Turkey withdraws bid to host Ryder Cup in 2022 ahead of inspection visits

Turkey has withdrawn its bid for the 2022 Ryder Cup, leaving just five nations in the running ahead of the inspection visits.

The president of the Turkish Golf Federation, Ahmet Agaoglu, said: "We have greatly enjoyed working on this project and assessing whether we would be in a position to launch a viable bid to host the 2022 Ryder Cup.

"Although we believe that Turkey is now an established golfing destination, with a collection of world-class courses, it has not proven possible to secure the necessary logistical arrangements in order to proceed and so we have reluctantly decided to withdraw from the process at this time.

"We have enjoyed working with Ryder Cup Europe and firmly believe that the information gained during this period will one day allow us to revisit this incredible opportunity."

Reports in November suggested the Turkish bid would withdraw due to concerns over the number of trees which needed to be removed from their chosen course, but the authorities swiftly confirmed they remained in the running 24 hours later.

With the Turkish campaign now officially over, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria and Portugal await inspections as they look to secure the right to stage the tournament.