THE toxic feud that consumed golf since the last Ryder Cup in 2021 means some familiar faces will be missing when the 44th edition of the contest begins in Rome on Friday.
Thankfully, fears that the biennial clash between the US and Europe had been irrevocably damaged by the 2022 exodus to Saudi-backed LIV Golf, have been allayed – for now at least.
If anything, the troubles of the past 18 months have served to raise excitement levels for the three-day duel at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club just outside the ancient city. After all the talk of Saudi millions and players turning their back on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour for pots of gold, all that matters when the first ball is struck on Friday will be the pride and passion of a dozen players from each continent battling for a trophy measuring a mere 17 inches.
“The Ryder Cup is pure, pure sport, with all the other stuff kind of taken out. The Ryder Cup will always be above all that stuff,” said England’s Luke Donald, who replaced Henrik Stenson as captain after the Swede joined LIV Golf. supersport.com