First Look At Rome's Ryder Cup
Marco Simone should put on a good show and give players a chance to shine. Getting to the property will be work but once there expect an incredible atmosphere.
Ciao!
Buongiorno!
Grazzzzzy!
Apologies for the that last pronunciation. My fellow countrymen go with that bungling after feeling a little too high on Italian life following a bowl of Amatriciana and a glass of smooth vino della casa. But at least none of them slipped like I did and invoked a gracias.
I digress.
Yes, The Quad returns from glorious Rome where the opening Ryder Cup foursomes session is now just 16 days away. Not that anyone in the ancient city seems to know or care about the impending golf gladiatorial showdown. Their loss.
After taking over almost 150,000 steps interrupted by gelato testings, I can report no sign whatsoever of the Italian people having an inkling of the biennial matches coming to their country. (Though there was an airport display and cheesy video dedicated to the Cup’s official wine). But Rome’s a big place and I’m sure the combatants will not be discouraged to know they will be a mere blip from September 29 to October 1. Besides, of more interest to those of us who will be watching and pulling for a lively contest between the United States and Europe, the matches have sold out and corporate sales have been a huge success. With big crowds, an ideal course routing for the Ryder Cup and a big time venue build-out, Marco Simone should create a sensational arena for the matches.
After touring the course just days before most of the American and European teams rolled in last week for scouting, I can safely say the architecture certainly lacks the character found in the city. But having been remodeled with the matches in mind by European Golf Design and Tom Fazio II, it should bring out some great moments and delicate decisions under the stifling Ryder Cup pressure.
Getting there? That may take a while. Plan accordingly and that includes you, players and caddies. In the coming weeks I’ll have more on Rome, the matches and what to expect, but I thought we’d kick off with a few impressions from my course visit.
I don’t believe I’m alone in feeling like the 2023 edition has seemed like a bit of a transitional year with familiar veterans now gone. But after seeing how the venue will work and seeing the teams getting there for early scouting, it’s starting to feel like a good, old-fashioned and over-analyzed Ryder Cup. Just the way we like it. Prego! Some takeaways:
The routing. Marco Simone’s sequencing keeps most of the key holes on an upper shelf of the property, with only the 3rd, 4th and 5th a bit removed from the action. Thanks to that trio sitting in a lower valley below the majority of upper holes, even that stretch can be seen pretty easily by spectators and other matches.
Drivable par 4s! The 11th and 16th should liven up the back nine and are guaranteed to play as long par 3s in the four-ball session. In foursomes the 16th could see some lay-ups depending on the state of the match. On the front nine, the 5th tee signage has been moved up from its 376 yards total to something just over 300. With water by the green and a nice bit of strategy created for the tee shot at 375 or so yards, the shift forward feels forced and I won’t be shocked if, after player feedback, it’s reversed. Besides, the 6th, at 383 uphill, pinches down in a way that might encourage a few players to muscle one close to the green.
The design is very straightforward. Or, as the kids might say in full Tiger mode, it’s “all right in front of you.” The recent team practice rounds probably made this apparent to first-timers. I don’t see the players showing up there for the first time during Ryder Cup week and feeling as if they are at a great disadvantage. Learning Marco Simone will not pose an extreme cerebral challenge for Spieth, Cantlay and Schauffele to learn in a day or two.
Scouting what? The newbies may even be glad they missed the practice since it was playing pretty soft and green. The course is made up primarily of cool season grasses and appeared to have been (wisely) nursed through a brutal stretch of heat in July and August. It’ll be in good shape for the matches. But last week Marco Simone was understandably soft, lush and slow.
Greens. A few key par 3 greens with severe undulations could play radically different by Ryder Cup time, depending on what Europe decides to do with green speeds. Will they go slow to favor their side less use to playing 13-and-up Stimping greens?