Early in the morning, when it is still half dark on the driving range, the 24 players competing in the Ryder Cup get a feel for the special nature of this extraordinary event even before the first tee shot. Later, roaring crowds of fans will be waiting for them, singing their praises and pushing them forward. But before that, every player seems a little lonely. During normal tournaments, the training area here is packed, but now it’s almost empty: just 24 tee boxes for 24 players, neatly marked with European and American flags. It is not possible to immerse yourself in the mass of the field. Every player automatically comes into the spotlight – with all their strengths and weaknesses. This is the essence of the Ryder Cup.
It is the largest possible stage that golf has to offer. The spectacle takes place every two years, alternating between the USA and Europe. In terms of media coverage, it is often compared to events such as the Olympic Games, the Football World Cup or the Super Bowl. The recipe for success is simple: two teams, 24 players, 28 games in match play. Whoever gets 14.5 points first wins. The whole spectacle is accompanied by a lot of national pride and emotions.
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The idea was developed by British businessman Samuel Ryder, who had made a fortune selling flower seeds individually in paper bags. He was crazy about golf and financed the “International Professional Golf Match Great Britain versus United States of America” in Wentworth near London in 1926. The fight between ten Americans and ten Brits was compared in the press to the “Little Big Horn massacre”; with a score of 1.5 to 13.5, the Americans were pretty much defeated. But the comparison battle found supporters, so the first official Ryder Cup took place in 1927.
Victory party: Tony Finau celebrates success with the US team in 2021
Which: PGA TOUR/Keyur Khamar
Almost 100 years later, the small trophy, which was made for 250 pounds by the Mappin & Webb Company in London, remains. It shows Abe Mitchell, who was already at the start in 1926 and Samuel Ryder’s private coach. The desperately poor golf professional has little in common with his super-rich successors, who will be competing in the 44th Ryder Cup at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome next week. The original motive of international understanding has now become unnecessary. A majority of the professionals who compete in Italy either live a few houses away from each other in Florida or meet at the same tournaments week after week.
There is no room for LIV players in Europe’s team
What remains is the fascination of match play, this tactical balancing of risk and reward. Grace doesn’t know this game format. “The Ryder Cup is the purest form of competition we have in our sport,” said European captain Luke Donald: “Coming together as a team and doing something for the community and not for yourself is pretty special. There is nothing else that has the same importance as representing your country or your continent.” And yes, “there is a big rivalry between Europe and the USA.” Donald’s team must erase defeat in Rome. In 2021, Europe lost 9:19 in Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, the clearest defeat in a long time.
“I still hate LIV,” McIlroy said after merging with the PGA
For the first time, Rory McIlroy, one of the top stars, has commented on the merger of the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and LIV Golf. The Northern Irishman still hates the LIV, but hopes for a future team element.
The debate about the unpleasant LIV tour and those players who were financially rewarded for joining it also plays a role in this Ryder Cup. There is no room for a LIV player in Europe’s team, not even for Sergio Garcia. The absence of the 43-year-old Spaniard, who is the competition’s highest points scorer with 28.5 points, marks a generational change in Team Europe.
Ludvig Aberg, the 23-year-old Swede with no Ryder Cup experience, is supposed to bring the spirit with which Garcia caused a sensation at his first appearance in Boston in 1999 at the age of 19: fearless, creative and aggressive. It remains to be seen whether Aberg can shine similarly on the big stage in front of more than 40,000 spectators every day. One thing is certain: the young man is the new prodigy in Team Europe. At his first tournament on the DP World Tour he immediately came fourth. In his victory at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, the young man showed winning qualities with four birdies on the last five holes, which earned him the wildcard from Captain Donald.
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He is traveling with a team whose four Ryder Cup newcomers are difficult to assess. In addition to Aberg, Nicolai Hojgaard and Sepp Straka also received one of the six “captains picks”; Robert MacIntyre qualified directly. The German Yannik Paul also had this opportunity until the final tournament in Crans Montana, but was unable to take advantage of it. The focus of attention in Italy is less on the newcomers, but rather on the big stars: Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose have made eleven Ryder Cup participations in Team Europe, meaning that the leadership roles have been taken. Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Victor Hovland, all in the top 15 in the world rankings, also represent the European claim to want to stand up to the Americans this time. “We have quite a depth in terms of talented players in Europe,” said Donald, “a perfect combination of players with experience and exciting, talented newcomers.”
Woods and Mickelson, a duo that didn’t work
Seven of their opponents were part of the victorious United States in Whistling Straits. Rickie Fowler, another experienced Ryder Cup player, is celebrating a comeback. For the newcomers Sam Burns, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman and Max Homa, the same applies to their counterparts in Team Europe: They have to prove themselves.
Adaptation or subordination are not encouraged in the individual sport of golf. You can only make it to the top of the world as a focused I-AG. But in the “fours,” where two players have to play together, selfishness is a catastrophe: if the chemistry isn’t right, failure is inevitable. We therefore regularly ask in advance which partner a player definitely does not want to go on the round with. If only because the US superstars Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson once proved to be incompatible in 2004: the then number 1 and 2 in the world rankings, who were anything but good friends privately, walked across the course in a foursome without saying a word and at a distance.
Ryder Cup also means: party in the stands
Quelle: Getty Images/Stacy Revere
Speaking of the course: The golf course of the fashion designer Laura Biagotti, who died in 2017, has been trimmed to Ryder Cup standards in recent years. Economic difficulties, extremely slow construction work and coordination problems with the authorities had led to speculation as to whether a Ryder Cup could even be held here. The golf course has been in operation for over a year. “It’s so hilly and it could get so warm that the guys are probably happy if they can sit it out,” said Stewart Cink, one of the U.S. vice-captains.
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Marco Simone’s 18 holes feature numerous water hazards, heavily moved greens and towel-thin fairways. Many a par 4 or par 5 hole can be attacked. Anyone who loves risk and the tingling sensation in the stomach when taking shots that can win everything but also lose everything will feel right at home here.
