Jon Rahm will almost certainly be at this year’s Ryder Cup in Rome, but the group that joins him on the European side for the biennial competition has never been more up in the air. It’s not just the Europeans, either, as the United States team is going to have some decisions to make when it comes to September’s event — particularly as it pertains to LIV Golf participants joining in on the festivities. 

“There’s some people that are going to have to make some tough choices, right?” said Rahm on Tuesday at the Tournament of Champions where he will open his 2023 campaign. “A little bit of that is out of my reach. My guess is I hope the PGA of America and European Tour make a decision together. I don’t think it would be smart to have one team allowing LIV players and one not to.

“And besides that, even if they decide not to on that side, I think it’s going to give an opportunity for a lot of great young players to show up and have the chance in Europe, right? It’s just going to be an opportunity for all of them. We saw a younger U.S. team last Ryder Cup and they did what they did. So I’m hoping these younger guys who have grown up watching the Ryder Cup and seeing their idols do what they do, let’s say, it energizes the team a little bit in any manner and we show up there to win.”

Decisions are not unusual, of course, as captains for both sides always have to make picks for the matches (both teams will have six wild card selections this year). But the organizations that run this event — PGA of America on the U.S. side and European Tour on the European side — have some more philosophical choices to make before the captains make their selections.

Namely (as Rahm noted): Should LIV Golf player be eligible to participate in the Ryder Cup?

Several of the top players in the world left the PGA Tour and European Tour in 2022 to join the Saudi-backed startup golf league, and both of those leagues attempted to suspend those players from playing. The PGA Tour was successful in doing so while a court ruled that European Tour players could — for the time being — play in European Tour events. A court is supposed to issue a final ruling in February.

There has been much debate about what this should mean for players outside of these two leagues. The Masters, for example, recently said that any LIV player that qualified for its 2023 event would be eligible to play for that event. This seems perfunctory, but given how chaotic the last year has been, it was treated as big news.

In September, the PGA Tour — which, as a reminder, is a very different organization than the PGA of America — banned all golfers from participating in the Presidents Cup, which it runs on both the United States and international sides. Interestingly, international captain Trevor Immelman asked why Louis Oosthuizen could not play as he resigned his PGA Tour membership and an international Presidents Cup player doesn’t have to be a PGA Tour member to play in the Presidents Cup. He was told that Oosthuizen violated PGA Tour rules while he was still a member.

All of this is messy, and it’s up for debate over which team it will affect more. Of the top 12 players on the European side (according to Data Golf), only one — Paul Casey — is a LIV player, although Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood are on the cusp of being in that top 12. When it comes to the Americans, only Dustin Johnson is inside the top 12 while nobody else is in the top 20 (Talor Gooch is 25th).

The European Tour is in more of a bind than the PGA of America, and the ultimate decision will likely be dictated by what the Euro side wants. After attempting to keep players from playing on its tour, an about face when it comes to the Ryder Cup it also runs would feel disingenuous. Again, this probably (?) won’t matter significantly when it comes to the construction of the team, but Rahm wants Garcia there, and Rahm has a lot of sway on the European side.

Regardless of how it plays out, this is going to be one of the bigger storylines of 2023. All of our focus has been on what the major championships are going to decide when it comes to LIV golfers, but the Ryder Cup (and both organizations that run it) are in that boat as well. And while major decisions will affect a small percentage of the fields that play in them, Ryder Cup choices could (could!) have a massive effect on the actual outcome of this year’s event.

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Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa is bidding to end the almost 30-year absence of the Ryder Cup from England after launching a bid to host the biennial matches in 2031 or 2035.

Located just a short direct train ride from central London and a few minutes’ drive from the M1 and Luton Airport, the luxury estate is set in over 1,000 acres of parkland, woods and lakes in Bedfordshire.

The estate is currently home to an 18-hole championship course and in line with the Arora Group’s ambition to create something special on the estate, it plans to design and build a completely new championship course worthy of hosting the Ryder Cup.

