The captain’s picks have been made, the teams are all set and the countdown to the Ryder Cup, which begins Sept. 29 in Rome at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, has begun in earnest.
In a little more than a week, 12 of the best players from both Europe and the United States will square off in the biennial bash as the Americans look to win the Cup on foreign soil for the first time in 30 years.
Ahead of the 44th edition of the Ryder Cup, Americans Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas participated in a wide-ranging Q&A through a partnership with Rolex that covered what makes this event so special to them as well as a primer on the course and more.
Collin Morikawa
Q: What did you and Team U.S. learn from winning the Presidents Cup that you will take into consideration for The Ryder Cup 2023?
CM: This is a really tough question. I have had the opportunity to have played both the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup, and they are both very different. This difference is noticeable in the team aspect, in how the media and the supporters perceive the team regarding our strengths and weaknesses on our ability to win. During both tournaments, I have been a part of a very strong team; we were the favorites in the 2022 Presidents Cup. However, we learned that it does not mean anything, as golf has the ability to put a level stage for everyone to showcase their talents, from hole one all the way to hole 18. I think that the tournament highlighted that nothing should be taken for granted. It really showed the grit and perseverance that Team USA had as a result.
At a certain point during the tournament, we were challenged when we became a little too comfortable, making us suddenly have to increase our level of golf. All the players were willing to do so no matter the circumstance and who they were playing against. The Ryder Cup in 2023 will be a different team and situation, we all acknowledge that Team Europe are looking to win on home, European soil, where they will also have the home crowd advantage. I will do everything that it takes to try to hinder them from winning the cup.
Q: The Ryder Cup in Rome will be your first time competing away from home. What are your feelings about playing in the team competition in Italy? How does this impact your preparation?
CM: My preparation stays the same no matter what. I think what it comes down to is learning what the fans are like, as they are such an important part to our sport. I do not think people realize the impact that they have on us when we play at tournaments. Having recently lived through unprecedented times through Covid starting in 2020, it was a weird time. That was the year that I also first turned pro, and it makes you realize how much energy the fans bring, and now much life they add. As players, we do it for ourselves due to being motivated to win, but to see the fans’ enjoyment and to experience the added energy is so special, and can change the dynamic of competitions. In terms of preparation, you cannot prepare for this, one can only hope for the best, and that you are on top of your game. At the end of the day, the aim is to silence the audience with your level of skill.
Scottie Scheffler
Q: What is your first memory of the Ryder Cup? Was it always a competition that you wanted to be a part of?
SS: The memory that sticks out to me the most is the Ryder Cup in 2012 at Medinah Country Club. I played on the Junior Ryder Cup team that year and it was my first time actually going to watch the Ryder Cup. My Dad and I were there on the Friday and Saturday, and we just had a blast. I just couldn’t believe the atmosphere and the environment that was created. You can hear the noise when watching on TV but it’s totally different when you are there in person, standing in the crowd with the fans and the players all going crazy. It really was a surreal experience. The U.S. team played so well that year on the first two days that we all thought they would be able to cruise through on Sunday but then the Miracle at Medinah happens. It really fired me up to hopefully play in the Ryder Cup one day. Last year’s Ryder Cup was also an amazing experience. Being able to play and win the competition was special.
Q: This will be your first road appearance in the Ryder Cup. How will you approach that differently?
SS: I feel excited. I think they might set up the golf course in the same way that they did in Paris with really tight fairways and heavy rough as that was definitely a recipe for success for the Europeans that year. I imagine the course will be set up similar to that. I grew up playing high school basketball and the away games were always so much fun for us. When I was in college, we played a national championship match against Oregon at their home ground. That was my first taste of an ‘away day’ and while the Ryder Cup is on a totally different scale, it gave me a sense of being that away team and I’ve always enjoyed that feeling. I enjoy being the underdog and competing away from home. We haven’t won in Europe for so long. It will be very exciting for me as a player to go over there to compete on their soil and to see how we approach it as a team.
Justin Thomas
Q: What did you and Team USA learn from winning the Presidents Cup that you will take into consideration for the Ryder Cup?
JT: With the same core group of guys playing in the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits and then again at the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow, we all now have the same end goal in mind and know exactly what we are trying to achieve together. We all share the mindset of just doing anything that we can to make that happen. We are very ‘business first’ and serious about getting the job done. We don’t take the opportunity to represent the U.S. team lightly. I also think that with the age group that a lot of us are, we have watched a lot of losses on TV unfortunately for the U.S. Ryder Cup team and I think that we are ready to be on the other side of that.
With the 2023 Ryder Cup taking place in Europe, we are especially motivated to go there and win. That being said, we have had a lot of teams that, according to some, may have been better on paper but at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter. The golf ball doesn’t know who’s ranked higher in the world or won more tournament than others. You just have to go out and execute, hit the shots when you need to and sink the putts. I think that this is a group of guys that understand that and embrace that challenge.
Q: What is it about partnering with Jordan Spieth that makes your pairing so hard to beat?
JT: I don’t know what makes me and Jordan so hard to beat. I think our games complement each other really well. Our respective games are very similar. The distances we hit it, for example, are extremely similar. I think if one person had to choose another person on tour to get a ball up and down around a green, we would probably choose each other. His wedge game is unbelievable. I have a lot of faith in my wedge game so it’s just little things like that. We have a lot of faith in one another and know each other very well having played with and against each other for so long. We know each other’s personalities so well that sometimes I just have to go to the other side of the fairway to let Jordan have a moment or let him and Michael talk, and vice versa. It’s been a lot of fun playing with Jordan, and we hope to create a lot more memories and score a lot more points together later down the road.
Q: Following the success at the 2022 Presidents Cup, how confident are you of Team USA defending the Ryder Cup trophy at Marco Simone?
JT: I’m confident but I’m not going to be the person telling you that it’s over, done or coming home. I obviously have all the faith in the world in whatever team we take over to Rome but again, we have had so many teams that statistically on paper are better than the European team but lost. It is a totally different contest playing in Europe. A lot of guys who have played in previous Ryder Cups might not have necessarily played in the tournament overseas so it will be a new challenge for them. It’s just like the golf course conditions, everyone is just going to have to adapt. Hopefully, we will all get used to it quickly but I know no matter what the makeup of the two teams is, it’s going to be extremely difficult and a friendly but hostile environment with passionate fans which hopefully myself and the rest of the guys are looking forward to and embracing. It is going to be one heck of a battle.
