France and the Le National golf course near Versailles has won the right to host the 2018 Ryder Cup.

European Tour CEO, George O'Grady with delighted French Ryder Cup officials after France won the bid to host the 2018 Ryder Cup. Included in the picture is Richard Hills, the Ryder Cup Director (left), Pasal Grizot, Chairman of the French bid, Ms Chantal Jouanno, the French Minister for Sport (alongside O'Grady), Neil Coles, Chairman of the European Tour, and Sandy Jones of the European PGA (right). Picture - Thanks to European Tour.

In a packed room within Tour HQ at Wentworth, it was the duty of  European Tour CEO, George O’Grady who made that announcement at noon UK time and in a decision that has delighted not on France but golf right across Europe.

Present in the room was the French biding team headed by Chaiman, Pascal Grizot and the French Minister of Sport, Chantal Jouanno.

As well, French players Thomas Levet and Jean Van de Velde were present with all those on the French bidding jumping for joy at the annoucement.

Really, it will be the first time in 30 years the Ryder Cup will be heading to what many describe as a ‘decent’ course in Europe with the Le National course having played host to the French Open since 1991.

It’s easily the best golf course of the five bids with three of the bidding nations – Germany, Portugal and Spain – nominating a course yet to be built.

For past decades there has been grey clouds over European host venues such as The Belfry, Valderrama, the K. Club, Celtic Manor while the Centenary course at Gleneagles, and venue for the 2014 Ryder Cup, has long been a subject of criticism in hosting the Johnnie Walker Championship.

The National course will now be one of the best venues in Europe since the 1991 Ryder Cup at Walton Heath.

Spain emerged as an emotional favourites given the recent death of Seve Ballesteros.

But as O’Grady remarked the French bid was simply too strong to deny the country becoming only the second nation on Europe proper to host the biannual event.

“They have a first-class tournament venue already built, which can take it,” said O’Grady.

“In these tough economic times we can see where we are going. We are leaving nothing to chance on building a new course.”

Pascal Grizot, chairman of French bid, said it was a fantastic day for French golf.

“Having an existing course we thought it was an asset and having seen the other bids at first we thought not being able to build a resort around it might be a significant weakness but we found a solution,” he said.

“We had a very well-balanced bid and in the end the details are making the difference.”

More than 400,000 members of the French golf federation agreed to pay an annual Euro 3 levy for 13 years towards a French Ryder Cup bid, which also has significant backing from local and national Government.

 The French bid’s commitment also to building 100 new six-and nine-hole urban courses to take the game to a new generation of players also counted strongly in its favour.

Also Euro 6m will be invested in the Golf National course before 2016.

“The French Golf Federation has a strategic plan to develop the game by building these 100 small urban courses,” said Grizot.

“They will be close to the cities, less time-consuming, also the equipment will be cheaper so everybody will be able to play golf. I think they will be the real legacy of 2018.”

While France was celebrating, Spain’s representatives were left frustrated and their planned Tres Cantos course near Madrid may not now even be built.

There was calls to award Spain the bid after the death of Ballesteros who was the Spanish bid patron.

It was Ballesteros’ brother who made a passionate plea but officials from the Spain bid and the PGA stressed that they tried to avoid the “Seve factor” after the passing of the man who did so much for the sport in Spain and captained Europe to victory in Valderrama.

“There wasn’t a single press release from me mixing anything Ryder Cup with Severiano,” said Gonzaga Escauriaza, President of the Spanish federation.

“We could have done it because he was a huge supporter of the Ryder Cup but we didn’t because we didn’t want to put that pressure on the committee. We thought it was not fair.”