Surinder Arora, founder and chairman of the Arora Group, which owns the venue, commented: “Our acquisition of Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa was always with the intention to curate a luxury leisure and hospitality experience on the existing estate. We want to continue building on the already rich history of Luton Hoo and to ensure that any future investment into the estate will bring economic benefit to Bedfordshire and surrounding areas.

“Hosting the Ryder Cup, potentially in either 2031 or 2035, would raise the profile of the area to a global audience and the opportunity to bid to host a Ryder Cup at Luton Hoo is a very real and realistic ambition.”

Cllr Richard Wenham, leader of Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “The Ryder Cup is an iconic sporting event celebrated and enjoyed across the globe. Arora’s aspirational plans to take the superb Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa complex set in its beautiful surroundings to the next level, have the scope to put Central Bedfordshire on the world stage. Securing the Ryder Cup would be an enormous boost to our thriving economy, bringing many new tourists and supporting more new jobs.”

The Arora Group, the UK’s largest private hotel owner-operator, purchased Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa from Elite Hotels in December 2021. Its championship course previously hosted the Bridgestone Challenge 2017 and 2018, and the EuroPro Tour in 2017.

Originally known as a specialist airport hotel owner operator, the Arora Group bought The Buckinghamshire Golf Club in 2018.

Luton Hoo’s Ryder Cup bid is likely to come up against a rival English bid from Hulton Park in Bolton, which has announced plans to build a brand new course to accommodate the matches.

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The first round of this year’s Houston Open is in the books, and if leaderboards are any indication of the quality of an event — and they are — then this tournament is going to be a great one over the next three days.

Former Ryder Cuppers Alex Noren and Tony Finau are tied at the top at 5 under along with potentially future Ryder Cupper, Aaron Wise as well as Tyson Alexander who only completed 17 holes before darkness. Between the three players at the top who completed their rounds, they made just two combined bogeys in 54 holes at a tough Memorial Park Golf Course, and there’s some distance between them and the rest of the best players in the field.

Let’s take a closer look at their first rounds and what to expect over the weekend in Houston.

The leaders

1. Tony Finau, Alex Noren, Aaron Wise, Tyson Alexander (-5): Gone are the low 60s scores of last week signifying an easy resort golf course that professionals can light up. Memorial Park Golf Course is a Tom Doak redesign and has proved to be tricky over its first two PGA Tour events. This one looks to be much of the same.

Wise has been playing terrific golf this fall and seems to have solved some of his putter problems, which could also be a problem for the rest of the fields he plays in. It’s been en vogue to suggest him as a potential breakout star this year, but there’s a reason for that — he’s a terrific ball-striker — and it’s looking at least now like it could be true.

“I feel like I’m getting there,” said Wise of the state of his game. “I’m pretty hard on myself, there’s always things I want to improve, but I feel like I’m well on my way. I feel like I’m in a way better spot than I was a year ago or two years ago. I just want to keep pushing and keep getting better and see how good I can get”

Finau has been one of the hottest players in golf over the last two months, and Noren has caught a bit of that heat as well — he finished second at the Barracuda Championship in July and T2 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the beginning of October. Both are tremendous ball-strikers and Noren led the field in iron play on Thursday. I would be surprised if one of these three players didn’t end up winning the tournament.

Other contenders

T5. Zack Fischer, Ben Taylor, Keith Mitchell, Taylor Pendrith, Wyndham Clark, Mackenzie Hughes, Max McGreevy, David Lipsky (-4)

T13. Scott Piercy, Denny McCarthy, Brendan Steele, Maverick McNealy, Justin Rose, Marty Dou Zecheng, Joel Dahmen, Zack Fischer, Brent Grant, Trey Mullinax, Yechun Yuan, Ben Griffin (-3)

That’s a lot of names but not a lot of depth. Who’s the best player in this group right now? Mitchell? Dahmen? McNealy?

McNealy has probably been playing the best golf of anyone in this collection of players with four consecutive top-20 finishes after a missed cut at the Fortinet Championship to start his 2022-23 season. He drove it poorly on Thursday (only two golfers hit fewer fairways) but his immense short game kept a round together. If he gets it rolling off the tee, he could certainly jump up into contention on the weekend.

