Team Europe’s redemption against a harrowing defeat against Team USA in 2021.

Ryder Cup History

The biennial Ryder Cup made its return over the final weekend of September 2023. Taking place from 29th September – 1st October, the Ryder Cup saw 24 of the best players from Europe and the United States compete for the Ryder Cup trophy. Named after Samuel Ryder, the event was first established in 1927 making this the 44th Ryder Cup to take place.

Marco Simone Golf and Country Club

The 2023 Ryder Cup took place on European soil. The Marco Simone Golf and Country Club was the host of the 2023 Ryder Cup, located 10 miles from the centre of Rome in Guidonia, Rome, Italy. It houses an 18-hole championship course & a 9-hole resort course and is named after the castle of Marco Simone – a Roman fortified manor farm which began to be built around the 14th century. The Ryder Cup isn’t the club’s first golfing event, as it was also the home of the Italian Open in 1994 and more recently from 2021-2023.

Team Europe vs Team USA

Team Europe comprised of: Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, John Rahm, Robert MacIntyre, Ludvig Aberg, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sepp Straka and Nicolai Hojgaard. The Team Europe Captain was Luke Donald.

Team USA comprised of: Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay, Brian Harman, Justin Thomas, Wyndham Clark, Brooks Koepka, Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler. The Team USA Captain was Zach Johnson.

The 2023 Ryder Cup

Team Europe kicked off the Friday Morning Foursomes with Rahm & Hatton beating Scheffler & Burns with a score of 4 & 3. Hovland & Aberg followed with a score of 4 & 3 against Homa & Harman. Lowry & Straka continued the success train with a 2 & 1 win over Fowler & Morikawa and finally, McIlroy & Fleetwood left no chance for Team USA with a score of 2 & 1 against Schauffele & Cantlay.

The Friday Afternoon Four-Ball still left Team Europe on top. Hovland & Hatton tied against Thomas & Speith, as did Rahm & Hojgaard against Scheffler & Koepka. MacIntyre & Rose also tied against Homa & Clark, but McIlroy & Fitzpatrick gave Team Europe a 5 & 3 score over Morikawa & Schauffele. Day 1 of the Ryder Cup was a big success for Team Europe.

Saturday, however, was a new day. The Saturday Morning Foursomes saw McIlroy & Fleetwood take a 2 & 1 win against Thomas & Speith. Hovland & Aberg scored a wildly impressive 9 & 7 against Scheffler and Koepka, a record margin. Team USA saw its first victory as Homa & Harman won 4 & 2 against Lowry and Straka on the third match. Rahm & Hatton brought back a 2 & 1 score against Cantlay and Schauffele on the last match.

Team USA finally woke up during the Saturday Afternoon Four-Ball. Burns & Morikawa won 4 & 3 against Hovland & Aberg. Homa & Harman continued the Team USA afternoon success with a 2 & 1 victory against Fleetwood & Hojgaard. Rose & MacIntyre won 3 & 2 over Thomas & Speith for Team Europe. The last match saw Cantlay & Clark 1 up against McIlroy & Fitzpatrick. Success was looking likely for Team Europe as the sun went down on Saturday.

On Sunday, Rahm & Scheffler tied in the first match of the final day of the Ryder Cup. Hovland scored 4 & 3 for Europe against Morikawa. Cantlay bagged 2 & 1 for Team USA against Rose. McIlroy scored 3 & 1 against Burns, whilst Homa won 1 up against Fitzpatrick. Hatton scored 3 & 2 against Harman. Match 7, 8 & 9 looked up for Team USA as Koepka won 3 & 2 against Aberg, Thomas won 2 up against Straka and Schauffele won 3 & 2 against Hojgaard. Lowry and Spieth tied match 10, with Fleetwood winning 3 & 1 against Fowler and MacIntyre winning 2 & 1 against Clark.

Team Europe wins the 2023 Ryder Cup

Team Europe took back the Ryder Cup from Team USA with a score of 16 ½ compared to Team USA’s score of 11 ½. By the end of the second day, an argument between Team Europe’s Rory McIlroy and Team USA caddies on the 18th Green sparked what McIlroy describes as his career-best display to help win the Ryder Cup for Team Europe. McIlroy had to be bundled away by teammate Shane Lowry after an argument regarding caddie LaCava’s behaviour when celebrating a half on the 18th hole. Describing his anguish over the 2021 Ryder Cup loss to team USA, McIlroy said of the 2023 Ryder Cup “I didn’t give my best performance for the team that week [during the 2021 Ryder Cup]. There were a few of us on that team that wanted to come back. Revenge? This wasn’t about revenge, this was about redemption. This has been a process, a plan in place, we have known months in advance, the gameplan and how to execute, then it comes down to getting on the course and being ourselves, this is the result. It’s amazing.” McIlroy not only got his redemption, but was also Team Europe’s top scorer with a 4/5 score. For Team USA, Homa was the top scorer with a score of 3.5/5.

Justin Rose was named winner of the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award for embodying the spirit of the Ryder Cup. Rose’s win of the Award has led some to suspect he will be Team Europe’s Captain at the 2025 Ryder Cup, but Team Europe themselves chanted “two more years” as they expressed they want Luke Donald to return as Captain in 2025. John Rahm said of Donald, “Luke has done an unbelievable job and would be difficult to live up to”, with Fleetwood adding “We’re all so proud of him … the way he’s been this week has been phenomenal.” Donald spoke of Team Europe, describing themselves as “underdogs” and said “I couldn’t be happier with the team I got … I think these guys will be around for a long time, and we’re going to put up a great fight in two years.”

Rory McIlroy’s WITB:

Fancy matching golf clubs with Team Europe’s top scorer? For wedges, McIlroy uses TaylorMade MG3 (46-09SB degrees; Project X 6.5 shaft) & TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB) with Project X Rifle 6.5 shafts. For his driver, he uses a TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus with Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X shaft (9 degrees). His Fairway Woods is again a TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus with a Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8X shaft (15 degrees). To shop the TaylorMade range, click here.

Shane Lowry’s WITB:

Tensions rise but Lowry stays level-headed. You can count on Lowry, especially to have a good golf bag. Lowry’s WITB: a Srixon ZX5 MkII driver, Srixon ZX MkII Utility #3 iron, Srixon ZX5 MkII #4-5 iron, Srixon ZX7 MkII #6-PW and Srixon Z-Star XV golf balls. To shop the Srixon range, click here.

The 2025 Ryder Cup

Can Team USA steal back the trophy from Team Europe in 2025? In his victory speech, McIlroy claimed that “I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup … and that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.” The 2025 Ryder Cup will be hosted on Team USA’s home soil at Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York, USA. Will McIlroy’s dreams for a Team Europe win of the 2025 Ryder Cup come true, or will Team USA have their own redemption?