A look ahead to the 2023 Ryder Cup

We love the Ryder Cup. There aren’t many golf tournaments, or sporting events for that matter, that can stir up so much excitement and intense competition as Ryder Cups do every two years.

So naturally, we jumped at the chance at becoming an official travel agent for the 2023 Ryder Cup, at the Marco Simone Golf Club. The European Team will be hoping to bounce back from a thrashing in 2021, when they lost 19-9 to Team USA – a record-breaking defeat.

We thought we would take a general look at the 2023 Ryder Cup, before looking at the various options you have to be there in person to witness the two teams battle it out on the course.

Where is the 2023 Ryder Cup?​

The venue for the Ryder Cup alternates between Europe and the USA – this year the Europeans will be on home soil in Rome, Italy, at the Marco Simone Golf Club. The course has been redesigned specifically to draw out the drama of a Ryder Cup – plenty of risk and reward opportunities to entice the players.

Ryder Cup Format​

Each Ryder Cup consists of 28 matches in total, which are made up of:

Day 1: Four Foursomes matches and Four Fourballs matches

Day 2: Four Foursomes matches and Four Fourballs matches

Day 3: 12 Singles Matches

A point is available for each match, with half a point each if there is a tie. The first team to 14 and a half points wins. 

When is the 2023 Ryder Cup?​

The 2023 Ryder Cup will take place on 29 September – 1 October 2023, with three practice days on the course leading up to the start of the competition. It will be another four years before the Ryder Cup returns to Europe.

Who will be playing in the 2023 Ryder Cup?​

The short answer is “we don’t know yet”, but we can have a good guess. Before that though, let’s take a quick look at how the teams are selected:

Team USA Captain: Zach Johnson

Team USA will be made up of the six highest ranked eligible players in the points ranking system, plus six captain’s picks.

Team Europe Captain: Luke Donald

Team Europe will comprise the top three players in the world and European points list, plus six captain’s picks.

The rankings will change a lot between now and the Ryder Cup, but we can be pretty sure that the European team will feature Masters champion John Rahm, and Rory McIlroy – two of the current top three players in the world. Scottie Scheffler, Players champion and the third member of the top three, will almost certainly be representing the American team.

When is the 2023 Ryder Cup?​

The 2023 Ryder Cup will take place on 29 September – 1 October 2023, with three practice days on the course leading up to the start of the competition. It will be another four years before the Ryder Cup returns to Europe.

Who will be playing in the 2023 Ryder Cup?​

The short answer is “we don’t know yet”, but we can have a good guess. Before that though, let’s take a quick look at how the teams are selected:

Team USA Captain: Zach Johnson

Team USA will be made up of the six highest ranked eligible players in the points ranking system, plus six captain’s picks.

Team Europe Captain: Luke Donald

Team Europe will comprise the top three players in the world and European points list, plus six captain’s picks.

The rankings will change a lot between now and the Ryder Cup, but we can be pretty sure that the European team will feature Masters champion John Rahm, and Rory McIlroy – two of the current top three players in the world. Scottie Scheffler, Players champion and the third member of the top three, will almost certainly be representing the American team.

Since the last Ryder Cup in 2021, the LIV golf tournaments have created a huge split in the sport. As things stand, players that play on the LIV Tour will still be eligible for the 2023 Ryder Cup, albeit only as captain’s picks, through the DP World Tour or winning a major (this won’t guarantee entry but will give them a great chance on the points list) – good news for players like Dustin Johnson and Ian Poulter.

In terms of the six players that each Captain might pick, it will often go to form, but you do sometimes get a couple of more ‘out-there’ selections. Will Luke Donald opt for home advantage and select the Molinari Brothers? Francesco Molinari, in particular, could be a useful weapon to get the fans behind Team Europe.

Ryder Cup Format​

If it was that easy, it wouldn’t be very exciting! However, Team USA will go in as favourites. After the convincing win last time out, added to the fact that twelve of the current top 20 golfers (as of 12th April 2023) in the world hail from America, the European team will know that they have their work cut out. With two of the top 3 players in the world though, plus home advantage – who knows what will happen?

One thing we do know is this will be an incredible week of golf and one that’s not to be missed.