Dahmen, too, has been trending in the right direction. After a T37 at the Shriners, he finished T16 at the Zozo and T3 last week at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mayakoba. He was good across the board on Thursday, and it would give this tournament a bit of a jolt to see one of the more popular men in golf get his second career victory.

Sam Burns’ struggles

As one of the two top 12 players in this field, much was expected of Burns. Unfortunately he shot a 77 on Thursday and has only four golfers behind him on the leaderboard. Normally a strong putter, Burns lost nearly five (!!) strokes to the field on the greens on Thursday and put himself in a corner that’s going to be difficult to get out of.

2022 Houston Open odds, picks

• Tony Finau: 4-1
• Aaron Wise: 5-1
• Alex Noren: 12-1
• Taylor Pendrith: 14-1
• Maverick McNealy: 14-1
• Scottie Scheffler: 18-1

Normally I like to look pretty far down the board to find somebody with longer odds. However, I think one of the co-leaders is going to end up winning this tournament. I would simply sprinkle on those three and hope that Noren hits but not be disappointed if it’s one of the others.

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While the LIV Golf Championship wound down with $34 million on the line between 16 golfers in Miami on Sunday, Seamus Power had something even more valuable at stake one time zone east of where Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed were busy winning the $16 million first prize at LIV Miami.

Power shot a roller coaster of a 70 in the final round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship to go with three consecutive 65s to start the week and beat Thomas Detry by a single shot. The win gets Power into next year’s Masters (he’s only played in one in his career), moves him up from his impressive No. 48 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings, nets him 500 FedEx Cup points and, perhaps most intriguing of all, officially puts him on the 2023 Ryder Cup watch list.

The Irishman went out in 33 on Sunday but came home with four bogeys (including three in his last four holes!) and a 37 that could have upended his chances. However, his main competitor in the final round in Bermuda, Ben Griffin, had an even wackier back nine as he shot a 4-over 39 on the back with two birdies, four bogeys and a double.

“Delighted to get it done,” the affable European said after his round. “… absolutely delighted.”

The win is Power’s second on the PGA Tour — he also took the Barbasol Championship in 2021. But don’t let the quality of victory obfuscate what has been a terrific rise for somebody who doesn’t get as much run as fellow countryman Shane Lowry but could possibly a teammate of Lowry’s come Rom next September.

“Completely different feeling but just as special,” said the 35-year-old after his win. “It’s so hard. I play a lot of tournaments and this is only my second. It’s amazing it’s special. It’s going to take a while to sink in, but absolutely over the moon.”

In 2019 Power was a (well) below average PGA Tour player who was averaging -1.0 strokes per round, but in each of the last three seasons he’s improved to the point that he’s now hanging out in the statistical neighborhood with golfers like Jason Day, Paul Casey, Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott.

Perhaps even more impressively, Power came into this week’s Bermuda Championship as one of the handful of favorites to win … and then he won. That’s one of the hardest things in golf to do, and now the question is whether he can move from being a good lower-tier PGA Tour player to competitive with the big boys in the most important events.

In 2022, Power qualified for all four major championships and had two top 12s and three top 30s in his four starts. This is encouraging and a sign of his tremendous growth as a golfer over the last several years.

Power could go a number of different directions from here. Perhaps he’ll remain as a good but not great PGA Tour golfer. Perhaps he’ll make yet another leap in 2023, contend in more majors and notch his first Ryder Cup experience in Rome. Perhaps somewhere in the middle of those two realities is where he’ll eventually land. Regardless, his win in Bermuda on Sunday was a reminder of just how far he’s jumped in such a short timespan and what that could mean for his suddenly surging career.

We’ve got reaction and analysis to the Bermuda Butterfield Championship and LIV Miami. Follow and listen to The First Cut podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  

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Ian Poulter has insisted that he hopes to be able to compete in next year’s Ryder Cup in Rome despite having signed for LIV Golf.

