Every two years, the golf world gets the treat of the Ryder Cup, a match-play tournament that pits the best golfers from the US against the best from Europe and the UK. Well, 2023 is one of those years where we are getting Ryder Cup action.
Team USA looks to keep the Ryder Cup in their possession after a dominant performance against Team Europe in 2021 at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Wisconsin. To do so, they'll have to beat Team Europe on their home turf, as the event goes across the pond for this latest edition.
With the Ryder Cup kicking off this week, here is everything you need to know abou the tournament, from when it takes place, to where and who is currently in line to participate in the event.
Ryder Cup 2023 dates
The Ryder Cup 2023 matches take place from Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 1.
Ryder Cup 2023 location
This edition of the Ryder Cup is taking place in Europe, specifically at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy. This is the first time that the Ryder Cup is taking place in Italy.
Ryder Cup 2023 teams
Team USA and Team Europe are made up of 12 players each.
Here is the 12 golfers making up Team USA:
- Sam Burns (captain's pick)
- Patrick Cantlay (automatic qualifier)
- Wyndham Clark (automatic qualifier)
- Brian Harman (automatic qualifier)
- Max Homa (automatic qualifier)
- Brooks Koepka (captain's pick)
- Collin Morikawa (captain's pick)
- Xander Schauffele (automatic qualifier)
- Scottie Scheffler (automatic qualifier)
- Jordan Spieth (captain's pick)
- Justin Thomas (captain's pick)
Here is the complete roster for Team Europe:
- Ludvig Aberg (captain's pick)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (automatic qualifier)
- Tommy Fleetwood (captain's pick)
- Tyrrell Hatton (automatic qualifier)
- Nicolai Højgaard (captain's pick)
- Viktor Hovland (automatic qualifier)
- Shane Lowry (captain's pick)
- Robert MacIntyre (automatic qualifier)
- Rory McIlroy (automatic qualifier)
- Jon Rahm (automatic qualifier)
- Justin Rose (captain's pick)
- Sepp Straka (captain's pick)
Ryder Cup 2023 Day One pairings
Here are the official pairings for day one of the Ryder Cup, taking place Friday, September 29, along with their official tee times and how that corresponds for US and UK viewers:
Match 1 (7:35 am local; 1:35 am ET in US, 6:35 am in UK)
- Team Europe: Jon Rahm & Tyrrell Hatton
- Team USA: Scottie Scheffler & Sam Burns
Match 2 (7:50 am; 1:50 am ET in US, 6:50 am in UK)
- Team Europe: Viktor Hovland & Ludvig Åberg
- Team USA: Max Homa & Brian Harman
Match 3 (8:05 am; 2:05 am ET in US, 7:05 am in UK)
- Team Europe: Shane Lowry & Sepp Straka
- Team USA: Rickie Fowler & Collin Morikawa
Match 4 (8:20 am; 2:20 am ET in US, 7:20 am in UK)
- Team Europe: Rory McIlroy & Tommy Fleetwood
- Team USA: Xander Schauffele & Patrick Cantlay
Ryder Cup 2023 captains
Each Ryder Cup team has a captain that in addition to filling out the team of 12 is responsible for arranging who plays with who and against who during the tournament.
For Team USA the captain is Zach Johnson. Johnson is a two-time major winner (the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open Championship) and previously played in five Ryder Cups, with an 8-6-2 record overall during those events. He previously served as a vice-captain for the team at the last two Ryder Cups.
Luke Donald is set to be Team Europe's captain. Luke Donald was a five-time winner on the PGA Tour and participated in the Ryder Cup four times throughout his career; Team Europe won all four years that Donald was part of the team. Can he keep the streak going now that he's a captain?
There are also a number of vice captains for each team. Team USA's announced vice captains include Steve Stricker, Davis Love III, Jim Furyk and Fred Couples; one more is expected to be announced. Team Europe's vice-captains are Thomas Bjorn, Edoardo Molinari and Nicolas Colsaerts.
Ryder Cup format
There are three days of Ryder Cup competition that determines who wins the event, with three variations of match play used for the tournament:
Four-ball: each member of a two-man team plays his own ball, with the lowest score of the hole for each team counting as the team’s official score. The team who has the lowest score on a hole wins that hole. If the two teams have the same score, then 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. The team with the lowest score on a hole wins that hole. If the two teams have the same score, then the hole is halved.
Singles: every player from each team competes in 12 head-to-head matches. The player with the lowest score on a hole wins that hole. If the players have the same score, then the hole is halved. Thing to note, players can concede a hole to their opponent, meaning they let their opponent pick up their ball without putting it in the hole, giving them the score they would have made had the next stroke gone in the hole (i.e., if a player had a tap-in putt for birdie, the opponent conceding that would mean the player earns the birdie automatically).
Friday and Saturday during the Ryder Cup will consist of four matches of four-ball and four matches of foursomes each day, while Sunday will see 12 singles matches taking place.
For match scoring, winning a hole gives a player/team one point, halving a hole means no one gets any points. Here’s a quick breakdown of how tallying points would work:
- Each match begins "all squared"
- If Team USA won the first hole, they would be up one in the match
- If Team Europe won the second hole, the match would then be all squared again
- If the team leading wins another hole before their opponent does, they increase their lead (two up, three up, etc.). Any hole won by the opponent decreases their lead
- If a hole is halved, the match remains at whatever score it was when the hole started
Whoever is leading the match after 18 holes wins the entire match and earns a point for their team. If a match is tied after 18 holes, then each team gets half a point. Matches can end before 18 holes if it is not mathematically possible for the other team to get the match back to all square at the conclusion of the 18th hole (for example, Team USA is up four holes with three to play).
There are 28 matches in total as part of the Ryder Cup. For Team Europe to win the Ryder Cup in 2023, they must earn at least 14 ½ points from all those matches. As the defending champion, Team USA can retain the cup if they earn at least 14 ½ points or if the event ends in a 14-14 tie.
How to watch the Ryder Cup 2023
Get a complete overview on how to watch the Ryder Cup here, but here's a quick roundup for US and UK viewers.
In the US, the Ryder Cup 2023 is going to air on NBC, USA and the Golf Channel on TV, while also being available to stream live on Peacock.
In the UK, the Ryder Cup is going to be available to watch exclusively on Sky Sports Golf, which requires a Sky TV subscription.
