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After years of preparation, Chaska's Hazeltine National Golf Club is counting down to its time in the golf world sun when it hosts the Ryder Cup in September 2016. The tournament pits Europe's best golfers against the top golfers in the United States in a tradition dating back to the Jazz Age. 

"Since the first Ryder Cup in 1927, it has grown to become to become the most coveted trophy in all of golf," PGA President Derek Sprague said during a Minneapolis press conference Monday.

Hazeltine has hosted famous golf events before, such as the U.S. Open, in 1970 and 1991, the latter with a dramatic 18-hole playoff win by Payne Stewart. The Chaska golf club also hosted the PGA Championship and Tiger Woods in 2002 and 2009.

U.S. team captain Davis Love III says he looks forward to playing in Minnesota.

"Even before I was named captain, I was excited about the Ryder Cup being played at Hazeltine. Obviously we love a home game. It's okay to pick sides," Love said. "I think the Twin Cities will serve as an incredible backdrop for this event."

European captain Darren Clarke says he expects the scene to be electric.

"I can't wait for a year. It is going to be brilliant," Clarke said, adding "and we are going to put on a really good show for you."


The Ryder Cup differs from most golf tournaments in that it brings together two 12-member teams that play in a series of 28 matches over three days, earning a point for each match, rather than totaling the number of golf strokes. 

Most of the U.S. players will be selected based on PGA winnings in 2015 and 2016, with four members selected by the team captain. The European team includes nine of the highest ranked European players and three chosen by the captain. 


The biennial tournament alternates between the United States and Europe. Almost all of the European matches have been played in Great Britain and Ireland, with one stop in Spain in 1997. The most recent match was played in Scotland in 2014. In the United States, the Ryder Cup is usually played on the East coast, although the last American match was in Illinois.


The U.S. has won the tournament 25 times, the Europeans 13 times, with a pair of draws.


Minnesota's Commissioner of Employment and Economic Development Katie Clark Sieben said she expects next year's edition to help Minnesota economically.


"This is a huge opportunity for our state. We expect 250,000 visitors, 78 percent of the those should be from outside of our state," including Europeans, Clark Sieben said. She estimated the total economic impact at $100 million. 

The Ryder Cup is one in a series of high-profile sporting events coming up, including the Super Bowl in 2018 and the Final Four in 2019.  

State officials are still waiting to hear if Minnesota will host the College Football Playoffs National Championship. That announcement is expected this fall.

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After years of preparation, Hazeltine National Golf Club is counting down to its time in the golf world sun when it hosts the Ryder Cup in September 2016.

Ryder Cup golf tournament teed up for next year in MN

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