Poulter, who has played in seven previous Ryder Cups and has 16 points to his name, is at the forefront of a legal challenge to the DP World Tour aimed at allowing LIV golfers to not only be able to qualify for the Ryder Cup, but continue to play in DP World Tour events across the world.

Poulter, speaking in Miami before the final LIV Golf event of 2022, which gets under way at Trump Doral on Friday, said: “We can still qualify for the team as far as I’m aware. Unless we’ve been told we can’t qualify, then I’m still ready to play as much as I possibly can and try and make that team.”

He added: “My commitment to the Ryder Cup has never been in doubt. I don’t think that should ever come into question. I’ve always wanted to play Ryder Cups and have played with as much passion as anyone else that I’ve ever seen play a Ryder Cup.”

One person who isn’t keen on Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood teeing it up in Rome is world no.1 Rory McIlroy, who said that he felt a sense of ‘betrayal’ from all those European players who have signed up to LIV Golf and still expected to be able to play in DP World Tour events and the Ryder Cup.

Speaking after his win at last weekend’s CJ Cup about his feelings towards former Ryder Cup teammates who have joined LIV Golf, McIlroy said: “This is the first time that I’ve felt a kind of sense of betrayal. You build bonds with these people through Ryder Cups and other things. Them knowing that what they are about to do is going to jeopardise them from being a part of that ever again. There was a great opportunity for GMac [Graeme McDowell] to maybe be the captain at Adare in 2027, while most of Sergio’s legacy is Ryder Cup-based, same with Poulter and Westwood.”

He added: “If people felt so aggrieved about some things. I’d rather be trying to make those changes from inside the walls than trying to go outside and be disruptive.”

A five-day hearing, presided over by Sport Resolutions UK, is take place in London in February when a final decision will be made on whether LIV Golf members can continue to participate in DP World Tour events where eligible, collect Ryder Cup qualification points and feature on the order of merit. This opens the door for the involvement of the players in question in the Race to Dubai finale in November, plus the Middle East swing in January next year.

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Previous proposals for Hulton Park were approved by Bolton Council in 2018 and the UK Secretary of State in 2020 and remain in place. However, in February, going against the advice of their own planning officers, the council’s planning committee unanimously refused a revised plan submitted by landowner Peel L&P, which contained what they claim ‘enhanced proposals’.

The plans have now been approved on appeal by the national government.A statement from the government planning inspectorate said: “The appeal is allowed and full planning permission is granted for restoration works to Hulton Park and various existing structures and heritage assets within it, including the development of a golf resort, an 18-hole championship golf course, clubhouse, golf academy, comprising driving range, practice course, adventure course and academy building with sports and learning facilities, a golf shop and cafe.”In addition to the housing development, plans also include a village hall, community allotments, primary school, and short stay holiday accommodation.

Welcoming the inspector’s decision, Richard Knight, Director of Planning and Strategy at Peel L&P, said: “We put forward a robust and compelling case at the public inquiry and are pleased that the inspector has recognised the long-term benefits a revitalised Hulton Park will bring to the economy of Bolton and the North West.

“This demonstrates that our plans in the best interests of Bolton and local people and now is the time for Bolton to get behind the bid and support the development coming to the town to help secure a prosperous and exciting future for Bolton. We will continue to promote the unique offer Bolton and Hulton Park provides and looks forward to the continued support it has had to date.”

He added: “We have always been committed to realising our vision for Hulton Park, proposals that will restore and revitalise the historic park while making golf more inclusive, providing better community facilities, more quality housing and improved transport infrastructure in addition to our significant contributions to make the development net zero.

“We want to continue working with the council and local stakeholders and residents to maximise the huge economic, social and environmental benefits of this unique and game-changing opportunity. We know that many people are genuinely excited about the prospects of one of the world’s greatest sporting events coming to Bolton, bringing many jobs, opportunities and international profile to the town.

“Our plans will also help to raise the bar for modern and sustainable championship golf developments. We will continue to develop these ideas and progress discussions with our partners. We will keep people updated and make further announcements in due course.”

