More footage of the fire generated inside the hospitality tend near the 18th hole at Marco Simone. Hope everyone is safe #rydercup pic.twitter.com/Ile6Of5maD

— Marco Agosta (@marcoagosta52) October 5, 2023

Video footage posted on social showed large plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky and flames engulfing more than half of the temporary three-story structure. Though damage appears to be extensive, it’s fortunate that the fire did not break out last week during the Ryder Cup, where an estimated 50,000 fans watched Europe defeat the United States, 16.5-11.5.

Ryder Cup Europe statement on fire at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. pic.twitter.com/9l7M7jfiSA

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) October 5, 2023

According to a statement from Ryder Cup Europe, the organising body of this year’s event, local firefighters were called to the scene at 5.07pm local time in Guidonia Montecelio, just north of Rome, “and quickly brought the blaze under control”. The statement said that there were no injuries, and that the fire was contained to a single structure. The golf course did not sustain any damage.

The cause of the fire is being investigated. The course was open for play at the time the fire began.

#Roma, dalle 17:25 intervento #vigilidelfuoco in corso nella zona di Guidona per #incendio di una struttura di 3 piani in un golf club: 5 squadre al lavoro per lo spegnimento delle fiamme [#5ottobre 18:00] pic.twitter.com/sZ34X9fKWU

— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) October 5, 2023

A news outlet in Italy reported that all roads leading to the course were closed.

Main image: Marco Simone fire. Marco Agosta

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Here are seven critical reasons the Europeans managed to seize control of the competition on Friday, and—despite a brief moment of tension on Sunday afternoon—kept that control for the entire weekend.

1. They controlled the first hole

In the first three sessions of play, after which the Europeans led 9½-2½ and the outcome of the Cup was all decided, the home side had won the opening hole in five of the 12 matches. More astoundingly, the Americans won it zero times. That’s more important than you might think; teams that lead early win more often than they lose, to state the obvious. Those holes establish momentum and put pressure on the opponent. After the first hole, no European team trailed in those three critical sessions, and five of them led. The final tally after singles was Europe with 10 wins on the first hole, and America with just four.

You could explain this in a couple ways. Americans may have gotten into trouble with riskier club selection, or maybe Luke Donald’s policy of having his team play three-hole practice matches played off. Maybe the set-up benefited them—we heard endlessly on the broadcast that certain distances (180 yards was mentioned often) gave the Europeans an advantage, and they knew it. Whatever the case, their plan was better, and more than a few American players were beaten practically before the round had started.

2. By the way, they controlled the second hole, too

The tally on the second hole this week was eight wins for the Europeans, two to the Americans. That’s how you snuff out hope early.

RELATED: Rickie Fowler conceded the Cup-clinching putt and the golf world had questions

3. Foursomes, foursomes, foursomes

To read my magnum opus on foursomes, and how the home team dominates this format and pretty much wins the Ryder Cup on its back, go here. In short, though, the last five Ryder Cups have followed a very specific formula in which the fourball and singles matches are roughly even, and the foursomes matches are a slaughter. That was the case once more in Italy; take foursomes out, and the U.S. “won” this thing 10½-9½. In foursomes, the Europeans won 7-1. That’s it! That’s the ball

Ramsey Cardy

The baseline argument here on why the home team just keeps running up these ridiculous numbers is that the statistical revolution has made leaps and bounds in the last decade—both teams now operate with sophisticated data support—and foursomes is the format in which you can have the most influence as the home team with course setup. That’s the only explanation, but it’s a decent one, and it’s so critical.

