The wait is finally over. The biggest team event in golf starts on Friday with the USA defending the Ryder Cup against Europe at the Marco Simone Golf Club, just outside Rome, and the closest of contests is anticipated.
That was not the case two years ago when Europe were humbled by a star-studded American line-up at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin as Padraig Harrington’s side were left licking their wounds following a 19-9 humbling.
The European challenge will be led by former world number one Luke Donald this time and the Americans will be anxious to rid themselves of a poor record when playing on the opposite side of the Atlantic.
Their last six visits across the pond have all ended in defeat and they suffered their own heavy loss the last time they headed to Europe in 2018 when they were beaten 17.5-10.5 at Le Golf National in France.
While last week’s women’s equivalent event, the Solheim Cup, ended in a 14-14 tie, the margins of victory in recent Ryder Cups have been quite comprehensive.
A winning team needs 14.5 points to claim victory - the USA would retain the cup in the event of a tie - but seven of the last nine competitions have been settled by a margin of five points or more.
Bookmakers do anticipate this one will be a lot closer though and it promises to be three days of cracking competition in Italy.
- Europe to win the Ryder Cup
- Scottie Scheffler top American point scorer
- Victor Hovland top European point scorer
Europe Look Geared To Bounce Back
There were a few eyebrows raised when Donald included Justin Rose and former Open champion Shane Lowry in his team, with the Irishman particularly having had a rather indifferent few months, but the mixture of hungry rookies and experienced operators should stand them in good stead.
It seems strange to think of Rory McIlroy as an old head, but the Northern Irishman heads into his sixth Ryder Cup in fine form and he should be relied upon to lead by example.
His presence will be like having an extra vice-captain inside the ropes and he should be ably supported by Masters champion Jon Rahm and FedEx Cup winner Viktor Hovland.
Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton have been competitive on the PGA Tour this year too, while there is a lot to like about the rookies who have made it into Donald’s selection.
Ludvig Aberg was still an amateur six months ago but he looks like the most prodigious talent the game has seen for quite a while, while Robert MacIntyre, who earned his place with his performances on the DP World Tour, won the Italian Open at Marco Simone last year.
Most of the team performed well at the recent BMW PGA Championship and the potential chemistry looks really good, which has been a bit of an issue in previous American camps.
Zach Johnson’s team is full of talent but it is hard to ignore their poor record in Europe and the fact that things may not gel that well, so with Donald’s outfit regarded as slight underdogs by the bookmakers, the value appears to lie in backing a home win.
Scheffler Should Star For The US
It is hard to think that world number one Scottie Scheffler was a rookie at the last Ryder Cup, just two years ago, but he has played superbly for most of the year and looks a good bet to lead the USA charge at Marco Simone.
The Texan featured in three matches at Whistling Straits, from which he took 2.5 points. The highlight of his performance was his 4&3 victory over Jon Rahm in the Sunday singles and it seems logical that he will be involved in a great number of matches this time - captain Johnson will be hard pushed not to include him in all five rounds.
So those backing him to be the top American point scorer should get a good run for their money.
Scheffler is the best tee-to-green player in the world and while his putting is his biggest weakness, it may not be that much of a factor if some of his playing partners do their bit.
It would be a big surprise if he didn’t have a strong week.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER TO BE TOP AMERICAN POINT SCORER
Hovland Can Lead Europe’s Charge
While Rahm had a strong showing two years ago with 3.5 points from five matches, McIlroy had a disappointing week with just one point.
Rahm’s competitiveness will come to the fore and both Hatton and Fleetwood should more than contribute, but the pick of the top European performers looks to be Viktor Hovland.
The Norwegian could not be more confident after storming to glory in the illustrious FedEx Cup and his putting quality should be a big asset for Donald’s team.
He did not win any of his five matches at Whistling Straits but two of those were halved in what was a poor performance overall from the European team.
However, that was the first time Hovland had competed in the event and he should be relied upon to feature in the vast majority of the five sessions, if not all of them.
The ice-cold performer has yet to taste Major success but he is still one of the game’s elite at four in the world rankings, and can be Donald’s most helpful asset in Italy.
VIKTOR HOVLAND TO BE TOP EUROPEAN POINT SCORER
