Ryder Cup fashion roundup: Best of WAGs, fans, uniforms (and hats), celebrities and more
4 Min Read
Written by Stephanie Royer
On Sunday at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, the U.S. was once again felled by the European sword, falling 16.5-11.5 in the 44th Ryder Cup.
Now that the blood, sweat and tears have been shed, it's time to consider the bigger picture: What was everyone wearing in Italy?
The trophy ceremony delivered, as each member of the victorious Team Europe enveloped their Sunday uniforms – Loro Piana steel blue shirts with warm, yellow stripes running down the shoulders – with their home country's flags.
Sweden's Ludvig Åberg fashioned a makeshift kilt for himself, while others, including Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Norway's Viktor Hovland, opted to warm their necks. England's Tommy Fleetwood was quite the distinguished gentleman in a cravat.
The partners of Team Europe glided around the course all day in white crewneck short-sleeve shirts, silky white skirts, wide-brimmed fedoras and chunky purses accented with brown lining. However, they donned the signature European yellow at the trophy ceremony, showing honorary single Hovland some love in the process. The ladies adhered to a mostly grayscale color scheme throughout the weekend.
The men of both teams took a slightly more colorful route. The Americans, outfitted by Ralph Lauren, opened Friday's competition with navy-and-white striped polos, navy pants with a white and red "USA" stamped down the right side and asymmetrically striped belts. Europe also went out in navy pants complemented by a deep blue belt, with a lighter sky-blue shirt and matching hat.
Both teams switched to white shirts with splashes of colorful stripes on Saturday – red and blue for the U.S. and clay-brown for Europe. The Americans fully channeled “Old Glory” on Day 3, while Europe reverted to their classic yellow and blue.
Noticeably absent for the Americans were certain players’ hats. First it was Sam Burns who momentarily removed his on Saturday, and then the spotlight pivoted to Patrick Cantlay’s noticeable abstinence. Cantlay’s reasoning?
"It just doesn't fit," he explained.
He neither confirmed nor denied the correlation of hat-gate with avoiding a tan line for his upcoming wedding on Monday, the day after the Ryder Cup. Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele switched lanes and joined the hatless gang on Day 3, displaying some questionable tan lines (Cantlay may or may not be onto something).
Speaking of hats, the gold medal goes to the fan that gave Europe’s Shane Lowry a bucket hat with Tyrrell Hatton’s face double-printed on one side and the EU flag on the flip side. A beautiful display of comradery.
And how could we forget the impeccable shoe game on display? Both teams were world class with Morikawa's Adidas graphic-novel art outsoles and European Vice Captain Edoardo Molinari's refined EU-flagged FootJoys leading the way.
Everything about this week was planned down to the tee – or shall we say golf bags. The bottom of the U.S. Team's bags featured a gold stitched outline of Italy with the Ryder Cup trophy over Rome while the European Team's bags featured the Italian flag.
The U.S. (left) and European team bags at the 44th Ryder Cup. (Getty Images)
But the bags were not nearly the most unique piece of equipment that graced the holes of Marco Simone. Tennis great Novak Djokovic brought a racquet to his All-Star Match on Wednesday before ultimately leading his team to victory.
The stomping the U.S. Team received did not prevent U.S. fans from showing their support. Americans showed out in hordes, clad in a myriad of patriotic themes and colors: bowties, jumpsuits, bald eagle onesies and inflatables, and Morikawa, Scheffler and Homa faces framed against a flag. Lady Liberty, multiple Ben Franklins and a clan of perplexingly American Vikings caused ripples around the course.
Europeans matched that energy. The Jon “Rambo,” Robert MacIntyre and Sepp Straka fan clubs dazzled in the Italian sunlight. The Holy Roman Empire was prominently featured, as legions of soldiers and even a pope next to an inflatable golf club harkened to the glory days. Spiky blue wigs, a pack of leprechauns, pizza chefs and a Mario squad – including Waluigi, Princess Peach and Yoshi – dotted Marco Simone.
A rogue blue dinosaur was spotted roaming the course on Sunday – it is still a mystery whether the individual’s loyalty falls with Europe or the U.S.
A blue dinosaur at the 44th Ryder Cup. (Getty Images)
Stephanie Royer is on staff at the PGA TOUR. She played college golf and is currently pursuing an MBA. A world traveler, she hopes to always keep her country count above her age and to hit every destination in the "National Treasure" movies.