RELATED: The Ryder Cup is broken, and there’s no easy fix

4. Dodo’s statistics

One of the big red flags before this Ryder Cup is that the European team moved away from the 21st Group, their statistical consulting partners, to the operation run by vice captain Edoardo “Dodo” Molinari. (The U.S. stuck with Scouts Consulting, the outfit which has been with them in some capacity since 2016, and it was inevitable that they’d be prepared.) As it turned out, Molinari wasn’t some dilettante statistician; Matt Fitzpatrick, one of the great data nerds in the game, retained him for consultation/analysis, and he was more than prepared for the job ahead of him. As always, the actual nuts and bolts of this work are tightly held—neither side wants the other to know exactly how the sausage is made—and journalists are necessarily light on specifics. But you can judge by the final score, and by how certain holes were won and certain partnerships formed, that whatever made up the magic sauce, Molinari, a former U.S. Amateur champion, knew what he was doing when he was crunching numbers for match play.

Andrew Redington

5. The crowd

There is no underrating the significance of a rowdy, partisan crowd in the Ryder Cup. We’ve said it before: They are vociferous by any standard. But by the standards of golf—where galleries always cheer for players and almost never against them—being taunted for three days by hundreds of thousands of people is a jarring experience. Open Championship winner Brian Harman admitted in the lead-up to the week that he had occasionally been overwhelmed the crowds at Royal Liverpool, and this is the Open on steroids. Additionally, they’re closer to the players at many moments than they are in most any other sport, where there’s at least a divide more significant than a thread of rope.

Luke Walker

The influence of the fans is, unfortunately, something we can’t quantify in terms of actual numbers, but again, for at least the fifth straight Ryder Cup, they proved in the abstract to be a massive influence on the result.

6. Chemistry

The U.S. bent over backward to ensure everyone that theirs was an incredibly close team—particularly after questionable reports emerged about Patrick Cantlay’s attitude in the locker room. But in the final press conference, only one of the two captains received a unanimous endorsement from his players to return for Bethpage in 2025, and that was Luke Donald. The word from Team Europe behind the scenes was that he was hitting all the right notes in preparing for this Ryder Cup, and it’s clear that work paid off in the team room. The Europeans were cohesive without needing to shout it from the rooftops. When they were challenged in the bizarre scene on the 18th hole Saturday night, they came even closer together to put together a 6-6 singles session in the face of arguably greater talent to close the door.

Patrick Smith

One small example of how players bought into Donald’s message came through Justin Rose. Rose is a legendary Ryder Cupper and a major winner who even at 43 might have demanded special treatment. Instead, Donald intended to play Rose in just two fourball sessions—not even his strongest format, which is foursomes—and to pair him with Bob MacIntyre, who came in with perhaps the worst form of any player on either team. Rose answered the bell, heroically carrying the partnership to 1½ points the first two days, and then giving Patrick Cantlay the fight of his life before ultimately losing singles. He put his ego aside totally, and in that you can see the positive influence of Donald’s communication and preparation.

7. The veteran/rookie partnerships

Like the U.S., Donald had four rookies to integrate into his lineup. He got them all in on Friday with veteran partners, and collectively they went 2-2-0. Not only did he dial up the proper partner for each rookie—Viktor Hovland for Ludvig Aberg, Rose for MacIntyre, Jon Rahm for Nicholai Hojgaard, Shane Lowry for Sepp Straka—but he picked the perfect sessions for them to debut. They cooled off as the Cup wore on, but by then the damage had been done. In the end, those rookies finished 5-6-3, but considering how raw they were—America’s rookies were significantly better players, and only finished at 7-6-3, not much better—Donald passed one of the big tests of his captaincy and staved off disaster with his inexperienced players.

That was a common theme: There weren’t many tests Donald—and his victorious team—didn’t pass.

Main image: Naomi Baker

The post How Europe won back the Ryder Cup in 7 simple steps appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

What Greller witnessed was a microcosm of what went down in Rome. Though a spirited Sunday charge was entertaining, it proved to be nothing more than the scenic route to the inevitable, as the Americans once again fell big on the road and were left wondering where to go from here.

