Set your alarms because you won’t want to miss these final matches.
Set your alarms, folks. You don’t want to miss these final 12 matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup.
European captain Luke Donald and American captain Zach Johnson announced their picks for the 12 Sunday singles matches and a handful are appointment television, no matter the time.
Team Europe holds a 10½-5½ lead after the first four sessions, but the momentum appears to have swung back toward the U.S. after the Americans claimed Saturday fourballs, 3-1. The Europeans need four points to win the Cup, while the U.S. needs at least 8½ to retain.
Check out who’s playing who in the final 12 singles matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
The final match of Saturday afternoon’s fourballs session got a bit heated on No. 18 after Patrick Cantlay drained what would become a match-winning birdie putt thanks to a few misses from Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick.
After European fans had been waving their hats in Cantlay’s direction all afternoon after reports surfaced that he’s not wearing a hat this week because he’s not being paid to be there, members of Team USA put their hats in the air when the putt dropped. Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, and Wyndham Clark’s caddie also put their hats in the air. Shane Lowry and LaCava later shared some words with each other.
McIlroy was caught on video in the parking lot yelling at Jim “Bones” MacKay about the situation.
Fans at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club heard the rumors, too, and started to taunt Cantlay all Saturday afternoon, waving their hats at him whenever he was on a green or tee box.
Cantlay was paired with Wyndham Clark during the last fourballs session of the competition, taking on Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick in the final match of the day.
After burying a short birdie effort on the par-3 17th to tie up the match, Cantlay raced his green-side chip 43 feet by the hole at the par-5 closer.
But his nickname isn’t “Patty Ice” for nothing.
Cantlay buried the putt and claimed the American’s third match win of the session. After the putt went in, members of Team USA (as well as a few caddies) took their hats off and started waving them to Cantlay, and some waved them at the crowd.
Joe LaCava, Cantlay’s caddie, also got in on the action. LaCava exchanged words with Shane Lowry, who was watching the match from off the green, and they didn’t seem to be pleasantries. (The tweet says Rory, but it was Lowry.)
A bit of drama on the 18th green.
Rory was upset with Cantlay's caddie for waving his hat before he putted. (via NBC) pic.twitter.com/Qw6kaRehDg
ROME – There was more blue on the board on Saturday morning.
Team Europe extended its lead in the 44th Ryder Cup to 9½- 2½ after Saturday morning’s foursomes session, winning three of the four matches. That included Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg trouncing the American team of Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, 9 and 7, the worst loss in Ryder Cup history in any 18-hole match, regardless of format.
There was no let up in the European side after opening a five-point lead after the first day. They won three of four matches and seven of eight in the foursomes format. It ties the largest lead after three sessions since the Ryder Cup switched to the five-session format in 1963. (The U.S. led by seven in both 1967 and 1975.)
“Last night we talked about enjoying what we did yesterday but coming out and showing no mercy today,” McIlroy said. “Obviously the way Ludvig and Viktor started off and the way we started off, you know, that set the tone for the day again.”
It was a bloodbath for the Americans and for those fans who woke up early in hopes of seeing a valiant comeback, they were better off hitting the snooze as the Americans were thrown to the lions in Rome.
Another great week at the Wentworth Club is on deck.
The DP World Tour’s flagship event is here, as a stacked field including Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm has descended upon Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, for the BMW PGA Championship. In fact, all 12 members of the European Ryder Cup team, plus captain Luke Donald, will tee it up come Thursday morning. The squad was at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome earlier this week for a scouting trip.
Shane Lowry, the tournament’s defending champion, played well at The K Club last week during the Irish Open, eventually tying for third.
Here are some of the best photos from the 2023 BMW PGA Championship.
Here are 3 players to keep an eye on, including Min Woo Lee (28/1).
One of the biggest events on the DP World Tour schedule is here as an absolutely stacked field has made its way to Surrey, England, for the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club.
Last year, Shane Lowry barely escaped Rory McIlroy — his final putt rested on the lip of the 72nd hole to force a playoff — for his sixth European circuit win. After failing to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Lowry missed the cut at the D+D Real Czech Masters. However, he tied for third at last week’s Irish Open at The K Club.
All 12 members of the European Ryder Cup team are in the field this week along with Tom Kim, Adam Scott, Billy Horschel and Min Woo Lee.
Golf course
Wentworth Club | Par 72 | 7,267 yards
A general view as competitors play on the 18th hole during Round Two on Day Three of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club on September 10, 2022 in Virginia Water, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
In Norrman’s 14th appearance on the DP World Tour, he now has two wins.
Halfway throught the final round of the 2023 Horizon Irish Open, the top of the leaderboard showed a four-way tie for the lead as Vincent Normann, Grant Forrest, Hurly Long and Ryan Fox were all at 13 under at The K Club in Kildare, Ireland.
