Burnham said: “We’re deadly serious about it. We believe we can land [the Ryder Cup] and now it’s a case of putting in a firm bid next month and hopefully a decision soon.”
The announcement came as part of the latest round of funding for projects aimed at growing Greater Manchester’s economy, with Greater Manchester Combined Authority saying the region was preparing to host “the biggest ever Ryder Cup”.
If the Bolton bid was successful it would be the first time in more than 30 years that the event is staged in England.
The Ryder Cup takes place every two years and sees 24 of the best players from Europe and the United States go head-to-head over three days in match play competition.
The two continents take it in turns to host the event.
Bolton Council leader Nick Peel told BBC Radio Manchester that hosting the Ryder Cup would bring big benefits.
“The lasting boost for our local economy will be huge and, of course, we’ve also had the announcement of £70m to help deliver Park Avenue, the new phase of the M61- M6 link road which will be absolutely crucial for that part of Bolton.”
Burnham said hosting the event could not happen “without major investments in infrastructure in the area”.
He said he would now ask Chancellor Rachel Reeves to accelerate the delivery of more frequent and modern trains on the Atherton line, invest in better rail stations and speed up work to connect the area to the Metrolink network.