“You know, right now everything is extremely surreal and almost foggy. For me to come up and devise some sort of plot of how to change or alter or whatever you want to call it, I wouldn’t even know where to start right now,” Johnson said after his team’s 16½-11½ defeat. “I know I’ll reflect. It’s natural when you have something of this magnitude.”

Make no doubt, this was a tour-de-force performance from Europe. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood were who we thought they were and more, and any player with a question mark next to his name delivered an answer with vigour. Captain Luke Donald and his assembled crew have earned their flowers. And yet, as the sun dances behind the skyline of the Eternal City to send this match into the past, this feels like a Ryder Cup that was lost as much as it was won.

RELATED: Rickie Fowler conceded the Cup-clinching putt and the golf world had questions

The first knock was delivered before the matches began with an undisclosed virus making its way through the US locker room and knocking out several players something fierce. That could partially explain why the US stumbled in foursomes Friday morning, and by “stumbled” we mean getting swept for the first time ever in the opening session. There was a window Friday afternoon where the Americans had a chance for a 3-1 session victory; instead in every potential winning match the US watched their opponents celebrate on the 18th green, leaving with just 1½ points. Saturday morning was more of the same, lowlighted by Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka—arguably the two best American players—suffering the worst loss in Ryder Cup history, 9 and 7. Entering Saturday afternoon the Europeans held a seven-point advantage.

Richard Heathcote

Through the first three sessions, Johnson was no cheerleader. He tried to play it cool, or as cool as Zach Johnson can appear. He stressed he wasn’t worried, that he had faith in his guys in his room, that they are not a bunch that needs encouragement. That Johnson was gone and in his place was a captain insisting their fate had not been decided. He clapped, he cheered, he shouted. It was the type of frenetic energy one has when buying a couch too wide to fit through the front door, refusing to acknowledge a truth that can’t be adjusted.

The thing is … it kind of worked, the Americans finally winning a session. Yet it was undercut by Johnson relaying, in his words, “data” to Spieth on the 16th tee, and though Spieth is responsible for ultimately hitting the shot, Johnson’s ploy backfired. It was far from the only instance where Johnson’s strategy failed.

RELATED: The Ryder Cup is broken, and there’s no easy fix

There were the captain’s picks, perhaps one of the most consequential responsibilities of the job. Johnson’s six selections went 4-12-4 on the week. He inserted Rickie Fowler in the Friday morning lineup, which looks curious given rumours that Fowler was under the weather and made worse by the fact he didn’t play at all Saturday. Johnson went with Sam Burns and Scheffler despite their rough Presidents Cup together and that analytics don’t paint them as the most compatible grouping. In the end, the buddy-buddy pairing produced unfriendly results. Meanwhile, Johnson kept riding Spieth despite Spieth looking lost with his game and himself.

On Sunday night Johnson chalked up most of the carnage to sticking to his pre-week game plan rather than adjusting to how the Ryder Cup was playing out. He then admitted he “should have listened to his gut” more yet also didn’t know what that would have meant.

“There’s something to be said about observing and witnessing that helps your decision process, and then you include everything else and you try to find every possible scenario so that you can score points,” Johnson said. “I would say that it’s pretty evident that the other team did a better job of that, certainly the first two or three—first three sessions. I think it’s really that simple.”

RELATED: Ryder Cup 2023 updates: Europe closes out 16½-11½ win at Marco Simone

It was a confusing end to an uninspiring captainship.

Jamie Squire

The blame is not Johnson’s alone. Putting continues to be the bane of Scottie Scheffler’s existence but the rest of his game wasn’t particularly great en route to a 0-2-2 record. The World No. 1 was outscored by Europe’s Robert MacIntyre, who according to DataGolf’s true strokes gained has been worse than several Korn Ferry Tour players over the past six months. Xander Schauffele was supposed to be one of the rocks for the US; instead, Schauffele’s game was crushed to pieces, failing to log a single point Friday or Saturday. Wyndham Clark was second in automatic qualifying but was statistically the worst player this weekend. Justin Thomas failed to prove his critics wrong, finishing 21st out of the 24 players in strokes gained. Fowler conceded the winning putt to Fleetwood, which, depending on your perspective, is either a lack of competitive fire or recognition of the moment.

