Team Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald has planned a get together for his side at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome ahead of the showdown with America.
After the Tour Championship came to a conclusion on Sunday night, the attention quickly shifted to the showpiece event that takes place at the end of September.
Donald was in Europe at the weekend competing in the Czech Masters and although the former world number one missed the cut, his main reason for playing in Prague was to keep tabs on the many Ryder Cup hopefuls in the field.
Todd Clements secured a maiden DP World Tour title, but Donald will have had eyes on a number of other players on Sunday.
Danish star Nicolai Hojgaard finished four strokes back in third, while Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre retained his place in the final automatic Ryder Cup qualification spot by claiming a share of fourth.
Elsewhere, potential Team Europe debutant Ludvig Aberg, who many are suggesting Donald should pick, also finished in a share of fourth.
The DP World Tour heads to Switzerland next for the European Masters, and it serves as the last qualifying event in the race to qualify for Europe's Ryder Cup team.
Donald, though, is thinking even further down the line, with a Rome trip planned for his side prior to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, which starts on September 14.
After the Tour Championship, Rory McIlroy, who is assured of his place in Donald’s side, shared a few details of the scouting mission.
“I'm excited to get back over to Europe,” said the four-time Major winner, who clearly wasn’t 100 per cent fit at East Lake.
“We're all sort of making our way over to Europe a couple weeks early. So it will be nice to all get together, get some early team dinners before the week in Rome and sort of really feel like that sort of team chemistry is starting already.
“We're all, for the most part, playing really good. We're, there's still a few weeks to go, but, yeah, I mean it's the next big thing in all of our calendars.”
It’s reported that Donald will be hoping to have most of his team at Marco Golf & Country Club to play a couple of practice rounds, before the DP World Tour’s flagship event takes place in Surrey.
In May, a number of players got a taste of the course when teeing it up in the Italian Open, which was won by Poland’s Adrian Meronk.
However, Donald won’t want to leave any stone unturned in his efforts to help Europe win back the Cup, and clearly believes the more his players get used to playing Marco Golf & Country Club the better.
