2023 Ryder Cup preview

The GIST: Rise and shine because The Ryder Cup — the men’s version of last weekend’s Solheim Cup — teed off from Rome this morning, with Team USA and Team Europe swinging for the trophy in this always thrilling team competition. Fore!

How it works: Each team consists of 12 golfers. The first six for Team USA are automatically selected based on their performance throughout the season while the top three players from the European Points List and the World Points List, respectively, snag a spot in Team Europe. The remaining six are chosen by each team’s captain.

• The three-day match-play competition begins with two days of foursome and four-ball matches and culminates with singles matches in which players compete one-on-one.

• Each match is worth one point and matches that end in a draw are worth half a point. Team USA will be looking to defend their title, but they’ll have to break a 30-year curse of losing on European soil. Spooky.

Players to watch: The biggest story might actually be who isn’t playing: the golfers who defected to LIV Golf. Team Europe is missing some key veterans, but they still boast a stacked roster including world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, No. 3 and 2023 Masters winner Jon Rahm, and No. 4 Viktor Hovland.

• As for the stars and stripes, No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will lead the charge, along with No. 5 Patrick Cantlay, and PGA Championship winner and LIV golfer, Brooks Koepka, who was one of Captain Zach Johnson’s final picks. Who said golf was boring?