Two years ago, it was an overwhelming victory for the USA men. But a lot of history points to Europe reclaiming the Ryder Cup trophy when the 44th edition is decided outside Rome this week.
What: The Ryder Cup, men’s golf match between Europe and the United States.
When: Friday-Sunday. The game starts at 07.35 on Friday morning.
Where: At the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club outside Rome. The track is located 17 kilometers outside the Italian capital’s city center.
TV: TV6/Viaplay.
How: Twelve players are included in each team. On Friday and Saturday, four foursome matches are played (two players in each team, hit every second stroke) and as many best ball matches (two players in each team, best score on each hole counts). Twelve singles matches are played on Sunday.
Team Europe: Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland, Jon Rahm, Spain, Robert MacIntyre, Scotland, Viktor Hovland, Norway, Tyrrell Hatton, England, Matt Fitzpatrick, England, Tommy Fleetwood, England, Sepp Straka, Austria, Justin Rose, England, Shane Lowry , Ireland, Nicolai Højgaard, Denmark, Ludvig Åberg, Sweden.
Team USA: Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler, Brian Harman, Max Homa, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas.
The captains: Henrik Stenson actually got the honorary assignment, but then pulled the rug out for himself. When he announced he was joining the new Saudi-funded LIV tour, Stenson lost his job. Luke Donald was the replacement. The Englishman himself has played the Ryder Cup on four occasions and has been vice-captain twice. Donald has previously been world number one during his career for a total of 56 weeks (between 2011 and 2012).
Zach Johnson is the new captain for the USA after serving as vice-captain in the last two editions. As a player, the American has made five Ryder Cups and won two majors.
Course: Marco Simone Golf & Country Club will be the first Italian course in Ryder Cup history. It was built in 1980 and five years ago a major renovation began before it was fully reopened in 2021.
Tough ruff and many water hazards are some of the characteristics of the course, which also offers a bit of cultural history. Already on the first hole, the players are welcomed by the 1,000-year-old castle tower belonging to Castello Marco Simone. From several tees, it should also be possible to see St. Peter’s Basilica itself in the distance.
The weather: It will be scorching hot all week, says the forecast. Temperatures of around 30 degrees and scorching sun are promised. Given that the course is also quite hilly, the players can get sweaty.
The crowd: Already during the beginning of the week, the influx of golf enthusiasts has been great – tens of thousands of people every day – even though there were only practice rounds on the schedule. As usual when it comes to the Ryder Cup, you can count on a full crowd. From an audience perspective, it tends to be more like a football derby than a golf competition. Around 50,000 spectators are expected every day.
The Swedes: In the Ryder Cup two years ago, for the first time in 17 years, there were no Swedes in the European team. This time, order is restored thanks to Ludvig Åberg. The 23-year-old Swede is this year’s big golfing sensation. Despite turning pro as late as the beginning of the summer, he has stepped into the world’s top and is now, as the first player who has never played a major, selected for the Ryder Cup.
The stars: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland – second, third and fourth in the world ranking – are Europe’s three heaviest names. Norwegian Hovland is one of the golf world’s hottest players right now after taking home the PGA playoff last month. Hovland will play together with Åberg on Friday.
In the USA, it is world number one Scottie Scheffler who has to pull a heavy load together with, among others, world number five Patrick Cantlay – who was successful in the 2021 Ryder Cup.
They also have players like Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman, who both won majors this year.
The missing players: The golf world suffered a giant rift when a large number of golf stars chose to switch to the heavily criticized LIV tour. Although the USA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV have now been merged into one entity, most of the affected players are missing. In Europe, for example, a trio such as Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia had been relevant. Only one LIV player is present in Rome: Brooks Koepka, on the USA team.
Last meeting: The USA ran over Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin two years ago. But when the Americans land on European soil, things usually get tougher. The last time the USA won in Europe was 1993.
History: The first edition played the USA, in Worcester, Massachusetts. This year’s competition is the 44th edition. Europe has won 14 times, the USA has won 27 and twice it has ended in a draw (1969 and 1989). In the latter scenario, the reigning champion retains the trophy.