One week on from the ‘Year to Go’ celebrations, the Ryder Cup trophy travelled from next year’s host city of Rome to the Spanish capital of Madrid on Monday October 10.
The Ryder Cup’s first stop was the Italian State School as part of the Federazione Italiana Golf’s ‘Golf at School’ project, with 200 students taking part in the event. The trophy then visited the Palacio de Amboage, the long-standing home of the Italian Embassy in Madrid and a delegation was welcomed by Italian Amabssador Riccardo Guariglia.
Video messages from Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald, Vice Captain Edoardo Molinari and rising Italian star Guido Migliozzi were played.
Riccardo Guariglia, Italian Ambassador in Madrid, said: "It is no coincidence that the Ryder Cup is a key part of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, because of its very high symbolic, media and economic value. The friendship between Spain and Italy is also great in the sports field, this day was proof of this.”
Maria Amelia Lolli Ghetti, Deputy Vice President of the FIG, said: "For the FIG it is a source of pride to have participated in the first sporting diplomacy event for the international promotion of the Ryder Cup. This meeting, thanks to the extraordinary hospitality of Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia, which saw the Italian Embassy of Spain, the Italian Golf Federation and the Real Federación Española De Golf traced a new path in the golf field as we brought together these institutions through sport. On this day, Italian golf was the absolute protagonist in a fantastic setting of Madrid in the presence of Mayor José Luis Martìnez-Almeida Navasqués. First the contagious enthusiasm of the young students of the Italian State School, then the conference and the photographic exhibition in the Embassy, have shown how much our movement can develop with the imminent hosting of the Ryder Cup.”
The special day was dedicated to the friendship between Italy and Spain, showcasing their shared values through golf and sport as Spain celebrates 25 years since the Ryder Cup was hosted at Real Club Valderrama.
Led by the late, great Severiano Ballesteros, Team Europe defeated the United States 14½ - 13½, with Italian golf legend Costantino Rocca defeating Tiger Woods in the Sunday singles.
Gian Paolo Montali, General Manager of the Ryder Cup 2023 Project, said: "Thanks to this international institutional meeting, the Ryder Cup 2023 Project has crossed national borders for an event of the highest prestige that strengthens the relationship between Spain and Italy with the enhancement of golf tourism in the foreground. The visit to the Italian State School in Madrid also laid the foundations for a further development of the 'Golf at School' Project. The FIG, in the wake of the Spanish example in 1997, aims to make unique an event that will not stop at the conclusion of the Ryder Cup itself, but will leave a tangible legacy over time in terms of growth of the movement, inclusion and infrastructural interventions for the territory.”
Claudia Hernández, Vice President of the Real Federación Española De Golf, said: "I am convinced that for Italian golf there will be a before and an after as we saw in Spain with the 1997 Ryder Cup in Valderrama that contributed to the definitive consecration of golf in our country. The Ryder Cup is a unique event for the atmosphere it generates in the stands and for the fantastic bond that is created between the public and the players, and Italy will be able to make the most of this event. The values of golf will become part of the sporting culture of the Italian people.”
Real Club Valderrama plays host to the DP World Tour this week as the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters returns to the famed Sotogrande venue.
