From Italy to the United States, from Rome to New York, from the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club to Bethpage State Park Golf Course. Two years after the European triumph in the Eternal City, it's once again the Ryder Cup. The 45th edition of the challenge between Team Europe and Team USA is scheduled for Friday, September 26th to Sunday, September 28th. The continental team, still led by Luke Donald, will defend their title and attempt to secure a victory they haven't had overseas since 2012 (Medinah, Illinois). The Americans, led by Keegan Bradley, who has relinquished his dual role as player-captain, are instead looking to redeem themselves after losing 16.5 to 11.5 in Rome in a record-breaking Ryder Cup.
Ryder Cup, schedule
Spectacle, stadium-like cheering, euphoria, passion. The Ryder Cup is all this and more. Donald Trump, President of the United States and avid golf enthusiast, will be arriving for opening day. But it will be a week packed with spectacular events, from press conferences with captains and players to practice rounds. The All-Star Match will be played on September 24th, a 10-hole challenge featuring, among others, sports, music, entertainment, and film stars such as John McEnroe, Eli Manning, Pau Gasol, Toni Kukoc, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Tom Felton. The eagerly awaited opening ceremony will take place on Thursday the 25th. Then, the real action begins. A total of sixteen matches are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, eight per day, with doubles matches played in foursomes (in the morning) and fourball (in the afternoon) respectively. On Sunday the 28th, the challenge will be decided by 12 singles matches. A total of 28 points are up for grabs, and Europe, as the defending champions, will need only 14 (and therefore a draw) to retain the trophy.
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The European team has made only two changes compared to 2023. The first is Danish Rasmus Hojgaard, who has replaced his twin brother Nicolai. The other concerns the vice-captains, with Swede Alex Noren preferred to Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts. There will also be a touch of Italy in the form of brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari, both confirmed members of Donald's coaching staff. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy (winning his eighth career Ryder Cup), Scotsman Robert MacIntyre, Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, and Tyrrell Hatton, as well as Hojgaard (the only debutant on Team Europe), have automatically qualified through the appropriate rankings. Ireland's Shane Lowry, Spain's John Rahm, Austria's Sepp Straka, Norway's Viktor Hovland, Sweden's Ludvig Aberg, and England's Matt Fitzpatrick have received wild cards.
Four rookies will be on Team USA: Ben Griffin, Russell Henley, JJ Spaun, and Cameron Young. Rounding out the team are Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, and Scottie Scheffler, ranked No. 1 in the World Ranking.
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The Ryder Cup has a nearly century-old history, beginning in 1927. Until 1971, the biennial tournament pitted the United States against Great Britain. Since 1973, Ireland has been incorporated into Great Britain, and since 1979, the rest of continental Europe has been incorporated.
In 2018, Francesco Molinari wrote an epic chapter in the Ryder Cup history in Paris, winning all five of his matches (four doubles and one singles). In the history of the event, only Americans Larry Nelson (1979) and Dustin Johnson (2021) have achieved the feat. Only Larry Nelson, partnering with Lanny Wadkins in 1979, and Chicco Molinari, partnering with Tommy Fleetwood in 2018, have won four consecutive doubles matches in the same Ryder Cup.
Home court advantage has been crucial in recent years. Home teams have won eight of the last nine editions, with the sole exception of Europe's comeback in 2012 (known as the "Miracle of Medinah"). Team USA, however, set the largest margin of victory in 2021, winning 19-9. Tiger Woods, the notable absentee, has played four Ryder Cups as world number 1, while Scheffler is playing his second. The record holder for points scored (28.5) is Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who is excluded from Team Europe for the second consecutive year. After an initial American dominance, since 1979 (until then the American record was 19 victories, 18 + 1 draw as defenders, compared to three for the British), Europe has prevailed 13 times (12 + 1 draw as defending champions) compared to nine for the United States, who, in Europe, have not won since 1993 (The Belfry, 15-13).
