"A family". This is the name of the documentary - visible from today on the Ryder Cup YouTube channel and broadcast, from the next few days, also on television platforms in 100 different countries - which will retrace the triumph of the Europe team in the 2023 challenge to the USA, staged at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio (Rome).
Produced by Ryder Cup Productions, with the collaboration of Rolex and IMG, it offers a glimpse of the bond between the continental team led by the Englishman Luke Donald. Images from the locker room, planning, emotions and exclusive interviews tell the story of a journey that, for the Europe team, in the Eternal City, ended in glory with the clear victory (16.5 to 11.5 the final result) obtained against the United States of Zach Johnson.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ryder, documentary
"The bond that was created in Rome between the Europe team was decisive in the victory. Experiencing the Ryder Cup is something unique and this documentary can bear witness to it", the satisfaction of Luke Donald.
The competition, which takes its name from the trophy donated by the Englishman Samuel Ryder (18581936) to the American federation in 1924, is co-managed by the European Tour and the PGA of America.
From 1927 to 1971 the tournament was played between the United States and Great Britain, with a clear American predominance (15-3) and only one draw. In 1973 Ireland was incorporated into Great Britain and in 1979 the rest of continental Europe. Following the acceptance of the European team as an opponent of the United States, the tournament was much more balanced: from 1979 to 2018, in fact, there were eleven successes for Europe, eight for the United States and only one draw.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Ryder Cup is hosted alternately on the two continents in odd-numbered years. For Europe, British golf courses have historically always been chosen, with the exception of the editions of: 1997, played at Valderrama Golf Club (Spain) in honor of the former Spanish golfer Severiano Ballesteros, 2018 played at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) and, lastly, in 2023, which was held at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Italy). Due to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the planned edition of the Ryder Cup was played the following year, consequently moving the competition to even years, until the 2018 edition. The next tournament, scheduled for 2020, was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus bringing the Ryder Cup back to odd years[1].
Among the European ranks, it is worth mentioning the presence, on three different occasions (1993, 1995 and 1997), of one of the most famous Italian players in the history of golf, Costantino Rocca, remembered for his famous hole-in-one during the 1995 edition. The Italians Francesco Molinari and Edoardo Molinari were instead the first brothers to compete for the European team in the same Ryder Cup, thanks to their simultaneous participation in the 2010 edition. Francesco Molinari also took part in the 2012 editions, in the United States, and 2018, in France.
ADVERTISEMENT
The reigning champion selection is the European team that won the title in the 2023 edition.
