Practice Groups Give Potential Insight Into Ryder Cup Pairings

The first potential clues about competitive Ryder Cup pairings have been revealed as Tuesday’s practice session at Marco Simone begins. 

Both Team USA and Team Europe have clustered likely duos together as the sides try to fine-tune their respective playing chemistry prior to Friday morning’s first tee shot.

In an eyebrow-raising twist by home captain, Luke Donald, the 2023 Ryder Cup will begin with foursomes - a format not used to start the biennial contest on European soil since the US team last claimed victory in 1993.

Donald believes it will give his dozen the best possible chance to claim bragging rights in the first session and garner early momentum in their quest to regain the little gold trophy on Sunday.

Given all 12 Europeans played the recent BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, where Donald admitted he had asked for certain members of his team to be paired together, most have already soaked up some experience of likely playing partners - although in a different setting.

Both captains will have considered plenty of factors when deciding on the optimum duos to start the team competition, including which golf ball each player prefers to use, and Tuesday’s pairings are therefore highly likely to reflect who partners who into the cauldron of noise on the first tee in less than 72 hours.

When practice began on Tuesday, Team Europe were given the green light to start on the first at 10am CET - with Rory McIlroy leading out Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, and Sepp Straka.

Lowry and Straka both play the Srixon Z-Star XV, so they have the option of playing foursomes together. But McIlroy also paired with good friend Lowry at Whistling Straits last time out and gives Donald room for manoeuvre across the first two days.

Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, and Tyrrell Hatton followed McIlroy’s quartet 15 minutes later, leaving Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Matt Fitzpatrick as the last European group to tee off at Marco Simone on Tuesday.

Rahm and Hatton played together over the first two days at the BMW PGA Championship and also paired with each other at Whistling Straits two years ago. The Spaniard is in need of a new regular partner this year, though, after compatriot and record point scorer Sergio Garcia resigned his DP World Tour membership and therefore became ineligible. 

Pairing two passionate men together - in Rahm and Hatton - may pay dividends if Europe need a surge of energy from the crowd at some point. At the more docile end of the scale, Hovland and fellow Scandinavian Aberg may be a pairing Donald has up his sleeve, based on today's groups.

The final tee time of Rose, MacIntyre, Hojgaard and Fitzpatrick could also yield some partnerships. Rose is without his former foursomes partner Henrik Stenson this week, while Fitzpatrick is without his too. The Yorkshireman played both foursomes sessions with Lee Westwood two years ago and has never played a four ball match in a Ryder Cup - although that should change this week.

Meanwhile, having teed off from the 10th at approximately 9:30am CET, the American quartet of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele received the freshest back-nine conditions at Marco Simone. The best friend duos of Spieth/Thomas and Schauffele/Cantlay are expected to be seen once again this week.

Following them around 15 minutes later was Collin Morikawa, Brian Harman, Rickie Fowler and Max Homa. This four ball could yield some partnerships, with Zach Johnson likely sticking to the Ryder Cup pod system that has worked well for Team USA in recent years.

The final American group - starting at 10am CET - consisted of Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, and Brooks Koepka - the LIV golfer who was left out of the USA’s team photo due to “a logistical matter” earlier this week.

Scheffler and Burns are best friends and played together in three of four sessions in last year's Presidents Cup. As a result, Koepka and US Open champion Clark could well be a pairing Johnson has planned.

Tuesday Ryder Cup pairings

TEAM EUROPE PRACTICE ROUND GROUPS

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

TEAM USA PRACTICE ROUND GROUPS

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