The problems extended past the playing roster. Europe was surgical with its vice captains, utilizing a mix of peers and elders and heroes as their helping hands. The US went with the same uncles they trot out at every team event, voices while respected are essentially of the same voice. The lack of cohesion by the PGA Tour and PGA of America—which has not improved in the months since the surprise framework agreement between the tour and Saudi Arabia—continues to be an issue, with most American players having five competitive weeks off before Rome while their European counterparts played less than 14 days ago.

“You know, clearly our start Friday, the entire day Friday, was not what we were looking to do. And it’s really hard to come back in an away game when you fall so far behind,” Spieth said. “I’ve been a part of that before. So I would say like, you know, I think if you ask—I think maybe if I rephrase the question, if you asked us when we would like to play the Ryder Cup relative to our schedule, I think we would probably say, give us a week after the Tour Championship or two weeks after and then go, instead of five.”

It’s fair to wonder how bad the result could have been had the Americans not received a jolt of life thanks to a report about team fracture and protest staged by Patrick Cantlay, a report the Americans denied and rallied around. And to their credit, the Americans made it interesting on Sunday and seemed to give a damn. But these are professionals and the stakes are too high and emotions are too invested to take solace in moral victories, and “interesting” doesn’t mean much when the final result is still a blowout.

Worse, it is an outcome that lends itself to the same existential questions that have been recycled for the better part of three decades. Variations of the above could be said for almost any away loss since 1993, give or take a post-match mutiny or two. The characters change but the story remains the same, task forces be damned. It is an outcome that threatens the integrity of the event, because instead of asking why the US can’t solve its road problem perhaps the ask should be if it can be solved. The home team has now won eight of the last nine and 11 of the last 13 Ryder Cups, with an average winning scoring margin of five points.

Johnson and his boys made plenty of mistakes, but it’s fair to wonder if they even had a chance. Because winning on the road requires the road team to be flawless and golf isn’t a game of perfect.

Should the trend continue there will be a storm on the horizon. At times each side has held the conch of power, but for it to swing so dramatically and conclusively every two years is not a rivalry; it’s the byproduct of a broken apparatus. Which will be fine for United States fans, because 2025 will be at Bethpage Black, and the result will make many believe the team has finally figured it out. Then it comes back to Europe in 2027, and the same crisis will return because the Ryder Cup is trapped in a perpetual time loop. This doesn’t mean the Ryder Cup lacks excitement or importance or heart. It just means it’s not a sporting event, because in sporting events the outcome is always in doubt. The Ryder Cup is proving itself to be nothing more than an exhibition, and that’s the most dispiriting problem of all.

Main image: Ramsey Cardy

The post Why it went wrong for America and wondering if it will ever get right appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Despite a furious charge from the U.S. squad, Europe hung on to win by a final score of 16.5 to 11.5, extending its streak of victories on home soil to seven, a run that will now span 34 years (the next Ryder Cup in Europe will take place in 2027). For those who caught Europe at great odds, congrats to you.

As for the prop bettors out there, below you’ll find the final records and point allotments for every player in Rome.

RELATED: Ryder Cup 2023 updates: Europe closes out 16½-11½ win at Marco Simone

Team Europe

Rory McIlroy (4-1-0, 4 points)

Tyrrell Hatton (3-0-1, 3.5 points)

Viktor Hovland (3-1-1, 3.5 points)

Tommy Fleetwood (3-1-0, 3 points)

Jon Rahm (2-0-2, 3 points)

Robert MacIntyre (2-0-1, 2.5 points)

Ludvig Aberg (2-2-0, 2 points)

Justin Rose (1-1-1, 1.5 points)

Shane Lowry (1-1-1, 1.5 points)