Min Woo Lee and Jordan Smith were just a shot back, with Rory McIlroy, Shubhankar Sharma, Shane Lowry and Connor Syme all giving chase, two shots back.
The stage was set for a fantastic finish and Vincent Norrman delivered. The winner of his first PGA Tour event in July bogeyed the 13th hole in each of the first three rounds, but he made birdie there Sunday, one of seven birdies in a bogey-free, 7-under 65 final round. He started the day six shots back but had six of his birdies during an eight-hole stretch on Nos. 7 through 14 to climb into contention.
Vincent Norrman plays his second shot on the 18th hole during the final round at the 2023 Horizon Irish Open at The K Club in Kildare, Ireland. (Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Norrman closed his day with a short birdie on 18 and walked off the course tied for the lead at 14 under and then played the waiting game. About 90 minutes later, he was monitoring the closing moments of the tournament on his phone on the practice putting green, waiting to see if Long could eagle the par-5 closing hole to tie and force a playoff.
But Long could not drain the eagle putt, clinching the win for Norrman by a shot. In his 14th appearance on the DP World Tour, Norrman now has two wins.
“It means everything,” Norrman said after his round. “Obviously such a cool event to play. The fans have been incredible. I’ve really had a fun week.”
It’s the second week in a row a Swedish player has won on the DP World Tour. Ludvig Aberg won the Omega European Masters seven days ago.
Long nabbed solo second at 13 under. Forrest, Fox, Lowry and Thriston Lawrence tied for third at 12 under.
McIlroy had a bad back nine Sunday. He was even through 10 before dunking his approach into a stream on the 11th hole, leading to a bogey. He birded the 13th but after trying to reach the par-5 16th in two, he hit another ball into the water, leading to a triple bogey on the hole. A day after posting 66, McIlroy closed with a birdie but shot a 74 and tied for 13th, his first finish outside the top 10 in any tournament since May.
“Obviously if you win, you’re doing something good,” Norrman said. “It’s a world-class event, and honestly I can’t believe it’s happened.”
The DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth is next week.
Another day at The K Club, another day for low scoring and the field took advantage.
After opening the Horizon Irish Open with a 7-under 65 Thursday and sleeping on the solo 18-hole lead, Shubhankar Sharma was one worse Friday, shooting a 6-under 66 and is joined atop the leaderboard by Jordan Smith at 13 under.
“It was a really quick start,” Sharma told the media in Kildare, Ireland. “Very early morning start for us, so I was a bit sleepy in the morning. I managed to make a lot of putts on the front nine. I had nine single putts which was amazing. I don’t think I’ve done that before.
“Everything was just going nicely. I was hitting it in the right spots and I was really good inside ten feet. So it all came together.”
Smith, after a first-round 66, fired a 7-under 65 that included nine birdies and a double bogey on the par-4 17th. The Englishman, who won the Portugal Masters last year for his second DP World Tour win, tied for 20th at last week’s European Masters.
Ross Fisher (6-under 66) is alone in third at 12 under, Hurly Long (6-under 66) is in solo fourth at 11 under, while Calum Hill (7-under 65) is fifth at 10 under.
As for the big names, Shane Lowry (4-under 68) is solo ninth at 8 under, five back, and Rory McIlroy is tied for 26th at 5 under, eight back.
The shot of the day came from the Northern Irishman when he drained his 116-yard approach into the par-5 16th for eagle.
After the conclusion of the 2023 Omega European Masters the six automatic qualifiers – three from a world points list and three from a European points list – for Team Europe that are bound for Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy were confirmed. Donald then made his six captain’s picks, including a pair of surprise rookies.
Of the 12 players on the roster, four will make their debut in the biennial event against the Americans, who haven’t won on foreign soil since 1993.
Get to know all 12 players and the captains who will represent Team Europe in the 44th playing of the Ryder Cup.
Both players clearly want to make the postseason, but their mindsets differ.
This week’s Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club marks the end of the 2022-23 PGA Tour regular season. And while many of the world’s best have their feet up resting for next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship – the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs – there are plenty of pros hoping to play their way into the field of 70.
Adam Scott is one of those players. He’s made the postseason every year since its inception back in 2007. The Aussie currently sits at No. 81 in the standings and holds a 5.2 percent chance to make it, according to the Tour.
Another major champion on the outside looking in is Shane Lowry, who followed up his T-19 at the Travelers Championship and T-12 at the Scottish Open by missing the cut at Royal Liverpool at the Open Championship.
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The Irishman has made the postseason the last four seasons and currently sits at No. 76. According to the Tour, Lowry has a 14 percent chance to make the playoffs.