Campaigners against the plans, which include locally-born actress Maxine Peake, have described the scheme as a “housing project in golf clothing” and claimed the developer would build more houses after the Ryder Cup.

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With Henrik Stenson being stripped of the 2023 Ryder Cup captaincy following his switch to LIV Golf, it has fallen to Luke Donald to pick up the baton to lead Team Europe into battle in Rome. Here, the Hertfordshire-born 45-year-old lays out his thoughts on taking the captain’s reins at short notice, the on-going issues around team selection, and how he plans to win back the cup

I know it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, but how does it feel to be a second choice Ryder Cup captain?

I can’t pretend that I wasn’t disappointed when I wasn’t selected first time around in March, as I thought I was in with a decent chance, but I’m delighted, excited and extremely honoured to have been given the chance to lead the team into Rome in 2023.
Obviously, the circumstances around Henrik’s situation are well known, but it is what it is. Sometimes in life we’re given second chances, and I’m thoroughly looking forward to making the most of the one that I have been handed.
This is something I’ve always wanted to do, so when I was offered the chance, I grabbed it. I’ve had amazing experiences in Ryder Cups, and in many ways this [the captaincy] feels like a lifetime achievement award; a reward for everything I’ve done in my Ryder Cup career, so to be a part of it again is truly special.
I’ve been involved in six Ryder Cups – four in a playing capacity and two as a vice-captain – and I’ve learnt a lot along the way. Some of the best experiences of my career have been at Ryder Cups, so I’m excited. I’ve got 12 months ahead of me and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.

Given the shorter lead time that you will have as captain, what’s the most pressing thing to get sorted ahead of the next September’s matches?

I think we will have plenty of time to get everything in order. There are obviously some unknowns right now, but I’ll have to just deal with those as they come along. First and foremost, we needed to sort out the qualification criteria and we’ve done that now.

You’ve opted for six wildcards, with three automatic places from the world points list and three from the DP World Tour points list, as well as some changes to the points weighting behind some of the events. Are you confident that will give you the strongest team?

The changes to the qualification process follow in-depth analysis with the team at Ryder Cup Europe and I’m delighted that when we presented our thoughts to the Tournament Committee, they were 100% behind them. The revised overall process removes the need for points multipliers in the last few months of the qualifying period, and the six picks give me flexibility to ensure we have the strongest line-up at Marco Simone in terms of in-form players, players with Ryder Cup experience and potential pairings.
As far as the European Points List is concerned, modifying the points allocation will give an improved chance for DP World Tour members playing predominantly on the DP World Tour to make the Ryder Cup team through one of the now three spots available from that list. We have also moved the end of the qualification period forward to give the players the right amount of preparation time once they have made the team.
We are all focused on reclaiming the Ryder Cup in Rome next September and this qualification system gives us the best opportunity of doing just that.

What is your personal position as to whether those players who have gone to LIV Golf should be available for selection for the Ryder Cup team, either as players or vice-captains?

I’m not here really to talk about LIV Golf and whether they will be eligible or not. That remains to be seen, as there are legal appeals currently going on, but part of my role as captain is to create a strong and unified team, and I’ll be working on that as we build towards the matches. Hopefully, we’ll soon have some clarity on the situation [regarding LIV Golf players] and we can start making some decisions about the team when the picture becomes clearer.

Given that the American Ryder Cup team may lose a third of its 2021 winning team due to LIV Golf, how balanced do you think that the two teams might be in 2023?

Well, it’s hard to answer hypothetical questions. I think our top guys against their top guys match out pretty well, to be honest. I think there’s room for some great young players to show form over the next year, and I’m glad we do have a year to find those players. The Ryder Cup has always come down to fine margins, even when the final points tallies have been skewed one way or another. I know last year wasn’t that close judged by the end result, but it felt like the matches were a lot closer out on the course. Ryder Cups are always close, no matter where the players are in the rankings, and we’ll certainly be ready to take on whoever the US has in its team.

