"Four of the golf courses bidding to win the 2018 Ryder Cup aren’t built yet."

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I apologize if you've already showered today, but Alistair Tait's look at the potential 2018 Ryder Cup venue--you know, the one that will benefit the children--could be about as tacky and sleazy as it gets.

European Golf Design, a joint venture between the European Tour and IMG, are involved in three of the four courses yet to be completed/constructed. European Tour chief executive George O’Grady has previously said privately he would prefer the match to go to a European Golf Design course. So the three EGD candidates would seem to be in pole position.

"The financial crisis gave the European Tour a perfect chance to get together with other tours around the world"

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John Huggan explains why Rory McIlroy's pending decision to play four more times on the PGA Tour could prove to be a huge black eye for the European Tour, but more interesting is the criticism from Rory agent Chubby Chandler about George O'Grady's missed opportunity for creating a world tour.
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"We have been assured that our agreement is proceeding substantially as planned."

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While John Hopkins thinks the prize money cut for the Race to Dubai could have been a lot worse because of Dubai's fall, Mark Reason and Lawrence Donegan sound much more suspicious about the short term future of the European Tour's big gamble, both pouncing on word that the Euro Tour does not even have a firm commitment for next year. Reason writes:
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2018 Ryder Cup Bidding Commences; Euro Tour Still Demanding A Ninth Hole Returning Somewhere Close To The Clubhouse

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...And a whole lot of money.

Mark Garrod reports that the demanding, inten$ive and wide-reaching $earch to find an appropriate 2018 Ryder Cup venue has begun. And bidders, please make sure that 9th comes somewhere close to the clubhouse.

Six countries - France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden - have announced their intention to bid for the 2018 Ryder Cup.

The deadline for the submission of bids is the end of April next year, with the announcement expected in 2011.

Celtic Manor in Wales plays host next year, and the 2014 contest is at Gleneagles in Scotland. But when both were selected it was decided that after that the European home match would return to the continent if suitable venues could be found.

No Dubai? Perhaps the pushback on that little floated idea wasn't what they hoped for?