The news was made public this week, and Portugal’s official bid is to be unveiled this Friday in Lisbon.
Portugal, along with five other nations, has this week been reported as being one of the European countries looking to host the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden have all announced their intention to bid to host the prestigious Ryder Cup competition in eight years from now.
The deadline for the submission of candidatures is in April, with the announcement expected in 2011.
Celtic Manor in Wales will be the host in 2010, and the 2014 contest is at Gleneagles in Scotland.
With the selection of two British venues in succession, it was decided that the next European home match would be staged on the continent.
Only once before has the tournament been held off the British Isles. The famous course at Valderrama in Spain was host to the Ryder Cup in 1997.
The 2018 Ryder Cup will be the 42nd edition of the biennial encounter – first played in 1927 – between Europe and the United States. Players from Continental Europe first became eligible for the match in 1979.
Despite its world-class courses, the lack of any strong golfers could count against Portugal’s bid.
Spain’s current 27 players on the tour have won a staggering 149 tournaments amongst themselves, while Sweden’s 25 players have 79 wins, followed by Germany (six players, 54 wins), France (ten players, 22 wins) and Holland (three players and four wins).
Meanwhile, Portugal’s top golfer Filipe Lima said last week that hosting the clash between America and Europe’s best golfers would raise the game’s profile here hugely.
Lima, the only full-time Portuguese on the European Tour, said his country has enough courses and organisational capacity to successfully hold the Ryder Cup in eight year’s time. He said France is a frontrunner to host the 2018 event due to its large financial resources.
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