This year’s Ryder Cup is set to begin in Rome. Here’s a look at the European team, captained by Luke Donald, and their dominance over the Americans when play is on European soil!
Let Captain @LukeDonald take you inside the European team room 🇪🇺#TeamEurope pic.twitter.com/DoqELtU2kY
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 26, 2023
Last US Win in Europe!
1993 was the last time a US team defeated their counterparts. That’s thirty years! Ever since then, the Americans just cannot taste victory.
What accounts for this winning, European attitude? Cohesiveness and chemistry. Why? Here’s my thought and the US team proved my point this year.
Zach Johnson, the US captain, and his squad came to Rome for a few days a fortnight back to look over the course and play it a bit. Not everyone made the trip across the pond. Seems odd, right?
Conversely, last week was the BMW PGA Championship in England. EVERY EUROPEAN PLAYER was entered. Captain Donald even went so far to have some play in the same groups to get accustomed to each other. The Americans?
Only two played in any event. And it was in the US. For Europe, this event is in their blood. They live for these moments. The Americans seem to think that just showing up will suffice.
Playing together builds companionship and confidence. The US lacks that when they travel abroad. I hope I’m wrong on this. We shall see.
Horschel questions the team’s reluctance
Billy Horschel questioned the reasons for Americans not playing in the event in England like he did. In a Golf Digest interview, Horschel remarked:
“The U.S. Ryder Cup team was in Italy over the weekend. I wouldn’t expect them all to come and play here [England], but I thought some would welcome the chance to play an event in European conditions before the Ryder Cup. They could still go home next week and prepare.”
This weekend plans to be exciting and dramatic. Here’s a quick look not at the regular qualifiers but the captain’s picks for Luke Donald’s team. These picks usually impact the event’s outcome in unbelievable ways. More on that in another article!
Europe Team Captain’s Picks
The Europeans list of automatic qualifiers are a who’s who among the best this year on the PGA Tour. Rahm, McIlroy, Hovland, Hatton, Fitzpatrick and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who qualified with a solid year on the DP Tour, the European equivalent to the PGA here. No need to go further with these gentlemen. MacIntyre is young, but he’s a young man you will be hearing a great deal about.
Therefore, here are Donald’s captain picks with a bit of information on each. It’s a group of first-timers and seasoned veterans.
The European Vets!
Tommy Fleetwood*-14th World Ranking
- International wins- 2011 Kazakhstan Open. 2013 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. 2017 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. 2017 HNA Open de France. 2018 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA. 2019 Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player. 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge.
- He played in the Ryder Cup in 2018, 2020, and now 2023, with an overall record of 4-2-2 (wins-losses-draws).
"We're all looking forward to playing for him"
Tommy Fleetwood praises Team Europe Captain Luke Donald ⭐ pic.twitter.com/yzYF7xGMqn
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) September 26, 2023
Justin Rose* 36th World Ranking
- PGA tour wins- 2010 (2) the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance, AT&T National. 2011 (1) BMW Championship. 2012 (1) World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. 2013 (1) U.S. Open. 2014 (1) Quicken Loans National. 2015 (1) Zurich Classic of New Orleans. 2018 (2) World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, Fort Worth Invitational. 2019 (1) Farmers Insurance Open. 2023 (1) AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
- International wins- 2002 Victor Chandler British Masters. 2002 Dunhill Championship. 2007 Volvo Masters. 2014 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. 2015 UBS Hong Kong Open. 2017 Turkish Airlines Open. 2018 Turkish Airlines Open. 2002 Nashua Nedtel Masters. 2002 Crowns Tournament. 2006 Mastercard Masters. 2016 Olympic Games. 2017 Indonesian Masters.
- Ryder Cup appearances – 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2023. His record is 13-8-2.
Not the week I was after, but lots of positives I can take into Rome!
Thank you @BMWPGA @bmwgolfsport for another world class event. Lastly all the brilliant fans that come out and support us all in 🇬🇧 thank you so much. 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/3KvcBO8BmQ— Justin ROSE (@JustinRose99) September 17, 2023
Shane Lowry* 34th World Ranking
- PGA tour wins– 2015 (1) World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. 2019 (1) The Open Championship.
- International wins– 2009 The 3 Irish Open. 2012 Portugal Masters. 2019 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA. 2022 BMW PGA Championship.
- Ryder Cup – 2020, 2023. His record sits at 1-1-1.
From the Irish Sun, Sportsfile
The European Newcomers!
Sepp Straka* 22nd World Ranking
- PGA tour wins- 2022 (1) The Honda Classic. 2023 (1) John Deere Classic.
- This is his first Ryder Cup appearance.
Sepp Straka has had a summer to remember.
He finished runner-up at The 151st Open thanks to shots like this. pic.twitter.com/un9NwEB9Xd
— The Open (@TheOpen) September 20, 2023
Nicolai Hojgaard* 81st World Ranking
- International wins– 2021 DS Automobiles Italian Open. 2022 Ras al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital.
- Joined the PGA Tour this season and will participate in his first Ryder Cup.
- His brother is just as good!
Europe’s secret weapon? Heavy-hitting Hojgaard relishing Ryder Cup debut https://t.co/9aZp8DOXA1 pic.twitter.com/e0B096xAeI
— Indy Sport (@IndySport) September 25, 2023
Ludvig Aberg* 80th World Ranking
- International victories– 2023 Omega European Masters.
- Season highlights– Finished No. 1 in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2023, turning professional and joining the PGA TOUR following the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. Became the first player to join the TOUR directly from college via PGA TOUR University.
- This golfer from Texas Tech is planning on making this just the first of many Ryder Cup appearances. Don’t sleep on this player!
Describe Ludvig Aberg's swing in three words or less. pic.twitter.com/bkcT4A43mF
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 27, 2023
By the way, many of the Europeans have played the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club course in competitions. That’s the course the Ryder Cup will be fought on. The US? No one has played on this course in competition.
Much of the information used here came from the PGA Tour website, the DP Tour website, and RyderCup.com.
Thanks to Noah Bittner for all the research!
Here’s our first article on the Ryder Cup.
How to watch!
9/29 Friday: 3:00 AM to Noon USA Network
9/30 Saturday: 1:30 AM to 3:00 AM USA Network
9/30 Saturday: 3:00 AM to 6:00 PM NBC/Peacock
10/1 Sunday: 5:30 AM to 1:00 PM NBC/Peacock
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