Ryder Cup venue in Rome goes up in flames

• Footage showed the course’s hospitality structure engulfed in fire and smoke 
• The incident comes just four days after Europe won the 2023 Ryder Cup there 

Firefighters battled a huge blaze this afternoon at the luxury golf venue where Europe sensationally won last week’s Ryder Cup after beating the United States.

Dozens of fire crews and the police were called to the temporary hospitality building at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome at 5.07pm to tackle the massive inferno that sent flames and smoke shooting into the sky.

The blaze took hold in a three-storey grandstand to the right of the first fairway that was used to house hundreds of spectators for last week’s tournament.

One eyewitness told local media: ‘The smoke and flames are amazing. It’s massive and you can feel the heat from a distance.’

The grandstand was left a hollow shell after the blaze, although no one was injured and the fire was contained in the temporary building. Ryder Cup Europe said it was investigating what caused the blaze. 

Ryder Cup Europe released a statement that read: ‘A fire was reported in one of the temporary hospitality structures to the right of the first fairway at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club earlier this afternoon. 

‘Local fire crews were called to the scene at 17.07 local time and quickly brought the blaze under control. Nobody was injured in the incident and the fire did not spread beyond the hospitality structure. There was no damage to the golf course or any other structure. The cause of the fire is currently being investigated.’

A spokesperson for the Italian Golf Federation said: ‘The fire is in the grandstand that was set up for the Ryder Cup and it’s being dismantled but that’s all we know.’

The fire broke out at the first hole and in footage posted online determined golfers could still be seen playing the 18th despite the massive blaze.

Authorities had considered evacuating homes in the area, Rome’s northeastern suburb of Guidonia, at one point but it was decided that it wasn’t necessary once the fire was brought under control, according to Sky News. 

Built for last week’s tournament the grandstand hosted hospitality for spectators and housed bars and restaurants for the three day event.

Officials said it was made from metal, wood and had a plastic covering which was causing the fire to spread and smoke rapidly as it is highly flammable.

The grandstand which took several months to build was being dismantled so the course could return to normal by December.

There were unconfirmed reports in the Italian media the fire was sparked by fuel or gas canisters left over by caterers.

The Marco Simone golf club in Rome was seen on fire on Thursday, just days after hosting the 2023 Ryder Cup. 

Footage which emerged on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed the hospitality structure of the course engulfed in fire and smoke.

It’s still unknown as to what started the fire or if there were any injuries as a result. Reports from Italy claim ‘firefighters are arriving on site to contain the flames’.

The incident comes just four days after Team Europe lifted the 2023 Ryder Cup title at the same course.

Marco Simone club is 10 miles from the city centre of Rome and has 2 golf courses, an 18-hole Championship Course and a 9-hole Resort Course.

Luke Donald’s European side clinched a resounding 16.5-11.5 victory over Zach Johnson’s US Team, undoing the dismay of their loss at Whistling Straits in 2021.  

Donald’s side strolled to victory over USA after a blistering start to the action saw them take an early advantage, before Rory McIlroy produced some stunning golf to help them secure the win. 

McIlroy top-scored in Rome with four points as Donald’s team reclaimed the trophy and later admitted Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and himself felt emboldened to step up. Between them, they contributed 10.5 of Europe’s 16.5-point total.

He said: ‘They’ve had unbelievable Ryder Cup careers and they’ve made their choices. No one can take away the impact that they’ve had for Europe over the years.

‘But this week, not having those big personalities in the team room let other guys have that chance to flourish, to shine: Viktor, Jon, myself. There wasn’t a ton of space taken up in that room by some of the other big personalities. We’re a young team.

‘We can all grow together. I could potentially be the oldest person on the team next time. It’s a new era. And it’s a pretty good one.’