Photos: Ryder Cup captains Luke Donald, Zach Johnson tour Rome one year out from matches in Italy

The American and European captains saw everything from the Vatican to the Colosseum.

The countdown to the 2023 Ryder Cup is officially underway.

The best golfers from the United States and Europe will venture to Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, September 29–October 1., where Italy will host the Ryder Cup for the first time in the event’s 96-year history.

Captains Luke Donald and Zach Johnson participated in a series of Ryder Cup Year To Go celebrations over three days in Rome that ended with the pair holding a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. They also visited the Colosseum, hit shots from the Temple of Venus and Roma and attended a gala dinner at the exclusive Palazzo Colonna.