Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Nine of the 12 U.S. team members practiced at Marco Simone Country Club in preparation for the 2023 Ryder Cup.
The 2023 Ryder Cup is just under three weeks away, slated for September 29th through October 1st. For the first time in the events history, it will take place in Rome at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
In an attempt to gather information, as well as build teach chemistry, Team USA’s first-time captain Zach Johnson and nine of the 12 players went overseas to scout the course and get practice rounds in.
Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay all had family matters that took priority. But the remaining players shared similar feelings.
“The common sentiments that I heard on the golf course was they really liked it, which is awesome,” Johnson said.
“The rough was very thick. That was the other nugget that we talked about a lot.”
NUCLR golf posted a video of a golf ball being dropped into the rough at the host venue. As you can see, you literally cannot even see the ball whatsoever.
The video has gone viral since it was posted Saturday morning with over 300,000 views already.
The rough at Marco Simone has certainly been a point of emphasis, not just for Team USA either. The European side, essentially having home-field advantage, gets to set up the course the way they like it.
It was previously reported that Luke Donald, Team Europe’s captain, specifically wanted to employ that tactic for the course.
Interestingly, it’s their team that is the one with big hitters off the tee who aren’t nearly as accurate. Arguably its two best players, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy, rank 112th and 157th respectively off the tee.
Meanwhile, Team USA has a number of great ball strikers and guys who find fairways. Collin Morikawa, for instance, finished second on the PGA Tour this season in driving accuracy. Both Patrick Cantlay and Brian Harman were not far behind.
Following their practice round Saturday, the members of Team USA flew back to the states. Conversely, the Euro squad will remain with each player announcing they will take part in next week’s BMW PGA Championship.
It will certainly be interesting to see what impact the deep rough has on how the Ryder Cup plays out.
Who do you think that favors, the Americans or Europeans? Let us know in the comments below.