Matt Fitzpatrick (1-2-0, 1 point)

Sepp Straka (1-2-0, 1 point)

Nicolai Hoojgaard (0-2-1, 0.5 points)

Team USA

Max Homa (3-1-1, 3.5 points)

Brian Harman (2-2-0, 2 points)

Patrick Cantlay (2-2-0, 2 points)

Brooks Koepka (1-1-1, 1.5 points)

Justin Thomas (1-2-1, 1.5 points)

Wyndham Clark (1-1-1, 1 point)

Sam Burns (1-2-0, 1 point)

Collin Morikawa (1-3-0, 1 point)

Jordan Spieth (0-2-2, 1 point)

Scottie Scheffler (0-2-2, 1 point)

Xander Schauffele (1-3-0, 1 point)

Rickie Fowler (0-2-0, 0 points)

Results

Top overall point-scorer: Rory McIlroy

Top European point-scorer: Rory McIlroy

Top United States point-scorer: Max Homa

Top European rookie point-scorer: Robert MacIntyre

Top United States rookie point-scorer: Max Homa

Top European captain’s pick point-scorer: Tommy Fleetwood

Top United States captain’s pick point-scorer: Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas

Main Image: Andrew Redington

The post Ryder Cup 2023: Every player’s final record and point allotment at Marco Simone appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The biennial match is filled with territorial tension, drama and plenty of testy three-footers that most hackers just scoop up in their normal weekend games. But when there’s actually something on the line, golfers must wait for a two-word phrase that’s more delightful to the ears than anything Shakespeare ever penned: “That’s good.”

Through the years, these gimmes—or perceived gimmes—have created some memorable moments in the Ryder Cup, and the 2023 event was no different. The Europeans extended a three-decade-plus home winning streak on a three-footer that didn’t even have to be struck.

Tommy Fleetwood wins the 16th hole to go 2UP vs. Rickie Fowler and @RyderCupEurope is on the cusp of victory. #TeamEurope

?: @NBC and @peacock | #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/C6nDnOOrsb

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) October 1, 2023

The moment @TommyFleetwood1 secured the half point that guarantees we win the Ryder Cup ?#TeamEurope | #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/45MHGfK516

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) October 1, 2023

This time, Tommy Fleetwood was the beneficiary of a generous concession from Rickie Fowler that clinched the cup for Team Europe on Sunday at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. OK, so technically, it was listed at two feet, eight inches, and it’s a putt that Fleetwood normally makes without thinking. But with the entire Ryder Cup on the line? Well, Paul Azinger among others would have liked to see Tommy make it.

It’s also very likely Europe, which wound up winning 16.5 to 11.5, would have walked away with the cup anyway. Still, this one will go down in Ryder Cup lore. And although this example nor anything else has quite reached the level of controversy of the 2015 Solheim Cup’s “Gimmegate” involving Suzann Pettersen, there have been some awkward situations. Here are five others that still stand out years—and, in some cases, decades—later.

1. Jack Nicklaus vs. Tony Jacklin (1969)

Uncredited

Of course, any list involving concessions has to start with THE Concession that ended the 1969 Ryder Cup in a tie. It was Nicklaus who magnanimously gave Jacklin a two-footer on the final hole to halve the match, a move that instantly put the American in the Sportsmanship Hall of Fame (if there was such a thing). So why is this controversial? Because many of Nicklaus’ teammates were NOT happy about the Golden Bear getting all warm and fuzzy in the heat of battle—especially during what had been a particularly testy event. While the US retained the Ryder Cup with a 16-16 tie, the move prevented the squad from potentially winning that year’s matches outright—and no one was more upset than US captain Sam Snead. “When it happened, all the boys thought it was ridiculous to give him that putt,” Snead famously said. “We went over there to win, not to be good ol’ boys.”