Did LIV Golf ever approach you to join their tour?

They have not approached me with a contract to play on the LIV Golf Series, but they did reach out to me very early on in the process about being a broadcast commentator, which I quickly said I wasn’t interested in. That’s all in the past and right now I want to keep moving forward. I’ve been gifted this opportunity to be Ryder Cup captain and this is my only goal, my only interest, over the next 14 months.

You played in last year’s Italian Open at Marco Simone, host venue for the 2023 Ryder Cup. What sort of a test do you think that course will present for the teams next September?

Yes, I played last year, and I’ll be playing again this year. I think it’s going to be an amazing golf course and an amazing venue. There are lots of great vantage points for crowds to watch the action. Obviously, I’ll be meeting with my vice captains and the Ryder Cup Committee over the next few weeks and thinking about how we can set up the course, but I think it’s going to be a great venue.

What do you think is going to be the hardest part of your job?

The hardest part for me will be to get these 12 guys into the team room in a very motivated, unified way. There are obviously some distractions going on, but there’s been lots of Ryder Cups where there have been issues for captains to deal with. We saw that last year with the pandemic and then in 2001 we had to deal with the fall-out from the terrorist attacks of 9/11. You know, these things happen, and we’ll just have to deal with them in the best possible way.

Having been at Whistling Straits as a vice-captain, how would you sum up the size of the task on your hands on a purely playing perspective to get that trophy back?

Well, I think the European Tour and the Ryder Cup Committee have a great template in place. We have had a lot of success over the years. We’ve won seven of the last ten, nine of the last 13, so last year’s defeat was very disappointing. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
It was the first time I was ever on a losing team and it’s not nice. But sometimes failure can really motivate you, and I certainly know that the players will be motivated to win back the cup, and I will be doing everything I can to get those guys in the right frame of mind to put us in a position to do that.
We had some things going against us last year, obviously COVID, and not having the travelling support that we usually do at an away match. So hopefully this time will be a little bit easier in terms of having great crowd support. I’m excited for it to be in Rome. The Italian fans are very passionate and I’m sure we’ll lots of fans travel from all over Europe.

You’ve obviously played most of your golf in recent seasons on the PGA Tour. How much of a challenge is it going to be to get to know these young guys that are going to be the new era for Europe, and how much time will you spend on the DP World Tour?

I certainly plan to be over in Europe more than I usually would do, and I’ll be meeting the guys and getting to know them better. I obviously know a lot of the players that have played in previous Ryder Cups, but it will be important for me to get over to Europe and catch up with these younger guys and really get them in the right frame of mind that this could be a new opportunity for a new generation to step up and make this team. I’ll be trying to really persuade them to be stepping up their schedules and playing some good golf.

Who are the younger players that you think might break through into the team next year?

I think there’s a lot of young talent out there. We’ve obviously got a lot of guys who played last year. We have some experienced players like Thomas Pieters, Thorbjørn Olesen, and some younger guys, like the Højgaard twins. Obviously, I would love Francesco [Molinari] to make that team. To be in Italy, that would be an amazing thing for himself and for me.

Do you feel like this could be a major changing of the guard in terms of how the European team looks going forward?

There are always shifts in the make-up of Ryder Cup teams, we saw that with the American side last year, and I think we’re probably going to see that with our team next year. I think that’s just a natural shift that happens in Ryder Cup teams.
We certainly had a lot of experience at Whistling Straits, but I’m sure those more experienced players still feel like they are capable of making the team. Then again, this is a great opportunity for the younger guys to qualify. So if I was a young European competing on the DP World Tour, I would be very excited about the opportunity to show how good I am and if what I’ve got is good enough to make the European Ryder Cup team.

Several past Ryder Cup captains have sought advice from managers and leading figures in other sports. I wonder whether Sarina Wiegman, manager of the Lionesses, might be on your ‘to-call list’ after England’s win in the Euros?

