleetwood.

The bonus with a new build of course, as with the 2010 course at Celtic Manor, is that the design can have a matchplay flavor to it. And along with all the infrastructure in the area, on paper it has everything needed for a successful Ryder Cup.

Luton Hoo

A stage ahead of Bolton, ground has already been broken on the redevelopment of Luton Hoo Hotel & Golf Club in Bedfordshire with owners targeting a bid to stage the 2035 Ryder Cup.

The £170m ($226m) redevelopment of the current course there will take up to two-and-a-half years, with seven-time Ryder Cup player Justin Rose helping to design the new championship calibre course alongside golfing icon Gary Player.

Owners the Arora Group say it will become "the Augusta of Europe" and have employed Atlantic Golf Construction, which built next year's host Adare Manor.

European Golf Design is also involved - the company responsible for recent Ryder Cup venues Celtic Manor, Le Golf National and Marco Simone - so with those major players and the owner's ambition to "bring thre Ryder Cup home" this contender has a lot going for it.

The London Club

This one has the edge on the other two in terms of having experience at hosting tournaments, staging DP World Tour events including the European Open and World Matchplay.

The London Club website has stated it's ambition to stage the Ryder Cup with 'The London Project' being an expansion including a new hotel and spa that would make it a viable Ryder Cup option.

"We have tried and tested it with DP World Tour events, but there are global events – Ryder Cups, Solheim Cups – that we should be looking at and aspiring to host," it states on the website.

The Jack Nicklaus design is situated just outside the M25 so has an ease of access and a proximity to London that would make it endlessly marketable to visitors from across Europe and the USA.