2. Nick Faldo vs. Paul Azinger (1993)

David Cannon

Azinger is arguably the biggest Ryder Cup pest—and certainly one of the event’s biggest hotheads—but in this case, he seems to have a good, um, case. With the Americans already guaranteed to retain the Cup, Faldo convinced Zinger to give him a five-foot putt on 18 in what had been a tremendous singles match highlighted by a hole-in-one by the Brit on No. 14. Azinger contends Faldo incorrectly claimed the US had also won outright. “I can’t tell you how irritating that was,” said Azinger, who found out from teammate Davis Love III that the competition was still tied. Moments later, Faldo also didn’t return the favour for Azinger’s final par putt. Azinger holed the putt then said after that giving it to him “would have been the gracious gesture.” Speaking of gracious gestures …

3. Payne Stewart vs. Colin Montgomerie (1999)

Craig Jones

With the final Sunday singles match in a similar situation six years later after the US had wrapped up a dramatic comeback victory at Brookline, Stewart conceded a tied match to Montgomerie with both putting for birdie on the 18th green. It was a classy move that received almost as much praise as Stewart’s “You’re going to be a dad” talk to Phil Mickelson after beating him at Pinehurst earlier that year to win the US Open. And it meant even more to Monty due to the heckling he had received from the American crowds all day. “He’d had enough, I’d had enough, and he picked my ball up at the last,” Montgomerie said. “I’ll never forget that. Not all the memories [from Brookline] are fond. But that match I will always think of with fond memories, of that game with him.” Sadly, it would be one of Stewart’s last acts on a golf course of any kind as he died in a plane crash a month later.

RELATED: Europe closes out 16½-11½ win at Marco Simone

4. Tiger Woods vs. Francesco Molinari (2012)

Jamie Squire

Woods’ Ryder Cup record has been greatly criticised through the years, but he might have been viewed differently had he been given a chance to play the hero at Medinah. Playing Sunday singles against Molinari it appeared the outcome of the entire match between the US and Europe might come down to this final duel until a series of things broke Europe’s way, including Martin Kaymer delivering a clutch Cup-winning putt. Molinari could have pulled a Payne Stewart with this match not winding up deciding who would win the Cup, but he decided to press on, hoping to win the event outright for Europe. Then he could have pulled a Jack Nicklaus when Woods’ birdie chip lipped out to about four feet, but he didn’t, even with the European fans at Medinah starting the celebrations early and causing disturbances. After Woods missed for par, he conceded Molinari’s putt of a similar length to halve the match and give Europe a 14½-13½ victory.

5. Great Britain vs. Steel Shafts? (1929)

And finally, we’ll stretch the definition of “concession” to include Europe not making one to the U.S. in regard to their equipment for the second-ever Ryder Cup. You see, the Americans arrived at Moortown Golf Club in England with steel-shafted clubs that were already approved for play by the USGA. But because the R&A hadn’t ruled them legal yet, Europe refused to let the Americans use them. The Americans wound up losing 7-5, and the R&A wound up allowing steel shafts the following year.

Main Image: Andrew Redington

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What you’re probably still wondering about, however, is the set-up. Sure, you could draw the layout on a bar napkin blindfolded if you had to, but the jury is still out on how Marco Simone — a course with very little “tape,” as we American football fans like to put it — will play heading into the weekend. Slowly but surely it’s secrets are being revealed, though, starting with arguably the most important of all: The rough.

The recon comes by way of Irish Twitter account @amatuer_info, who is on the grounds for the Junior Ryder Cup before the big dogs tee off on Friday. We’ll stop well short of calling it the nastiest lettuce we’ve ever seen, but it is pretty aggressive for a ra-ra match-play exhibition [ducks].

