Ryder Cup 2023 review
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After three days of glorious gladiatorial combat at Marco Simone outside Rome, the Ryder Cup is back in Europe’s hands following their 16.5-11.5 win over the Americans.
Captain Luke Donald impressively led his team to inspire the best out of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and the ten other players to regain the trophy following their hammering at Whistling Straits two years previously.
For the USA, the wait to win on this side of the Atlantic will have stretched to 34 years by the time they assemble in 2027, and their botched Italian job shows that they are no closer to uncovering the secret to winning on the road.
As events proved, the Ryder Cup remains the golfing event that stirs up the emotions more than any other, both for players and spectators, and the only trouble is that we now have to wait almost two years before it happens all over again.
So for those of us who have still not had our fill of all things Ryder Cup, here at AMERICAN GOLF, we just want to provide a little flavour about what may happen in 2025, look at future venues and run down previous Ryder Cup results.
2023 Ryder Cup results:
Friday foursomes: Europe 4-0 USA
Friday fourballs: Europe 2.5-1.5 USA
Saturday foursomes: Europe 3-1 USA
Saturday fourballs: Europe 1-3 USA
Sunday singles: Europe 6-6 USA
Final score: EUROPE 16.5-11.5 USA
Europe started hot on Friday morning, winning all four foursomes to kick the match off. From there, the USA were always in trouble and it was not until Saturday afternoon that they began to show signs of life. The singles remained tense until the last couple of matches but a European victory was never really under serious threat at any point over the three days.
Player performances:
Europe:
Top marks go to Rory McIlroy for winning four of his five matches. It needed some inspired golf from hat-less Patrick Cantlay, with a little help from his caddie Joe LaCava, to prevent Rory from having a 100% record. Every single man contributed something as Luke Donald got the best out of his 12 players.
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) – P5 W4 L1 4pts
Viktor Hovland (Norway) – P5 W3 H1 L1 3.5pts
Tyrell Hatton (England) – P4 W3 H1 3.5pts
Tommy Fleetwood (England) – P4 W3 L1 3pts
Jon Rahm (Spain) – P4 W2 H2 3pts
Bob MacIntyre (Scotland) – P3 W2 H1 2.5pts
Ludvig Aberg (Sweden) – P4 W2 L2 2pts
Shane Lowry (Republic of Ireland) – P3 W1 H1 L1 1.5pts
Justin Rose (England) – P3 W1 H1 L1 1.5pts
Matt Fitzpatrick (England) – P3 W1 L2 1pt
Sepp Straka (Austria) – P3 W1 L2 1pt
Nicolai Hojgaard (Denmark) – P3 H1 L2 0.5pts
USA:
Max Homa made a brilliant debut and was the only American to enhance his reputation over the three days. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler won none of his four matches, while Rickie Fowler was the only one of the 24 players from either side to contribute absolutely nothing.
Max Homa – P5 W3 H1 L1 3.5pts
Patrick Cantlay – P4 W2 L2 2pts
Brian Harman – P4 W2 L2 2pts
Wyndham Clark – P3 W1 H1 L1 1.5pts
Brooks Koepka – P3 W1 H1 L1 1.5pts
Justin Thomas – P4 W1 H1 L2 1.5pts
Sam Burns – P3 W1 L2 1pt
Collin Morikawa – P4 W1 L3 1pt
Xander Schauffele – P4 W1 L3 1pt
Jordan Spieth – P4 H2 L2 1pt
Scottie Scheffler – P4 H2 L2 1pt
Rickie Fowler – P2 L2 0pts
The next Ryder Cup:
Ryder Cup 2025: Bethpage Black (New York)
After the excitement of Rome, we now have two years to wait until the next match. Europe and the USA will reconvene at Bethpage Black from 26-28 September that year. Situated just over half-an-hour’s drive from New York’s JFK Airport and heading up Long Island, it will be the Big Apple’s version of the Ryder Cup. And if we thought the crowd was vocal and partisan in Rome, imagine the prospect of 50,000 New Yorkers cheering on the Americans as they try to win back the cup. Bold, brash, and desperate for home success, ear-plugs may be necessary for those easily offended!
