ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The U.S. Ryder Cup Team is heading to Italy at least twice.
The U.S. Ryder Cup Team is still months away from being finalized. However, U.S. captain Zach Johnson announced Wednesday that his team would make a 3-day trip to Rome in advance of the Ryder Cup which will be held at Marco Simone Golf Club on September.
Johnson spoke at a press conference before the 105 th PGA Championship in Oak Hill. Then, when we return home after two weeks, I believe they will have a realistic idea of what is expected.
The U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2021 made a similar trip to build morale ahead of the Ryder Cup, at Whistlingstraits, Wisconsin. The U.S. team went on to defeat Team Europe 19-9, and claim the Cup. It hasn’t been able to win on foreign soil for 30 years.
I think it helps. Johnson said, “I think that trip is going to be critical.” “That is a strong term, but I believe it’s key for many reasons. There’s chemistry, camaraderie, and all the good stuff in the locker room. We all know that Monday to Thursday can be pretty stressful. There is a lot going on. They’ve been through it before, so if there are any weather problems or things become really congested, difficult, and tight, then they won’t need to exert themselves as much.”
The U.S. Captain Tom Lehman, who organized the trip in 2006 to the K Club, Ireland, before the biennial match, which the Americans lost by 18 1/2-9 1/2, has mixed results. So, previewing the course beforehand has had mixed outcomes. Jim Furyk who led the U.S. to its most recent defeat away in Paris, in 2018, and will be Johnson’s vice captain this time around, admitted that his team did not have enough time to prepare for Le Golf National’s tight fairways and thick rough.
Johnson said that it was difficult to get the team to agree on a time to meet, especially when the event is short notice. However, he expressed his confidence that most of the players, caddies and other members who represent the stars and strips will be there.
He said that the only thing he could do at this time was to communicate it. “Communicate, first, that this is a top priority for me, second, that Team USA and PGA of America are also very interested in it, and third, mark it down on your calendar and on your radar. So I did that.
I don’t even know how many guys I have abused. I’ve never heard anyone say that they don’t support this. Wisconsin is easier to reach, but everyone made it a top priority…If you could get the high, large percentage of them to Wisconsin, that would be massive.”
The 2023 Ryder Cup will be held from September 29 to November 1.
