The 44th edition of the Ryder Cup will go down at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio near Rome, Italy, from 29th September to 1st October 2023. Team Europe will seek to recover from its 19-9 loss to Team USA at Whistling Straits in 2021. The biennial event is the male version of the Solheim Cup and alternates between America and Europe, with each continent represented by twelve elite golfers captained by past golfing greats. In the past 43 encounters, Team USA holds the lead at 27 wins, while Team Europe has 14 wins, and there have been two ties.
Format
The Ryder Cup consists of 28 match play events played three days from Friday to Sunday. Each match is worth one point, with 28 points up for grabs. Every match runs for a maximum of 18 holes, and in case of a draw, each team gains half a point. A team requires 14.5 points to win the event, but the defending champion only requires a draw (14 points) to retain the cup.
The event occurs in three different types of matchplay:
- Foursomes – two European golfers face off against an American pair, each team using one ball and team members alternating between shots. The lowest scorers win the hole.
- Fourballs – two golfers from each team participate in the match like in foursomes, but each player uses their ball this time. Only the better scorer per team counts for the score.
- Singles – every Team USA member plays against a Team Europe opponent in a head-to-head contest.
On Friday and Saturday, four foursome matches and four fourball matches occur, and the home captain chooses which occur in the morning and which are in the afternoon. On Sunday, 12 singles matches occur with all 24 players from both teams facing off.
Team Europe
Luke Donald will be the man captaining Team Europe, assisted by five vice-captains: Francesco Molinari, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nicolas Colsaerts, Edoardo Molinari, and Thomas Bjorn.
Team Europe qualification criteria
- Top 3 European players on the World’s Points List. Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton, and Matt Fitzpatrick qualified under this category.
- Top 3 players on the European Points List earned in OWGR events. Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Robert MacIntyre sailed through this route.
- Six Captain picks. The 2023 lucky golfers are Ludvig Åberg, Nicolai Højgaard, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Sepp Straka, and Tommy Fleetwood.
Key players to Watch Out for in Team Europe
- Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy‘s resume speaks for itself, with the star boasting 6 Ryder Cup appearances, 28 total matches played, and a 12-12-4 record. The four-time major champion also has mighty exploits on the world stage, including 37 professional wins and 122 weeks total as world number one.
- Justin Rose
Justin Rose may be 43, but his golfing experience is valuable for Team Europe. The 2013 US Open winner has a record of 13-8-2 from 23 matches in 5 Ryder Cup appearances.
- Jon Rahm
Spanish wonder boy Jon Rahm might be the talisman Team Europe needs to record its 15th Ryder Cup victory. The 2023 Masters Tournament winner boasts a 4-3-1 record from 8 matches played in 2 appearances.