Players and captains:
With Justin Rose the oldest player of either team in this year’s match at 43, every one of the 24 players in Rome could have a realistic shot at being selected again in 2025. For Europe, Luke Donald will be the favourite to get a second term as captain, firstly for the outstanding job he did for this match, but particularly with the situation surrounding LIV golfers Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia so up in the air. No European captain has done more than one Ryder Cup match since Bernard Gallacher finished his three-match stint in 1995. But with Ryder Cup legends Poulter, Westwood and Garcia having resigned their DP World (European) Tour membership, the trio are not currently eligible to have the role. That reduces the number of realistic candidates capable of succeeding Donald, as things stand. If that situation not does change quickly, it is hard to look beyond Donald carrying on.
One thing we can safely say is that Zach Johnson will not be getting a second term as US captain. Sure, Europe outplayed America for large parts of the three days, but there were questionable US pairings on the first two days, especially on Friday morning and a general lack of inspiration emanating from the skipper. Expect that to change in 2025. The whispers around the PGA of America (the American golf body in charge of their Ryder Cup team) seem to suggest that they want Tiger Woods as captain.
Guys like Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas would love to play under the guy they grew up idolising. Tiger was a winning player-captain of their Presidents Cup team (when the USA play a Rest of the World team) in 2019, but that event does not carry the same kudos as the Ryder Cup, while Tiger never seemed able to bring his very best golf to the team matchplay format.
However, those issues are for another day. The Ryder Cup is never an event that needs hyping up, but for the USA to have the chance to win it back under Tiger, or for Europe to take down a Tiger-led American team at a great course just outside one of the world’s great cities is a mouthwatering prospect.
FUTURE VENUES:
Ryder Cup 2027: Adare Manor (Republic of Ireland)
The next match on this side of the Atlantic will be across the Irish Sea as the Ryder Cup returns to the Emerald Isle after a gap of 21 years. At The K Club in 2006, even the great Tiger Woods was so overcome with nerves on the first tee on Friday morning that he dunked his opening tee shot into the water as the Europeans, led by Ian Woosnam, completely overwhelmed a weak American team.
Situated just outside Limerick and deep in the heart of the Irish countryside is Adare Manor, the luxury hotel and golf course. Built in the early 1800s, it was bought by Irish businessman and keen golf supporter, JP McManus in 2015. The course has hosted two previous Irish Opens and McManus’ own all-star pro-am on three occasions. His pulling power is such that McIlroy and Woods have been happy to tee up in the 36-hole event.
The Irish love their golf, as they also showed when The Open went to Royal Portrush in 2019 and home favourite Shane Lowry romped to a six-shot victory, so expect huge and knowledgeable galleries, if not the guaranteed sunshine that everyone enjoyed in Rome!
Ryder Cup 2029: Hazeltine (Minnesota)
American victories in the Ryder Cup have been quite rare in the 21st century, so they have decided to return to Hazeltine, the scene of their 2016 triumph. Hazeltine lies in the suburbs of the twin cities of Minneapolis-St Paul, so it is maybe not the first place a tourist would choose to go, although a ticket for the Ryder Cup would be a great reason to visit.
Ryder Cup 2031: To be confirmed
The 2031 edition of the Ryder Cup will be played in Europe, but we do not yet know where. The Telegraph reported a few months ago that Camiral Golf (formerly PGA Catalunya) was the favourite to get the nod. A short hop from Girona Airport and with Barcelona around an hour further south, it is easy to see the attraction to take the Ryder Cup to Spain for a second time, and first since Seve Ballesteros captained Europe to victory at Valderrama on the Costa del Sol in 1997. Plus, the course has staged DP World Tour events and their Qualifying School on many occasions.
However, two courses in England also have ideas of their own of hosting it. Luton Hoo, and Hulton Park in Bolton both have very ambitious plans centred around winning the bidding process to bring the Ryder Cup back to England, given that it was last staged at The Belfry in 2002.
Hulton Park have brought in English Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood as an ambassador before a blade of grass has even been laid on the site where the proposed stadium-course would lie. There is already an 18-hole golf course at Luton Hoo, but that would be completely redesigned and revamped if they were to be named as Ryder Cup hosts.
Ryder Cup 2033: The Olympic Golf Club (San Francisco)
The PGA of America have already named the venues for the next three Ryder Cups, so in a decade’s time, the match will be heading to California for the first time in 74 years.
