Ryder Cup 2023 – Course and Cup Preview

22 September 2023

The 44th edition of the Ryder Cup takes place at Marco Simone next week where Team USA takes on Team Europe. 

As it stands, Team USA have won the Cup 27 times compared to Europe’s 14, will the Americans extend the lead or will the Europeans close the gap? 

We have taken a closer look at players from both Team USA and Team Europe ahead of the Ryder Cup this year. The Americans making the trip over the pond are looking to retain the Cup on the back of their convincing win at Whistling Straits.

How do the teams line up? 

Interestingly both sides make five changes, of which four are rookies on each team.

Team USA changes:

• Sam Burns – Ryder Cup Record – Rookie
• Wyndham Clark – Ryder Cup Record – Rookie
• Brian Harman – Ryder Cup Record – Rookie
• Max Homa – Ryder Cup Record – Rookie
• Rickie Fowler – Ryder Cup Record – 3-7-5

Team Europe changes:

• Ludvig Aberg – Ryder Cup Record – Rookie
• Nicolai Hojgaard – Ryder Cup Record – Rookie
• Robert MacIntyre – Ryder Cup Record – Rookie
• Sepp Straka – Ryder Cup Record – Rookie
• Justin Rose – Ryder Cup Record – 13-8-2

We see a change of the guard in Team Europe with the ever present Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood no longer in the Team. This could be for various reasons with everything that has gone on in the world of golf recently, allegedly Garcia had tried to make the Team but was unsuccessful!

Garcia holds the record for the most matches won at the Ryder Cup and would have been looking to add to this in Rome – not to be for Sergio. 

Ryder Cup Rookies

Despite eight rookies taking part in this year’s Cup, they are far from your typical rookie. Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman won Majors this year which ensured they were selected for Team USA – not quite your typical rookies!

Unlike Clark and Harman, Ludivg Aberg is a remarkable rookie for a different reason – he hasn’t played a full season yet. Having not played in a Major in his Professional career, Aberg has played his way into the team with impressive golf in his debut season.

As a Scottish based company, we are delighted to see Bob MacIntyre make the team and represent Scotland at the Ryder Cup – the last Scotsman to play was Stephen Gallacher in 2014 at Gleneagles. 

Who do you think will win?

At the start of the year as we began to look to the Ryder Cup, many Europeans feared the worst on the back of the Whistling Straits. However, with recent form from the likes of Viktor Hovland, there appears to be a definite shift in people’s predictions.

Many of the Team Europe players seem to be coming into form at the right time and with the Americans’ record on European soil, it may be a closer Cup than we originally thought – the closer the better.

Marco Simone, the stage is set.

On the outskirts of Rome, Marco Simone is ready to welcome the golf fans from around the world and we are sure that both the ‘Guardians of The Ryder Cup’ and the ‘The U.S. Marshals’ will be in attendance and vocal as ever!

The Guardians of the Ryder Cup are Team Europe superfans that have become a feature over the years.

Likewise, the U.S. Marshals lead the Team USA chants and go head-to-head with the Guardians.

The course is in pristine condition with rough the likes we have never seen! Shot Scope ambassador Peter Finch found out the hard way how penal being off the fairway can be on hole 15.

Needless to say, players that find themselves in the ‘jungle’ are going to be battling to get back out onto the short stuff. 

It has been a spectacular month of golf with the Walker Cup, Solheim Cup, and now the Ryder Cup taking place and when it finishes we will be counting down to the next edition of each.

Preview Marco Simone on the Shot Scope app!

With the addition of free aerial maps on the Shot Scope mobile app, Shot Scope users can preview both the Ryder Cup venue and Solheim Cup venue for FREE. 

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the Ryder Cup is won in three – by who is the question!