Fairways will be a premium this week at the Junior Ryder cup final day in Marco Simone and the Ryder Cup the days after https://t.co/sAvPu6OT1F pic.twitter.com/4PSKwuGwXG

— Irish Amateur golf info (@amateur_info) September 24, 2023

Dropped from about thigh height, this ball almost completely vanishes in salad. If it’s as thick as it looks, that’s going to put a premium on fairways hit. Professor Bomb n’ Gouge — AKA Bryson DeChambeau — isn’t in the US team this year, so we suspect you’ll see a lot of long irons and fairway metals off the tee, especially as the pressure ratchets up during Saturday’s afternoon session. Keep it in play, put it on the dance floor and make some putts. If that’s not a recipe for Ryder Cup success, then we don’t know what these guys are cooking up.

@amateur_info Twitter

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OK, there were golf insights, too. Though Marco Simone is the host of the DP World Tour’s Italian Open, most of the American audience will see it for the first time this week. Following our trek around the course Monday, here are eight observations for what to expect from this year’s Ryder Cup home:

Familiar feelings

Marco Simone is not short on scenery, the property offering beautiful vistas of the Italian countryside, olive groves, rustic villages and the Roman skyline. But decouple the views from the course and two comparisons come to mind. The front nine at Marco Simone has the shape and styling of Liberty National, a maximalist and artificial design that puts a premium on ball-striking. The green contours are severe, and if the surfaces are not slow and wet they’ll reject any approach less than right. The routing is compact. There’s a sense the club tried to fit nine holes into an area that has room for just seven. The back nine, however, is far more expansive in scale. Its topography is dramatic, yet the greens are less punishing. While the back nine still can present its difficulties, it seemed fairly gettable. In that vein, it has an air of Valhalla to it.

A bit of breathing room

No, it’s not Whistling Straits with fairways wide enough to land 747s with ease. But the test Americans will encounter at Marco Simone is nowhere near as suffocating as Le Golf National was off the tee (more on this in a moment). The landing areas are generous, and though there are a handful of par 4s with narrow confines — which include bunkers coming into play — those spaces are usually stifling only for long drives. However …

The rough is very grabby … and patchy

It appears the long stuff has been dialled back from the scouting trips each team made a few weeks back. That said, it still looks to be a nuisance in a way most US Ryder Cup set-ups are not, and the ball could have the chance to burrow in the high stuff. As inviting as most of the fairways are, Marco Simone will make a player pay for his miss. That includes around the green. However, unlike rough that is thick and plentiful — which can subtract creativity and vision from the short game — this grass is uneven (and arguably, unintentionally so). That could lead to more variety, and variance, in terms of the types of shots played and their outcome. Combined with the shaping of the greens, a deft short-game touch will go ways this weekend.

Wind could be a major factor

It’s worth noting the area isn’t too far from the Mediterranean Sea, and its position on the hill makes Marco Simone vulnerable to stiff breezes. On Monday the wind was a constant 10mph with little respite, and the early weekend forecast calls for similar conditions. Should that prediction hold, the currents will shrink some of those aforementioned landing areas, although the wind’s impact will likely be felt more on the approach, a nod to the green’s contours and that many of the greens are elevated.

A general view of the 18th green at Marco Simone. Mike Ehrmann

The greens could be dangerous

Europe has traditionally utilised slower putting surfaces than their American counterparts when it comes to course set-up. They may not have a choice in Rome. The greens are massive, yet their slopes, shapes and curvatures are so drastic that each green is essentially broken into quadrants. Failure to hold the ball in its requisite section will correlate to long, lengthy putts. If the greens have any semblance of pace to them things could get wacky.

The tweener par 4s

Really cool! There are three drivable par 4s on the course, and though the wind can have a say in how they are played, most can be had with less than driver. However, most are also guarded by water, bunkers, rough or fescue, and because they can be reached with a 3-wood, arguably even an iron, this configuration should prevent players from just banging the big stick without thought. Eagles to doubles (or worse) will be very much in play.

First six/seven holes are volatile

“Volatile” is probably a generous interpretation, as critics could argue this stretch borders on gimmicky. Understanding the 24 individuals competing are the world’s best — and thus capable of playing a game unfamiliar to the rest of us — each of the first seven holes have penal aspects to them … sometimes to the shots that the hole seemingly requires. It’s easy to see a few blow-up scores, which could lead to players building a big league early over a struggling opponent.

