President of the Ryder Cup France Committee and vice-president of the French Golf Federation, Pascal Grizot has led the bid for the past ten years, then the preparation of the next Ryder Cup at the Golf National (25-30 September). In Val d'Isère during the last Winter Golf Cup where we met him in the snow alongside the European Captain Thomas Bjørn, his words were those he has delivered since 2008: convinced and convincing. Can't wait to finally be there!
Interview by Nathalie Vion

© Nathalie Vion

Hello Pascal Grizot. We are now a few months, and even a few weeks away, from this famous 2018 Ryder Cup organized by France at the Golf National. Your state of mind?

We are all looking forward to it! You know, for us, this adventure did not start on May 17, 2011 (Saint-Pascal day, note), when France obtained the organization of the 2018 Ryder Cup. For the candidacy, with the French Federation We started golfing in 2008. So we have been working on the project for ten years. Today, there are only a few weeks left before we meet at the National Golf… It was a very big dream to get the organization of this Ryder Cup. It has become a great honor that France is chosen. And today, I would say that it is a very great responsibility to carry out the project.

Will popular success be there around the Albatross course, at the National Golf in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines?

Yes, because we expect 51 spectators. And it will be a record, because never in the history of the Ryder Cup has a site welcomed so many people. To manage this influx, we are in close contact with the State services, which do an extraordinary job. But yes: the success is there since the tickets on sale left extremely quickly. In this regard, I understand very well the frustration of those who have failed to obtain places. It is for them too that we thought of setting up this large fan zone at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where the matches will be broadcast on a giant screen. In many places in France, other fan zones will be created so that the maximum number of people can share this celebration.

At the Golf National during the 2017 HNA French Open: Pascal Grizot, with Keith Pelley (director of the European Tour) on his left, discusses the 2018 Ryder Cup, with Jean-Lou Charon, President of the FFGolf, and Laura Flessel, Minister of Sports - © Nathalie Vion

Thomas Bjørn, the Danish captain of the European team, already knew the National Golf well for having played there a dozen French Open. In recent months, he has multiplied the opportunities to come to France. Your feeling?

It is a great honor for all of us that the Captain of the European team has chosen to spend time in France to prepare for the event. With Thomas, we tried to unlock a little moment in his very busy agenda so that he came to play golf on snow with us, at the end of March in Val d'Isère. He made us the friendship to be present during this Winter Golf Cup (event created in 2000 by Mégevan Philippe Guilhem and which has since declined in Megève, Val d'Isère, Aspen and Crans-Montana, editor's note). On this occasion, we were able to mount the Ryder Cup trophy at the top of the Bellevarde Face and hit a drive from the Olympic track! Before that, Thomas had also spent several days in Paris. He wanted to visit museums, soak up French culture ... These are the little details that can make the difference in the end.

What trace can the 2018 Ryder Cup at the National Golf leave in France, whether in terms of golf or tourism in the broad sense?

France is one of the most visited countries in the world. We receive a lot of foreign tourists, but very few imagine that they could also play golf during their stay. Be aware: the favorite city of the Americans is Paris. But while American golfers rarely travel without their golf bags, they still don't have the reflex of planning to discover a course when they come to France. With the 2018 Ryder Cup at Golf National, we will be able to give them that taste too. Tell them that they are always welcome to visit France but that they can also play golf wherever they are.

How to explain to the general public what the Ryder Cup is?

The Ryder Cup is something unique, special. A truly fantastic event. Even if we do not have the same golf culture in France as in the English-speaking countries, it is so important that each time it reaches an audience that exceeds that of the initiated. So it's a very big promotion for golf in the country that organizes it. Me, the first time I had the opportunity to go to a Ryder Cup, it was in 2010 at Celtic Manor, in Wales, well… I cried.