24 of the world’s best players will tee it up in a few weeks at Italy’s Marco Simone Golf and Country Club for the 44th playing of the Ryder Cup. This year’s event will begin on September 29th and will take place over three days with 28 total matches. Ever since the initial competition in 1927, it has grown into one of the world’s greatest sporting events. Every two years, the best players from Europe and the United States go head-to-head in match play format with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe.
In the all-time standings, Team USA leads the series 27-14 with two ties. This year’s Ryder Cup starts on September 29th and concludes on October 1st. At the last Ryder Cup in 2021 held at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, Team USA defeated Team Europe 19-9 to clinch the largest margin of victory in the modern history of the event.
Teams: The qualifying criteria for each team are different. For the U.S. a points system has been in place since the 2019 season with players collecting points up until the completion of the 2022 BMW Championship. The top six players on the points list secured spots on the U.S. team with the remaining six players selected by Captain Zach Johnson following the completion of the 2023 PGA TOUR season.
Qualification for Team Europe began at the 2022 BMW PGA Championship, the fourth Rolex Series event of the 2022 season. It concluded on September 3, 2023, when the six players who qualified automatically were confirmed. These six automatic qualifiers will comprise the three leading players on the European Points List followed by the three leading players on the World Points List. European Captain Luke Donald will then select a further six Captain’s Picks to complete his 12-man team to face the United States.
U.S. Roster: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Max Homa, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler and Sam Burns.
European Roster: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Robert MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Ludvig Aberg.
Format: The Ryder Cup uses a match play format instead of the typical stroke play format that is used each week on the PGA Tour. Match play is a form of competition where a player (or players) plays directly against an opponent (or opponents) in a head-to-head match. You win a hole by completing it in the fewest number of strokes, and you win a match when you are winning by more holes than remain to be played. Since 1979, the Ryder Cup has consisted of two days of four-ball and foursome matches along with one day of singles matches.
FOUR-BALL
Each member of a two-man team plays his own ball, so four balls are in play on every hole. Each team counts the lowest of its two scores on each hole, and the team whose player has the lowest score wins the hole. If the low scores are tied, the hole is halved.
FOURSOMES
Each two-man team plays one ball per hole with the players taking turns until each hole is complete. Players alternate hitting tee shots, with one leading off on odd-numbered holes, and the other hitting first on even-numbered holes. The team with the low score on each hole wins that hole. If their scores are tied, the hole is halved.
SINGLES
Each match features one player from each team. The player with the lower score on each hole wins that hole. If their scores are tied, the hole is halved. Players can concede a hole to their opponent if they have no chance of halving the hole.
Scoring: Each match is worth one point, with matches ending in a tie worth ½ point to each side. There are no extra holes in Ryder Cup matches. The first team to reach 14 ½ points wins the Ryder Cup. If the matches end in a 14-14 tie, the team holding the Ryder Cup retains it.