Welcome to the Ryder Cup, the premier match play and international golf tournament in the world.
There’s nothing like it and nothing better.
And it’s finally here.
The Americans are coming off an absolute romp at Whistling Straits in 2021, smoking the Europeans 19-9.
So in some ways, mission accomplished.
From there, it was American dominance.
It’s time for the Americans to fix that.
Anyways, here’s more info on historical records and recent Ryder Cups.
The Format and Schedule
The format is as such:
28 points are up for grabs.
Simple as that, dummy.
In each of those 4 sessions, there are 4 matches, each worth 1 point.
Then on Sunday you’ve got 12 singles matches to bring it home.
Marco Simone is a brilliant venue for a Ryder Cup, and a tough walk.
I still have nightmares of Fleetwood and Molinari methodically ball-striking their way through Le Golf National.
But this course plays a bit longer than the number.
It’s incredibly hilly (great for spectators) and is full of uneven lies.
The course is lined with thick fescue and undulations that can leave balls in some awkward spots.
There’s also a high degree of risk/reward, as there should be in match play.
And of course, some penal rough.
It wouldn’t be a big time golf tournament without one of these videos…
The finish stretch is unreal too.
Love a good par 5 finish.
Dogleg right, drivable par 4 for the longer guys with danger all down the right side.
Jon Rahm has gotta be licking his chops visualizing that hellacious power fade into this green complex.
And even a lay up off the tee is no picnic.
Plus it’s just a beautiful golf hole.
Matches will be won and lost here, and it kicks off a fantastic finishing stretch.
The Weather
Just a lovely glisten out there.
No inclement weather in sight.
Gonna be glorious out there.
The Trophy
Simply put, it’s a thing of beauty.
Iconic as they come.
When you see a silhouette of it, you know exactly what you’re looking at.
Looks great on a polo or a hat too.
The Teams
Two years ago, I wrote a whole bunch about the players here.
It’s a joke that the Europeans are suddenly the favorite in this thing.
The Americans are so so so much deeper and have all the cohesiveness of 2 years ago.
Cantlay and X are going to be a wrecking crew yet again.
Scheffler may have struggled with the putter all year but he’s a lowkey match play savant.
This course is an exhausting walk.
It’s gonna be tight.
It’s gonna be close.
It’s gonna come down to the final matches Sunday.
But the Americans are going to prevail here and we’re all going to get stinky rich off it.
This year we’ve got the Big J trying to take the objective route by picking Europe to win.
I can’t blame them.
This is the year things change.Americans win 15-13.
PS: Initial pairings are out, and I am so fired up to kick things off.
