Wentwood Hills at
Celtic Manor, where the Welsh Open on the European Tour will be played
next June, is not the only 'celtic' course in contention to stage the 2009
Ryder Cup match.
Following the completion
of a £100 million expansion programme, computer tycoon Terry Matthews is
confident that he will be invited to stage the contest in Wales for the
first time at his 1,400-acre resort which includes a 400-room hotel, a
1,500-delegate conference facility and three Trent Jones championship courses.
But he appears likely
to face some stiff competition from the Home of Golf. In all probability,
Scotland's bid will be hosted by one of three St Andrews venues - the Old
Course, the Duke's and the new layout at Kingsbarns. Rhona Brankin, the
deputy sports minister of the Scottish Parliament, said:
"It would be great
to bring such a huge sporting event to Scotland. I will be meeting soon
with the Scottish Tourist Board and SportScotland to discuss the subject."
