The 44th edition of the Ryder Cup gets underway Friday morning, but the players are already hard at work with their preparation.
The biennial bash between the United States and Europe is sure to look a lot different this time around compared to the 19-9 beatdown we witnessed just two years ago at Whistling Straits.
Gone is the old European guard of Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, and in comes a flurry of young talent, including Ludvig Aberg, who won the European Masters earlier this month.
Captain Luke Donald is hoping seven-time veteran Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland can lead the way on home soil, while U.S. captain Zach Johnson is relying on world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and a slew of American stars to win Team USA’s first Cup in Europe since 1993.
Golf course
Marco Simone Golf and Country Club | Par 71 | 7,181 yards
Team rosters
Team USA
| Name | Position | World rank |
| Zach Johnson | Captain | – |
| Steve Stricker | Vice captain | – |
| Davis Love III | Vice captain | – |
| Jim Furyk | Vice captain | – |
| Fred Couples | Vice captain | – |
| Stewart Cink | Vice captain | – |
| Sam Burns | Player | 20 |
| Patrick Cantlay | Player | 5 |
| Wyndham Clark | Player | 10 |
| Rickie Fowler | Player | 25 |
| Brian Harman | Player | 9 |
| Max Homa | Player | 7 |
| Brooks Koepka | Player | 17 |
| Collin Morikawa | Player | 19 |
| Xander Schauffele | Player | 6 |
| Scottie Scheffler | Player | 1 |
| Jordan Spieth | Player | 12 |
| Justin Thomas | Player | 24 |
| OWGR average | 12.92 |
Team Europe
| Name | Position | World rank |
| Luke Donald | Captain | – |
| Thomas Bjorn | Vice captain | – |
| Nicolas Colsaerts | Vice captain | – |
| Edoardo Molinari | Vice captain | – |
| Francesco Molinari | Vice captain | – |
| Jose Maria Olazabal | Vice captain | – |
| Ludvig Aberg | Player | 80 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | Player | 8 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | Player | 13 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | Player | 11 |
| Nicolai Hojgaard | Player | 82 |
| Viktor Hovland | Player | 4 |
| Shane Lowry | Player | 34 |
| Robert MacIntyre | Player | 55 |
| Rory McIlroy | Player | 2 |
| Jon Rahm | Player | 3 |
| Justin Rose | Player | 37 |
| Sepp Straka | Player | 22 |
| OWGR average | 29.25 |