In the wee hours of Friday morning here in the United States, the opening tee shots of golf’s best event will go airborne. The Ryder Cup, first held in 1927, pits the 12 best golfers in the United States in a three day competition against the 12 best golfers from all of Europe. The competition gets fierce, and no other tournament in golf has an atmosphere like this one – it almost feels like watching a football (either kind) game instead. At the end of 3 days of play, the team that has amassed 14.5 points wins the cup; if the teams are tied at 14, the reigning champions retain the cup. It’s time for the Ryder Cup preview!
Another outlier for golf, the first two days feature team matches. The last day pits players mano-e-mano against each other in a race to the 14.5 points. Points are accumulated through winning a match (1 point) or by tying it (0.5 for each team). The schedule goes as follows:
Matches are won by winning more holes, by having a lower score, than your opponent. Captains, who set the team lineups and decide who will sit out sessions, spend a ton of time (and sometimes a whole taskforce) figuring out who pairs best with each other for the team days. Balancing chemistry in both personalities and the player’s games is key, but I’ll be real: I think this part of the competition is way overblown by the both the players and media. As long as you don’t completely blow the team days and are within about 2 points heading into Sunday, the real battle takes place on the final day: arguably the most wild and epic day in the sport with 12 matches on the course simultaneously and a whopping 12 points up for grabs. These often feature wild swings in momentum, and some of the most iconic moments in all of golf have occurred in those final few matches.
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The course
Europe gets to host this year’s event, and chose to post up in Rome’s Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. The course setup always gets wonderfully petty: both sides set up the course to their maximum benefit: the US makes it long and wide open; Europe typically keeps it short and narrow. I know jack about the course, but reports coming out of Italy suggest it is true to form: the course tops out at a very short 6343 yards, with super thick rough to punish any errant shots. This mitigates a massive advantage the United States has in the length department, and has paid off for the Europeans in the past, who have not lost a home Cup since 1993.
The Teams1
There was plenty of controversy this go-around due to the elephant in the room, LIV Golf. For any reader unaware, it is a breakaway golf league founded and funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). They paid insane fees to pry players away from the PGA Tour. The defecting players were essentially banned from the rest of the golf world; Europe’s original captain Henrik Stenson was stripped of his captaincy. For the most part, LIV golfers weren’t even considered for the Ryder Cup, with one major exception: Brooks Koepka. Brooks had such a clutch year in majors, winning the PGA Championship and contending elsewhere, that he essentially forced his way onto the team. He is the only LIV Golf rep this week.
United States
Captained by Zach Johnson, who has two major titles in his career and went 8-7-2 in 5 Ryder Cup appearances as a player. He is assisted by a motley crew of aging studs: Steve Stricker, Davis Love III, Jim Furyk, Fred Couples, and Stewart Cink
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Scottie Scheffler
Ryder Cup record: 2-0-1
Qualifying rank: 1
Scottie Scheffler is one of the strangest elite golfers I’ve seen: his last two years have seen underlying ball-striking stats rival Tiger is his prime. But man this dude and the green are not boys. The flatstick is the only thing holding him back from more majors. 2
Wyndham Clark
Ryder Cup record: Rookie
Rank: 2
A dude who would not have been on the team if it weren’t for picking the perfect week to have the tournament of his life, taking home the US Open. I have a feeling he will only play twice in the team portion, but he is gritty player who has a level of self-confidence perhaps greater than his golfing ability.
Brian Harman
Ryder Cup record: Rookie
Rank: 3
Another dude who is here because of a major championship, the solid-yet-unspectacular Harman came out of nowhere and blitzed the field at the Open Championship. Moreso than Clark, I think Harman will be a major player for the US: his accuracy is among the best on the team, and the short course won’t hinder his lack of length. He is also a world-class putter, so look out for him this week. This course perfectly fits his game, and he’s got guts.
Patrick Cantlay
Ryder Cup record: 3-0-1
Rank: 4
Along with the next guy on the list, he is a golfing enigma: a world-class golfer week-in and week-out, but hasn’t put it together in the majors. That said, he was elite in 2021 – he didn’t lose any of his 4 matches. He has no real weaknesses, never a bad thing in this event. His slow play at the Masters made this writer want to throw a golf ball at the TV, but at least he owns it.
Max Homa
Ryder Cup record: Rookie
Rank: 5
Until his recent breakout, Homa was known more for his Twitter presence than his golf game. That has changed in the last two years, as he has broken out big time. That said, he struggles in the majors, and having never played in this event before is a big question mark for the Americans.
