Good afternoon! Welcome to Shanks. The much anticipated 2023 Ryder Cup starts Friday and we’re hoping the Americans can win on European soil for the first time in 30 years. Unfortunately, winning the Ryder Cup in Europe has become one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports, like a rookie quarterback having to travel to Gillette Stadium and beat Bill Bellicheck.

Trivia: Who once went 4-0 against Seve Ballesteros in a Ryder Cup held in Europe? Answer Below. 

Here's what we've got for ya today:

• Doin Lines: Ryder Cup

• 2023 Ryder Cup Roundup

• Ryder Cup Throwback

• Get Hyped: Ryder Cup Films

• Thing We’d Buy If We Weren’t Broke

Doin Lines: Ryder Cup 🇺🇸 

There’s really only one negative for this event: It doesn’t really cater to US timezones when it’s being held in Europe. You’ll basically be able to go right from watching Thursday Night Football to watching The Ryder Cup.

🚩 Location: Marco Simone Golf and Country Club

💰 Purse: Pride and Immortality

👑 Previous Winner: Team USA

👀 Watch On: Full Watch Schedule below.

The Teams

🇺🇸 USA: 

Scottie Scheffler (Q), Wyndham Clark (Q), Brian Harman (Q), Patrick Cantlay (Q), Max Homa (Q), Xander Schauffele (Q), Justin Thomas (WC), Brooks Koepka (WC), Jordan Spieth (WC), Collin Morikawa (WC), Sam Burns (WC), Rickie Fowler (WC).

🇪🇺 Europe:

Rory McIlroy (Q), Jon Rahm (Q), Viktor Hovland (Q), Tyrrell Hatton (Q), Matt Fitzpatrick (Q), Robert MacIntyre (Q), Shane Lowry (WC), Tommy Fleetwood (WC), Justin Rose (WC), Sepp Straka (WC), Nicolai Hojgaard (WC), Ludvig Aberg (WC).

Q = Qualified. WC = Wildcard

The Course 🇮🇹 

Marco Simone Golf and Country Club is a pretty tough track. The average score of the two Italian Opens held here was +0.90 over par. The course is of average length at 7100 yards, but the rough will be extremely penal, and there are a ton of elevation changes. It’s a brutal course to walk.

Here’s what Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson said about Marco Simone:

“It’s probably the most physically demanding of any Cup course I’ve ever seen that I’ve been a part of,” Cink said.

“No question,” Johnson added. “In my time, for sure.”

It’s also important to keep in mind that the home team gets to choose the course set up. This advantage for the home team is covered pretty well in the video below called “Moneyballing The Ryder Cup”.

Previous Winners

2021: USA

2018: Europe

2016: USA

2014: Europe

Full Watch Schedule

Tee Times & How To Watch

Weather Forecast: Sunny Skies on Tap in Rome.

Shanks Picks - Ryder Cup

Odds via Fanduel

Team Winner: USA at +110

Top USA Points Scorer: Scottie Scheffler +470

Top Europe Points Scorer: Jon Rahm +500

Top Wildcard Point Scorer USA: Justin Thomas +450

(We can’t help ourselves)

Top Wildcard Point Scorer EU: Tommy Fleetwood +200

Top Rookie Points Scorer USA: Max Homa +175

Top Rookie Points Scorer EU: Sepp Straka +280

2023 Ryder Cup Roundup

A collection of the best links and videos surrounding the 2023 Ryder Cup, as curated by your friends here at Shanks.

Read These:

• Ryder Cup homefield advantage is so real it might be unfair.

• Scottie Scheffler's exciting new putting changes, explained.

• Ryder Cup legends joined LIV. This week they face that harsh reality.

• Bernard Langers putt that lost a Ryder Cup? Still Fresh.

• Should a playoff decide the Ryder Cup? EU players weigh in.

• Who’s the favorite at the Ryder Cup? Depends who you ask.

Watch These:

• NLU Film Room: Marco Simone

• Most Emotional Ryder Cup Moments

• Every Hole at Marco Simone

Ryder Cup Throwback

Get Hyped: Ryder Cup Films

1999 Battle at Brookline

Trailing 10-6 after two days of uninspired play at The Country Club, ambushed by a European team many considered the ultimate underdog, a rattled United States squad stood at the precipice of its third consecutive loss. This time, the fall promised to hurt like no other.

2012 Miracle at Medinah

Trailing 10-6 after two days' play, they had looked ready to be embalmed and shipped home. But in the face of what had promised to be a victory parade by the home team, José María Olazábal's dozen warriors produced a performance of relentless intent, crushing one young giant after another as they made their increasingly euphoric way to victory by 14½ points to 13½, the last half-point coming when, with the final act of the contest, a crestfallen Tiger Woods sportingly conceded Francesco Molinari's 4ft putt on the 18th green.

1991 War on The Shore

Dubbed the “War on the Shore”, the 1991 Ryder Cup marked a significant shift in players’ attitude towards the tournament, with intense competitiveness and claims of gamesmanship surfacing for the first time.

Golf Thing We'd Buy If We Weren't Broke

The Rhoback USA Collection has all of your red, white, and blue bases covered. Most of it is better than the “official Ryder Cup gear” by Ralph Lauren, anyway.

Some of our favorites:

• The All American Block (pictured above).

• The Team USA

• The Goat

Here’s to staying up late, being a patriot, and cloaking yourself in the colors of Old Glory.

Trivia Answer: Larry Nelson, who also happened to be a Vietnam War Vet.

See you Saturday for a recap of the first two days in Italy.