Historically, the situation is relatively clear: the European team is the favorite in the Ryder Cup duel against the USA – due to the home advantage. The last time Europe managed an away win was in 2012, and since then the home team has always won, usually clearly: in 2021 in Whistling Straits the USA won by ten points, and in Paris in 2018 the Europeans won by seven points.
The Ryder Cup will begin on Friday morning at 7.35 a.m. (TV: Sky) with four foursomes: two players per team play a ball together, always taking turns and always with the same goal. The Ryder Cup is a pure match play tournament, so it’s not about the overall result at the end of the round, as is usually the case in golf, but about the result per hole. Each hole can be won or shared, with the winner(s) over 18 holes earning a point for their continent. Overall matches can also be split, then half points are awarded.
The same basic principle applies on Friday afternoon (starting at 12.25 p.m.) when the first four fourballs are played: Two players per team each play their own ball, the best result of the two-person team on each hole is counted. On Saturday the same program follows again, as on Friday eight points will be awarded. On Sunday the decision will be made in the individual, twelve against twelve, so a total of 28 points will be awarded.
Who plays against whom is up to the captains: Both put their pairs together and enter them on a seeding list from one to four the evening before and after the morning rounds, without knowing who the opponent will nominate. The same procedure takes place again on Sunday, where tactical considerations decide: Do the nominally best players play first in order to quickly collect points? Or at the end, when every shot counts in the final on Sunday afternoon?
In any case, there is one thing that is not at stake in front of around 40,000 spectators in Rome every day: money. The winners of the Ryder Cup don’t receive any prize money; it’s all about prestige, the trophy, team success and playing their way into the history books of a sport. Every great golfer has won titles not only for himself over the course of his career – but also for his continent.