I was flying back from Detroit during the Euro finals, so I didn’t watch the match, but obviously we’re all extremely proud of what the Lionesses achieved. Any time I can talk to someone who is able to have such a success around a team is going to be worthwhile. I think you can see such comparisons between something like the Lionesses and the Ryder Cup. I’m sure I’ll be reaching out to many people who have had a lot of success in that team environment, one being Sarina.
The Lionesses made history, and they will inspire a generation. And that’s what really inspires me about the Ryder Cup – the chance to inspire future generations. I certainly remember a lot of my shots in Ryder Cups much more than I do in individual tournaments, because we are playing for something bigger than ourselves.

Your last Ryder Cup as a player was at Medinah in 2012. Is it a source of frustration that you haven’t been in the team as a player in recent years?

As an individual player, you always have aspirations of playing at the highest level, but my golf has not been as good as I would have liked the last few years. I’m 45 now, but I know that other players are still playing decent golf at that age, but just hasn’t been the case for me. If you had asked me after Medinah whether that would be my last Ryder Cup, I would have said you were crazy. That’s how fickle this game is. I still have aspirations of competing and doing well at the highest level, but

What’s your most abiding memory from the six Ryder Cups you’ve been involved in?

I’ve been fortunate to be a part of five winning teams, so the celebrations at the end are always fun. I got to play Oakland Hills last week for a corporate thing, and that was my first Ryder Cup in 2004. I remember the party in the Irish bar afterwards was pretty memorable.
From a personal playing standpoint, maybe the 7-iron I hit into the 17th at Medinah against Tiger and Steve Stricker when I was playing with Sergio. Maybe the bunker shot on 17 at Medinah, too, against Bubba Watson, and putting that first point on the board leading out Europe.

You’ve played and worked alongside six different Ryder Cup captains. What kind of captain will you be and who do you think of those past captain’s you’re most like?

Well, I enjoyed having my first Ryder Cup under Bernhard Langer in 2004. He certainly crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s. I felt like I always knew where I was with him. He was very detail orientated, and I think a lot of the players, including the rookies, were very motivated to play under him.
I suppose I’m somewhere between Langer and a José Maria Olazábal. I think I’m a detail-oriented person. I like to figure things out in my head without blurting them out. José was certainly more of a quiet leader, and I think that will be kind of my stance. That’s my nature. Between those two, I’m guessing I’ll be on the phone to both of them and getting some ideas for my captaincy.

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The 2023 Ryder Cup press tour officially began earlier this week as U.S. captain Zach Johnson and European captain Luke Donald made their way through Italy’s capital city visiting various sites and attractions. On Tuesday, the photoshoots and fun were put on hold as a press conference awaited the two headmen in Rome.

Each were posed with questions regarding how host course Marco Simone may play next fall, and more importantly what the composition of their teams may be. While away from the public eye since the 150th Open, Tiger Woods’ potential participation with the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup was brought into question for the American leader.

“Given who he is and what he’s all about, I can’t tell you right now: I don’t know if he will be here next year, but he will be a part of this team in some capacity,” said Johnson. “He already is, frankly. I can’t put this mildly: He loves the Ryder Cup. He has made it a priority. He wants to be a part of it as best he can. He’s gone through some things as of late that make it difficult, whether it’s travel or what-have-you.”

Woods was last a member of the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team in Paris, France, which endured a 17.5 – 10.5 defeat at the hands of the Europeans. The 15-time major champion accumulated a record of 0-4-0 playing alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed in the team portion of the event and fell to Jon Rahm in Sunday singles.

This, however, was not Woods’ last involvement in a team competition; he thrived a year later at the 2019 Presidents Cup as a playing captain. Woods led his team to a come-from-behind victory at Royal Melbourne and was perfect on the week with a 3-0-0 record.

He has since moved in the shadows the last two years. Delivering an inspiring speech to Team USA ahead of the final day of the 2021 Ryder Cup and, more recently, imparting wisdom to Davis Love III for the 2022 Presidents Cup, the 46-year-old’s presence — while not seen — has been felt by the Americans.

