WiretoWire: The cup comes Rome
3 Min Read
Written by Staff
Europe reigns supreme at the Ryder Cup once again. Back on home soil, the Europeans avenged an embarrassing loss in 2021 and dealt out one of their own to the Americans, winning 16.5-11.5 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio, Italy. It’s Europe’s seventh consecutive Ryder Cup victory on home soil and 10th outright win in the last 14 Ryder Cups overall. The U.S. winless drought on European soil will extend to 34 years, with the home team winning eight of the last nine Ryder Cups. The winning moment came from Tommy Fleetwood, who secured the necessary half-point on the 16th after Rickie Fowler’s tee shot found the water. Fleetwood took on the dangerous drivable par 4, launching his tee shot safely over the water and onto the green and then cozied up his eagle putt near the hole before Fowler conceded. Let the European party begin. It was a week defined by a new generation of Europeans filling out the roster, but it was their star players who did the most damage. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland combined to win 10.5 points (9-2-3). Compare that to the U.S., where Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth combined for just 2.5 points. Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa earned one point each. The Ryder Cup is an event that captures the minds and hearts of fans and players alike. Europe is already thinking about the next one at Bethpage Black in 2025. “I think one of the biggest accomplishments in sports is winning an away Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said, “and that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.”
The PGA TOUR heads back to Jackson, Mississippi, for the Sanderson Farms Championship, a staple of the fall golf calendar. Five golfers who finished in the top 50 of this year’s FedExCup are teeing it up: Eric Cole, Lee Hodges, Tom Hoge, Adam Svensson and Emiliano Grillo. After a successful Ryder Cup debut, Ludvig Åberg will fly across the Atlantic to continue his rookie season on the PGA TOUR. Åberg was the first player to earn PGA TOUR status via PGA TOUR University after finishing atop the rankings this year and has quickly shown he was deserving of the honor. Mackenzie Hughes aims to successfully defend his title. Hughes is currently No. 51 in the FedExCup standings as he looks to hold onto his spot in The Next 10 (Nos. 51-60 in the FedExCup at season’s end will qualify for two 2024 Signature Events: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational). Kevin Kisner is back for his second event after taking three months off, joined by Lucas Herbert and Grayson Murray, who won on the Korn Ferry Tour for his second win of the season and will tee it up on TOUR this week after clinching his 2024 card via the Korn Ferry Tour. Other notables heading to Jackson include recent TOUR winner Akshay Bhatia, past PLAYERS champion Webb Simpson, S.H. Kim, Eric Cole, Keith Mitchell and Mississippi’s own Davis Riley.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Team Europe wins 16.5 - 11.5 at the Ryder Cup
MIC CHECK
"They made my life very easy and they played like superstars. Not many people gave us a chance, I don't think, especially two years ago. Yeah, well, we proved them wrong." – European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald after his team’s 16.5-11.5 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
6 - European Ryder Cup rookies Ludvig Åberg, Nicolai Højgaard, Robert MacIntyre and Sepp Straka combined for six of the team’s 16.5 winning points in Rome.
2025 - In September 2025, Bethpage Black will play host to the 45th Ryder Cup.
30 - The final event of the Korn Ferry Tour season takes place at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance. Thirty PGA TOUR cards will be awarded after the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.