Xander Schauffele
Ryder Cup record: 3-1-0
Rank: 6
The only American golfer alive with an Olympic gold medal, Schauffele is as steady as they come. He hasn’t closed the deal in a major yet, but is always lurking on the front page of the leaderboard. He was also great last Ryder Cup; no worries here.
Brooks Koepka
Ryder Cup record: 6-5-1
Rank: 7 (Captain’s pick)
Former bash-brother and current fearless leader of Smash GC (lol), Brooks brings his shorts and his confidence over from LIV. His Ryder Cup record isn’t great, and his power game doesn’t seem to the course all that well.
Jordan Spieth
Ryder Cup record: 8-7-3
Rank: 8 (Captain’s pick)
Spieth has had quite the arc in his time as a pro. A dude who burst onto the scene and quickly won a couple majors, Spieth looked to be the face of golf for the foreseeable future. It turns out that golf is hard. His driver and his putter often abandoning him (relatable), Spieth has clawed his way back towards the top. He hasn’t gotten there yet, but his wedges and irons are so solid I think he is good for 3 points this week.
Collin Morikawa
Ryder Cup record: 3-0-1
Rank: 10 (Captain’s pick)
A young gun who, like Spieth before him, burst onto the scene quickly with a major title. He struggled on and off with injuries throughout this year, but came up clutch in this event two years ago. I tend to think he has enough control over his long-game to be an asset here; what sweet-looking swing he has.
Sam Burns
Ryder Cup record: Rookie
Rank: 12 (Captain’s pick)
Is that not one of the great no-context pictures of our time or what? Anyways, he is close friends with several team members, and a has been all-around solid enough to deserve his spot. Probably won’t be the star, but should hold his own in 2 or so team matches. Rocking a sweet mullet, which is easily worth a point.
Rickie Fowler
Ryder Cup record: 3-7-5
Rank: 13 (Captain’s pick)
Now things get really interesting. Slick Rick had a nice comeback season, contending in and almost winning the US Open when his putter betrayed him down the stretch. After that, though, he continued playing well, notching another win on Tour. Interestingly, he is the only member of the team with a losing career record in the Ryder Cup.
Justin Thomas
Ryder Cup record: 6-2-1
Rank: 15 (Captain’s pick)
The lightning rod of Team USA, JT has had, by his high standards, a terrible season. Several times, he just looked lost out on the course, something super relatable to any golfer. Yet, he was picked for the team. There have been whisperings of nepotism, as he is boys with a lot of the core group, and led to another player calling his selection out. He has a lot of pressure on him to perform, and I don’t think the tight layout is going to help him find his game. Zach Johnson is betting on chemistry over form, and I don’t think it’s a good decision. Hopefully he proves everyone wrong.
Europe
Luke Donald got called in off the bench to lead these fine gentlemen, and is assisted by Thomas Bjorn, the Molinari bros, Nicky Colsaerts, and Jose Maria Olazabal. Donald was a beast as a player in the Cup, going 10-4-1 in his playing days; he also never lost a Ryder Cup he played in. They divide their qualifying between European and World points lists which are what are referred to in their qualification rank line.
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Rory McIlroy
Ryder Cup record: 12-12-4
Qualifying Rank: 1 (European/World)
Rory, the heart and soul of golf at the moment, made his stand against LIV Golf only for the PGA Tour’s leaders to sell him out behind his back. He has had a wild two years, but appears to have found some peace and is ready to improve his surprisingly mediocre record in this event. He will need to, as the leader of a very young and very inexperienced European team. His performance, along with Rahm and Hovland, might need to carry this team.
Jon Rahm
Ryder Cup record: 4-3-1
Rank: 2 (European/World)
Rahm is a hugely competitive huge hitter. The only member of the European squad to win a major this year at The Masters, Rahm has a much better all-around game than he is given credit for. Will he be able to reign in his bomber tendencies at this short track?
Robert MacIntyre
Ryder Cup record: Rookie
Rank: 3 (European)
Bobby Mac makes his debut in this event coming off a pretty subdued year; his best performance was almost winning the Scottish Open against Rory. It feels like he has been around forever; I can’t believe he is only 27. A steady all-around player with no standout traits other than being a lefty, he should more than hold his own this week.
