Le Golf National course, near Paris, was also chosen ahead of other bids from Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands.
It will be the first time France has hosted the biennial Europe versus United States match and only the second time the event will have been played on mainland Europe.
There had been calls to award the event to Spain in honour of the five-time major winner Seve Ballesteros, who was patron of the Madrid bid and died earlier this month after a long battle with cancer.
The European Tour selected a venue which has hosted 18 of the last 20 French Open tournaments for the 42nd edition of the Ryder Cup, which continues to grow in popularity.
Most exciting for golf fans on both sides of the Atlantic is the quality of the course - a stadium layout reportedly capable of holding 70,000 fans a day.
‘France's bid was exceptional. They have a first-class tournament venue already built,’ said European Tour chief executive George 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. The plans for the new courses in Portugal and Spain are absolutely superb.
‘Seven and a half years sounds a long time but developing new areas with all the hotels, offices and roads is a big ask in that time. That is why I think their time will come. You could say, in that sense, we have gone for the certainty.’
To fund the French bid, every registered golfer in the country has donated one euro to the cause, while organisers hope that landing the tournament will boost the development of golf in France, who has promised to build more than 100 urban golf courses.
The French bid says it wants the number of registered players to increase from 400,000 to 700,000 by 2022, and it is also aiming to have three native players in Europe's Ryder Cup team by 2022.
European Ryder Cup director Richard Hills was full of praise for the French bid.
‘The winning bid from France stands out for a number of reasons. The venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup, Le Golf National, is a truly outstanding golf course, providing excellent spectator viewing and the promise of spectacular climaxes to the matches. Transportation, logistical and infrastructure plans are also of the highest quality.
‘There's no doubt that the 2018 Ryder Cup will be memorable and dramatic, and which thousands of golf fans will be able to enjoy.’
Published: 18/05/2011
Source: http://www.sportindustry.biz/news/view/9810/france-to-host-2018-ryder-cup