Whether he takes on a vice captain’s role remains to be seen, but Johnson all but confirmed Woods will be involved with the U.S. team for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome.

“He and I will be in constant communication,” Johnson said. “I will welcome that. He has great ideas. Has great encouragement. He’s always positive, and you know, the beauty of where we are as Team USA is we have got some really great youth that are participating now at a high level.”

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As the LIV Golf League does its best to integrate with other top leagues and golf organizations globally, it continues to receive pushback from the most powerful people in golf. The PGA Tour has banned all LIV Golf players and is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with a handful of them (including the league itself) to allow them back into the Tour. On the European side, the DP World Tour has allowed golfers to play, though it is unclear what the long-term solution will be there.

That brought up some bitterness last week at the BMW PGA Championship from players like Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy, who did not all believe that LIV Golf players should be taking the spots of regular DP World Tour players. McIlroy reiterated his stance on LIV golfers when he was asked about whether they should be on the Ryder Cup next year in Rome at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, where he is playing the Italian Open this week.

“I have said it once I’ve said it a hundred times, I don’t think any of those guys should be on the Ryder Cup Team,” McIlroy said.

The DP World Tour is in a difficult position. It was legally forced to allow LIV golfers into its events this summer, but given its depleted state and the fact that it is not nearly as strong as the PGA Tour, some big-name LIV golfers playing might actually be enticing for the tour to draw interest and attendance (even if it’s based around a bit of drama).

Then there is the matter of the Ryder Cup, which McIlroy has mentioned multiple times over the last few weeks. At a player-commissioner meeting at the BMW PGA Championship last week, Sergio Garcia, a LIV defector, asked DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley whether he and others would be allowed to play in the 2023 Ryder Cup. Here’s how it went down, according to Golf Digest.

“Pelley’s response was that they can certainly earn points starting this week, but we don’t know what will happen in the next 12 months. Any more questions? You could hear a pin drop. I was laughing at that point. I had expected this to last at least 90 minutes and maybe get a little hostile. But no. Just about nothing came of it all.”

Golfers are only able to earn Ryder Cup points at OWGR-sanctioned events, which at the moment does not include the LIV Golf League. Of course, all of this may be a non-starter anyway since most of the former Ryder Cuppers who are concerned about their future with the event are not playing good enough golf to make it anyway. It’s doubtful that Lee Westwood or Ian Poulter would have qualified, and though Garcia or Paul Casey may have gotten a captain’s pick, the former is not playing all that well and the latter has been injured quite often.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve got much of a relationship with [the Europeans who moved over to LIV Golf] at the minute,” McIlroy said. “But again, if you’re just talking about Ryder Cup, that’s not the future of the Ryder Cup team. They have played in probably a combined 25 Ryder Cups, 30 Ryder Cups, whatever it is. But the future of the Ryder Cup is the Hojgaards [Nicolai and Rasmus], Bobby Mac [Robert MacIntyre] and whoever else is coming up. They are what we should be thinking about and talking about.”

It’s a great point and one that makes most of this moot. The Euros have a new core of McIlroy, Rahm, Lowry, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton, and they’re not looking to lean on their old lions any longer.

“I think the European Team has a core of six or seven guys that I think we all know are pretty much going to be on that team, and then it’s up to some of the younger guys to maybe step up,” added McIlroy. … But I think we were in need of a rebuild, anyway. We did well with the same guys for a very long time but again as I just said, everything comes to an end at some point. I think Whistling Straits is a good sort of demarcation, I guess.

“That’s all behind us. We have got a core group of guys but let’s build on that again, and instead of filling those three or four spots with older veterans, let’s blood some rookies and let’s get them in and build towards the future. I think that’s important.”

A hearing is set for the beginning of 2023 on whether LIV golfers can play the DP World Tour. It will be significant if they’re allowed to as it relates to players getting OWGR points so that they can qualify for majors, but as for any of them making it onto the Rome Ryder Cup team? Whether they’re granted the ability to play the DP World Tour full-time or not, it’s doubtful that it will even matter.

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