Ryder Cup's Marco Simone Golf and Country Club hit by large fire | Investigation underway
A temporary hospitality structure at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club has been filmed engulfed in flames; The cause of the fire is still unclear, and no casualties have been reported; Total attendance was 271,191 for the six days the course was open to Ryder Cup spectators
Friday 6 October 2023 06:08, UK
An investigation is under way after a fire broke out at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club on Thursday, just days after the venue staged Europe's victory in the Ryder Cup
Social media footage captured a blaze and billowing smoke emanating from one of the buildings at the course and a Ryder Cup Europe spokesperson confirmed a temporary hospitality structure had caught fire.
The spokesperson added nobody was injured in an incident which occurred close to the first fairway of the course in Rome.
Thousands attended last weekend to watch Europe regain the Ryder Cup as a team captained by Luke Donald claimed a 16.5-11.5 victory over Zach Johnson's United States in the biennial event.
"A fire was reported in one of the temporary hospitality structures to the right of the first fairway at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club earlier this afternoon," said the spokesperson.
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"Local fire crews were called to the scene at 5.07pm 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."
Images showed huge plumes of smoke rising from the club in the north-eastern suburb of Guidonia, with firefighters tackling the blaze.
The cause of the fire is still unclear, and no casualties have been reported. Total attendance was 271,191 for the six days that the course was open to spectators, the Italian Golf Federation said.
Local residents may be asked to vacate their homes due to the "unbreathable air", according to Gazzetta dello Sport, which reports that all roads leading to the golf club have been closed.
Marco Simone Golf and Country Club originally was designed by David Mezzacane and Jim Fazio and opened in 1989.
The layout was completely renovated in 2018-2020 by a team of European Golf Design led by Dave Sampson in conjunction with Tom Fazio II, a leading American architect and the son of Jim Fazio - Tom Fazio worked for his dad on the original layout.
The renovation included a complete rerouting of the hilly layout with the Ryder Cup in mind. With 155 feet of elevation change across the course, the holes were laid out to favour match play, with several drivable par-fours. Marco Simone is a public-access layout with tee times available on the course's website.
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