Minnesota Prepares To Host 2016 Ryder Cup In Chaska
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Before Minnesota plays host to the Super Bowl in 2018, the state will host an even more popular event.
The next Ryder Cup will be played in Minnesota in September 2016.
It has more than twice as many television viewers as the Super Bowl, and the Golf Channel just announced Davis Love III will return as the U.S. captain when the tournament comes to Chaska, Minnesota.
The PGA's announcement ceremony is yet to come, but the buzz has already started.
Chandler Withington is the golf pro over at Hazeltine National in Chaska.
"This will be the biggest golf event that Minnesota's ever hosted," he said.
Even if you're not a golf fan, the numbers are something to marvel at. Hundreds of millions will watch on TV while tens of thousands watch in person.
"This is an international scope," Withington said. "This brings people from all over the world. Not just Europe and the United States, but you'll have people come in from Australia, South Africa, Asia to attend this event."
In 2012, local trainer Lynn Anderson from Totally Driven Golf Shop watched the tournament play out in Illinois.
"Furyk came in, and Phil Mickelson, and the energy and the excitement and the crowd -- it was unbelievable," she said.
Anderson said the geography of the next cup has ignited this golf-loving state.
"We already hear the buzz," she said. "People are coming in wanting to get their games sharpened and play better."
They've got to find 5,000 volunteers and rearrange some of the holes.
The hope is it will be a September day of below-par golf and above-average temperatures.
"It's just like planning a wedding, we'll plan everything else and let the weather happen how it does," Withington said.
Volunteers get free access to the tournament all week, though they will be asked to pay around $200 for uniform fees.
You can find out more about volunteering and about purchasing tickets at the PGA website.
If you can't wait until September 2016 to get your golf fix, you can visit the Minnesota Golf Show this weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center.