For the understated Welsh town of Newport, the 2010 Ryder Cup will be not so much a golf tournament as part of a game of catch-up with its urban neighbours.

To the west lies Cardiff, where the £2.4bn Cardiff Bay project is seen by many as one of the UK’s finest regeneration schemes. Its glamorous waterside homes, the Millennium Stadium, new financial services sector and burgeoning reputation as a BBC television base have given it a 21st-century image – and confidence to boot.