"So much for France’s Ryder Cup legacy."

With the European Tour’s 2021 schedule announced this week noticeably missing the French Open, Alistair Tait reminds us of the many perks the 2018 Ryder Cup would bring to French golf.

It was a tremendous event and Le Golf National will host Olympic golf’s far-less captivating 72-hole stroke play events in 2024, but Tait highlights the ostentatious claims made by organizers in bidding for the Cup. Besides the securing a prime date and purse for the French Open, there were grow-the game numbers that seemed outlandish at the time. Because they were.

And don’t forget the very noble dreams of 100 par-3 courses that hasn’t happened.

Still, it’s a bit surprising given the huge economic impact of the Cup and European Tour win suggests it was a one-off. Just a year after the Cup, the French Open was downgraded by the European Tour and as Tait points out, the game is not declining in France, but the one million golfer number dreamed up as a result of the French Open-Ryder Cup combo is not happening.

According to KPMG’s Golf Participation Report, there were 410,377 registered golfers (golf club members) in 2010. One year before the match, the same Participation Report showed a slightly lower figure of 410,171. Last year, KPMG reported a French participation figure of 412,726, a 0.62% growth year on year.

It might be a wee while before Levet realises his one million golfers dream.

There was talk of a plethora of new courses opening thanks to the successful Ryder Cup bid. Latest figures show there are 607 courses in France. There were 574 in 2010. An increase, but hardly a golf course construction boom.

What does this have to do with the French Open? Good question, but I would have thought Ryder Cup success would have had companies queueing up to sponsor the French Open. The tournament, one of the oldest on the European Tour calendar, wasn’t played this year for obvious reasons. Perhaps it’s not surprising it isn’t on the 2021 schedule considering its fall down the European pecking order last year.

After two years as a $7 million Rolex Series tournament, it came with a $1.78 million prize fund last year. The 2018 French Open featured Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Graeme McDowell, Tommy Fleetwood, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matt Wallace, Lee Westwood and winner Alex Noren. It had a strength of field rating of 288, fifth strongest European event outside the majors and WGCs. Last year that rating fell to 51, joint sixth lowest on the schedule, as Nicolas Colsaerts won in a field short name players.

With the constant uncertainty of the Italian Open and 2022 (now 2023) Ryder Cup in Italy, it is hard not to wonder if the pandemic will bring an end to how Europe packages its Cups from a highest-bid approach to going with the best courses and letting the economics fall into place? I know, absurd.