When and where is it on?
The Ryder Cup is on from Friday, September 29th to Sunday, October 1st at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Italy. The action will begin at 7.35am on Friday (6.35am in Irish time).
How can I watch it all?
You can watch it all live on Sky Sports. Sky Sports Golf actually has coverage every single day in the build-up to the tournament but for the important parts, the Ryder Cup opening ceremony is from 3pm to 6pm on Thursday, live coverage on Friday and Saturday is from 6am to 7.30pm, on Sunday from 9am to 5.30pm. On the BBC, there is highlights every day, 8.30pm on Friday and Saturday, and 7.30pm on Sunday.
What is the format?
There are 12 players on each team playing team golf for the first two days (fourballs and foursomes) and then singles on the final day, where winning a match is worth one point and a halved match is worth half a point. Fourball is two players on each team playing their own ball and the best score wins the hole. Foursomes is an alternate shot format, where players take in turns to play the same ball and the best score wins the hole.
There are two sessions on Friday and Saturday, where eight players from each team participate. On Sunday, there are 12 singles matches where every player competes one-on-one against a player from the opposing team.
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With a total of 28 points available, 14½ points are required to win the Ryder Cup, and 14 points are required for the defending champion, in this case the US team, to retain it.
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Tell me about the venue
Just outside of Rome near the hill town of Tivoli, Marco Simone was designed and built in 1989 by American architect Jim Fazio and first hosted the Italian Open in 1994. However, a few years ago it was totally remodelled by European Golf Design. A parkland course that should suit good drivers of the ball, watch out for the 15th and 16th holes which should prove key. The 15th is a tough and narrow par four, whereas the 16th is a drivable par four, offering a risk-reward option off the tee.
What Irish players are playing?
It is Rory McIlroy’s seventh appearance in the event, ever-present since 2010. McIlroy is one of the leaders of the European team and will be looking to rebound from last time which ended in tears as he lost all three of his team matches before recovering to win his singles match against Xander Schauffele. McIlroy’s overall record is mixed, 12 wins and 12 defeats, and he has lost five of his last seven team matches. The only player on the team this time he has played with before is Shane Lowry, but they combined to lose 4&3 in fourballs at Whistling Straits.
For Lowry, it is his second appearance. As well as losing with McIlroy, he won a fourball with Tyrrell Hatton and lost to Patrick Cantlay in singles in 2021. Lowry received a wildcard pick for the team and got some criticism for his form which saw him record only one top 10 in the year before the event. But he has since finished tied third at the Irish Open and competed near the top at Wentworth before a costly nine on his 71st hole.
What are the teams?
The European team is as follows:
Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Ludvig Åberg, Nicolai Hojgaard, Sepp Straka.
The team is captained by Luke Donald.
The USA team is as follows:
Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns.
The team is captained by Zach Johnson.
Who else should you watch out for?
Justin Thomas has got a lot of attention on the US side for receiving a wildcard pick in a year where he shot 82 in the Open Championship and failed to make the Fed-Ex Cup playoffs due to poor form. Thomas has won six of the nine matches in his Ryder Cup career so Johnson is banking on his good matchplay history overcoming his poor form. Scottie Scheffler is the world number one and a supreme ball-striker but there are question marks over his putting.
For Europe, the Scandinavian duo Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg come into the tournament in hot form, Hovland having won the Fed-Ex Cup and Åberg going fourth, first, tied 10th in the three tournaments leading up to the Ryder Cup. Åberg has never played a Major and only turned professional in the summer, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure. Jon Rahm is the Masters champion and one of the world’s best, so will likely have a big say on the winner.
What is the history of the event?
The overall history of the event is in favour of the US, by 27-14, but if you just limit it to the expansion of the Great Britain and Ireland team to Europe from 1979 onwards then it is much closer and in favour of Europe, who have won 11 times to nine in that period. In fact since 1979, there have been a total of 588 Ryder Cup matches where Europe leads 295.5 to 292.5, only three points the difference in 44 years of competition.
What are the tee-times and pairings?
Friday morning foursomes
(all times Irish)
6.35am Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton v Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns
6.50am Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg v Max Homa and Brian Harman
7.05am Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka v Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa
7.20am Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood v Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay
Friday’s fourballs will begin at 12.25pm (11.25am Irish time). Friday’s timings are the same while on Sunday, the singles will begin at 11.35am (10.35 Irish time).
What is the weather forecast?
A glorious weekend of weather in Rome, it will be a warm and 29 degrees with very little wind.