Last three holes should facilitate drama

This stretch is not for the meek. The last three holes are a drivable par 4 over water, a 200-yard par 3 with an undulating green and a 600-yard par 5 with a greenside lake. (Like we said, a little Valhalla-y.) Assuming matches reach this point, the risk/reward spectrum is vast, which — hopefully! — creates a thrilling ending to each match and session.

Main image: Patrick Smith

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The 2023 Ryder Cup is on the horizon — a thunderous storm cloud forming in the blue skies above Rome. This week, both the European and US teams got their first taste of Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, showing up on Monday for name games, ice breakers and, of course, plenty of range reps. The atmosphere, in stark contrast to the cauldron to come, was fun and jovial, as evidenced by this clip of Team Europe star Rory McIlroy sending a tee shot into orbit with his hat facing the wrong way. Prepare for launch.

Backwards hat… Rory’s here ?#TeamEurope pic.twitter.com/rbPOk8CJiY

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 11, 2023

Attention golf fashion police, and Team USA. The last thing they want to see is Rory McIlroy looking looser than Viktor Hovland (who is also pretty good, by the way) in the build up to the biennial brouhaha. McIlroy led the PGA Tour in driving distance this season, averaging an almost unfathomable 326.3 yards off the tee. Needless to say, his driver will be one of Team Europe’s biggest weapons at Marco Simone in a few weeks’ time.

The good news for the Stars n’ Stripes is that this McIlroy tee shot came less than 24 hours after he splashed four balls during the final round of the Irish Open. Clearly his ball striking could use a tune up before the transatlantic tempest kicks off in full. The best athletes have the shortest memory spans, however, and Rory looks like he’s forgotten about Sunday at The K Club already.

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Finca Cortesin General Manager Francisco de Lancastre David takes us through the final preparations of hosting such a monumental event as the Solheim Cup, and we analyse the unlike-any-other-competition pressures of competing in the Ryder Cup in Rome.

Coach Justin Parsons takes us on his journey from Northern Ireland to the UAE and Open glory with Brian Harman, and Wyndham Clark explains what it takes to win a major.

All this and much, much more in the September 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

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The biennial match’s visit to Marco Simone, just 10 miles outside the centre of the “Eternal City,” had come into jeopardy at the hands of the country’s government. In 2017, the Italian Senate slashed an amendment to a bill that would have provided 97 million euros ($103 million) to the Ryder Cup, money that is vital to running one of golf’s premier competitions.

“I hope the government quickly finds a solution which responds to the prerequisites asked for by the organisers,” Andrea Marcucci, president of the Senate’s culture and sports committee, said at the time. “I want to remind everyone that the tournament has considerable economic spin-off and television rights. The amendment in question didn’t call for further public spending.”

This waffling fueled years of rumours of a destination move. However—with the European Tour in Italy this week—event organisers reaffirmed their pledge to the 2022 event, releasing images of the renovation that is underway at Marco Simone.

“Our commitment for The Ryder Cup 2022 is not only to host an iconic sports event, but also to leave a legacy for Italy and the Italian people,” said Gian Paolo Montali, general director of the Ryder Cup project. “With the work being carried out at Marco Simone, the 2022 Ryder Cup course will become a sporting pilgrimage site that will continue to attract golfers for many years and will help develop to economic income through golf tourism.”

All 18 holes will be reconstructed as part of the endeavour, which is being headed by European Golf Design working in conjunction with Tom Fazio II.

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Alongside the work to the course, the clubhouse and practice facilities will also be fully refurbished, to allow Marco Simone to host the Italian Open in autumn 2021.

Organisers also released the Ryder Cup dates this week, with the event starting on Sept. 30.

Next year’s Ryder Cup will be played at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis. The Europeans are the defending champs.

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