The Olympic Golf Club’s Lake Course in San Francisco will have the honour. It has hosted five US Opens, will stage the US PGA in 2028 before getting arguably the biggest event in golf five years later. The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz will only be a bus ride away as the best players battle it out at a course that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, creating a stunning backdrop.
The biggest problem for European fans watching on television will be the time difference. San Francisco is on Pacific time, which is eight hours behind the UK. So fans will have to time to burn the midnight oil to watch matches finishing somewhere between 2 and 3am, particularly on the first two days!
Previous Ryder Cup results:
2021: USA 19-9 Europe (Whistling Straits, Wisconsin)
2018: Europe 17.5-10.5 USA (Le Golf National, Paris, France)
2016: USA 16.5-11.5 Europe (Hazeltine, Minnesota)
2014: Europe 16.5-11.5 USA (Gleneagles, Scotland)
2012: USA 13.5-14.5 Europe (Medinah, Illinois)
2010: Europe 14.5-13.5 USA (Celtic Manor, Wales)
2008: USA 16.5-11.5 Europe (Valhalla, Kentucky)
2006: Europe 18.5-9.5 USA (The K Club, Republic of Ireland)
2004: USA 9.5-18.5 Europe (Oakland Hills, Michigan)
2002: Europe 15.5-12.5 USA (The Belfry, England)
1999: USA 14.5-13.5 Europe (Brookline, Massachusetts)
1997: Europe 14.5-13.5 USA (Valderrama, Spain)
1995: USA 13.5-14.5 Europe (Oak Hill, New York)
1993: Europe 13-15 USA (The Belfry, England)
1991: USA 14.5-13.5 Europe (Kiawah Island, South Carolina)
1989: Europe 14-14 USA (The Belfry, England)
1987: USA 13.5-14.5 Europe (Muirfield Village, Ohio)
1985: Europe 16.5-11.5 USA (The Belfry, England)
1983: USA 14.5-13.5 Europe (PGA National, Florida)
1981: Europe 9.5-18.5 USA (Walton Heath, England)
1979: USA 17-11 Europe (The Greenbrier, West Virginia)
1977: Great Britain & Ireland 7.5-12.5 USA (Royal Lytham, England)
1975: USA 21-11 GB&I (Laurel Valley, Pennsylvania)
1973: GB&I 13-19 USA (Muirfield, Scotland)
1971: USA 18.5-13.5 Great Britain (Old Warson, Missouri)
1969: Great Britain 16-16 USA (Royal Birkdale, England)
1967: USA 23.5-8.5 Great Britain (Champions Golf Club, Texas)
1965: Great Britain 12.5-19.5 USA (Royal Birkdale, England)
1963: USA 23-9 Great Britain (Atlanta Athletic Club, Georgia)
1961: Great Britain 9.5-14.5 USA (Royal Lytham, England)
1959: USA 8.5-3.5 Great Britain (Eldorado Golf Club, California)
1957: Great Britain 7.5-4.5 USA (Lindrick, England)
1955: USA 8-4 Great Britain (Thunderbird, California)
1953: Great Britain 5.5-6.5 USA (Wentworth, England)
1951: USA 9.5-2.5 Great Britain (Pinehurst, North Carolina)
1949: Great Britain 5-7 USA (Ganton, England)
1947: USA 11-1 Great Britain (Portland, Oregon)
NOT STAGED DUE TO SECOND WORLD WAR
1937: Great Britain 4-8 USA (Southport & Ainsdale, England)
1935: USA 9-3 Great Britain (Ridgewood, New Jersey)
1933: Great Britain 6.5-5.5 USA (Southport & Ainsdale, England)
1931: USA 9-3 Great Britain (Scioto, Ohio)
1929: Great Britain 7-5 USA (Moortown, England)
1927: USA 9.5-2.5 Great Britain (Worcester, Massachusetts)
About the Author
Adam is a freelance news and sports journalist who has written for the BBC, The Sunday Post, The I, The Times, The Telegraph and more. He has been writing about golf for nearly two decades and has covered 13 Open Championships and two Ryder Cups. Not only does Adam cover golf, but he has played golf for as long as he can remember. He was a member at Northenden Golf Club for around 25 years until his children arrived and his last official handicap was 11, although on any given day his form fluctuates anywhere between eight and 18.
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