By Ryder Cup Europe On July 25, 2025 13:55 UTC
Camiral welcomed guests from across Catalunya and Spain at launch event on Friday to celebrate the announcement that it will host the 2031 Ryder Cup.
More than 330 people attended the event which took place three days after Ryder Cup Europe formally announced that Camiral, in Costa Brava, near Barcelona, will be the setting for golf’s greatest team contest in six years’ time.
Guy Kinnings, the Chief Executive of the European Tour Group, took the famous Ryder Cup trophy to Camiral as he took part in a press conference with the institutions who helped bring the biennial contest back to Spain.
Spain will become the first country in continental Europe to host the Ryder Cup twice, having previously done so in 1997 when the legendary Seve Ballesteros led Europe to victory against the United States.
Kinnings was joined by Albert Dalmau, Minister of the Presidency, Generalitat; José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, President of Consejo Superior de Deportes; Juan Guerrero-Burgos, President of the Real Federación Española de Golf, Miquel Noguer, President de la Diputació de Girona and Mateu Hernández, Director General de Barcelona Turisme.
Also on the top table was Denis O’Brien, the Owner of Camiral, whose long-term vision to host the Ryder Cup will be realised in 2031.
Estrella Damm were also represented following the announcement they will be the Official Beer of the 2031 Ryder Cup and the title sponsor of the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship for the next five years.
Kinnings paid tribute to the collaboration between the various organisations from the public and private sector and reflected on the impact Tuesday’s announcement has already had in Catalunya and Spain.
“I am delighted to be joined here today by our distinguished guests who sit alongside me, who have been so crucial in bringing Ryder Cup here to the Catalunya, back to Spain for a second time and to this world class venue, Camiral, in 2031.
“Our announcement earlier this week was the culmination of many months of diligent discussions and close collaboration to deliver a shared vision.
“The Ryder Cup is a truly global event which is watched and loved by hundred of millions around the world. But it is also an event for the host region – this will be your Ryder Cup as much as it will be ours.
“We aim to leave a lasting legacy that runs deeper than just the week itself. We’re six years out, but that process very much begins today.”
A panel discussion also took place with some guest Catalan speakers from sport, culture hospitality and business. Berni Álvarez, Conseller d’Esports de la Generalitat de Catalunya, joined the panel which also featured Pau Gasol, NBA basketball legend, Joan Roca, chef of the three Michelin star El Celler de Can Roca – a symbol of Girona’s culinary excellence; Cristina Cabañas, leading hotel entrepreneur and a key voice in Costa Brava tourism industry; and Lidia Masllorens, a visual artist whose bold and expressive work embodies the creativity of Girona.