Viktor Hovland
Ryder Cup record: 0-3-2
Rank: 3 (World)
Noted Chipotle enthusiast Hovland is easily one of the chillest dudes on Tour, and is playing much better than he was 2 years ago, when he went winless. Honestly, I love watching him play – he is fearless and plays like he loves what he does. He, along with McIlroy and Rahm, will need to be at their best with lots of question marks at the back end of the team.
Tyrell Hatton
Ryder Cup record: 2-4-1
Rank: 4 (World)
Tyrell is a guy that will never blow you away, but he is uber consistent. Take the majors this year for example: he made every cut, but never came close to contending for the W. He is a solid depth piece that you won’t need to worry about.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Ryder Cup record: 0-5-0
Rank: 5 (World)
Well, there is nowhere to go but up for the 2022 US Open champion after his disaster two years ago. The funny part is that he actually was very good at match play back in the day: he won the 2013 US Amateur. This is also a course that suits him well, so expect some redemption from Fitz.
Tommy Fleetwood
Ryder Cup record: 4-2-2
Rank: 6 (World/Captain’s pick)
His luxurious curls aside, Fleetwood was pretty much a lock for a captain’s pick with his strong play the last couple of months. One of the few members of this crew with a winning record in the Cup, look for him to be an ever-present in the lineup and should be a solid contributor of 2/2.5 points to the European cause.
Sepp Straka
Ryder Cup record: Rookie
Rank: 7 (World/Captain’s pick)
The first of the question marks on this team, Straka’s performance in majors this year (2 top 10’s) earned him a spot. He doesn’t have a ton of big-time pedigree, but owns 2 wins on the PGA Tour and is known as a steady player. I think he might end up only playing 1 or 2 team matches, to hide the lack of depth.
Justin Rose
Ryder Cup record: 13-8-2
Rank: 9 (World/Captain’s pick)
The “Been There, Done That” guy for the Europeans, there isn’t much the wily vet hasn’t seen at this stage in his career. A great team player, individually his career has been on the downswing with no wins in 5 years. Still, he always seems to bring it Ryder Cup week. He should be a large presence in the team matches and is an underrated singles player.
Shane Lowry
Ryder Cup record: 1-2-0
Rank: 8 (World/Captain’s pick)
He isn’t playing well, but he loves this event. A worthy punt for a captain’s pick, he is going to need to pull an Ian Poulter and let the juice from playing the Cup fuel his game.
Nicolai Hojgaard
Ryder Cup record: Rookie
Rank: 16 (World/Captain’s pick)
One of the two risky youngsters taken by Capt. Donald, the Dane has had a breakout year of sorts, but comes in only ranked 82nd in the World Rankings. He primarily plays on the DP World Tour, where he has 2 Top 10’s in his last 3 events to book a spot on the team. A long driver but mediocre putter, this layout might not be ideal for the most pressure he will have ever faced.
Ludvig Aberg
Ryder Cup record: Rookie
Rank: 58 (World) and 60 (European); Captain’s pick
I put both rankings above to show what a WTF pick this was. Aberg has only been a professional for 3 months; he has never competed in a major championship. He is an enigma: I, and a lot of viewers I imagine, have never seen him play before. What I do know is that in that short time as a pro, he already notched a win on the DP World Tour, and has contended in several other tournaments. He is hot, but very, very raw. How he handles the pressure will be one of the stories of the week, but I don’t imagine he will play more than once before his singles match.
Prediction
This is an unusually tough Ryder Cup to call; normally a European edition is almost a slam-dunk for the Euros, but they have major questions about their depth, and several leaders have aged out/joined LIV Golf. Luke Donald went bold with his captain’s picks, and how they do will dictate how the week unfolds. The Americans, meanwhile, are betting on chemistry over form, but overall are much more talented. The course favors the Europeans, but not to the degree it has in the past, as they have more “bomber” type players than before.
I’m going with a squeaker, but the US breaks its long drought across the pond:
USA 14.5, Europe 13.5; bank on it.
Friday Morning Matches
The Friday morning foursome matches have been revealed. They feature (Europe on left, US on right):
Notes
- Individual stats pulled from rydercup.com ↩︎
- Major records pulled from Wikipedia ↩︎
Your coverage of the Ryder Cup was worthy of discussions by the analysts covering this weekends golf jewel. EXCELLENT!
I hope you are correct on the final tally.
Not looking so hot right now! Man the US couldn’t buy a putt or a point today.