That Ryder Cup 2023 is almost above us like Europe and the USA set to lock horns at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome.
The respective captains Zach Johnson and Luke Donald are in the process of put the finishing touches to their 12-man team.
A handful of big names have already booked their place at the 44th edition of the fixture, but some intriguing selection dilemmas still face both captains.
When are the Ryder Cup teams announced?
Johnson will unveil his full USA team on Monday, August 28, while Team Europe will be announced a week later on September 4.
Who is on Team Europe?
Together with his appointed vice-captains, Francesco Molinari, Edoardo Molinari, Jose Maria Olazabal, Thomas Bjorn and Nicolas Colsaerts, Anders has some big decisions to make.
However, he can rest assured that the backbone of his team is already locked in place. Rory McIlroy, John Rahm and Viktor Hovland – who are all ranked in the top five in the world – are the three names already confirmed for Team Europe.
The three remaining automatic qualification spots are currently occupied by Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood, but this could change with just over a week until Anders announces his team.
Former US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick and 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry are certain to feature as two of Donald’s captain’s picks, leaving a further four spots to be filled.
Yannick PaulAdrian Meronk, Rasmus Højgaard, Victor Perez, Justin Rose, Seamus Power, Sepp Straka and Padraig Harrington are all underway.
Ryder Cup legends Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood will not be participating and Team Europe is choosing not to select LIV Golf players.
Who is on Team USA?
As at Whistling Straits two years ago, Team USA is already turning in a formidable outfit.
The six automatic spots in Zach Johnson’s 12-man squad have already been confirmed with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, US Open champion Wyndham Clark and Open champion Brian Harman already on the plane.
Joining them are Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Max Homa.
Unlike Europe, the US has again opened up to select LIV golfers, meaning they like Brooks Keopka, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau remain in the selection.
Johnson has incredible depth to choose from with his captain’s picks. Keopka and DeChambeau join a roster of players including Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young, Justin ThomasKeegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler and Sam Burns – all of whom could have excellent cases for selection.
What does Luke Donald say?
Anders was appointed as Europe’s captain after Henrik Stenson’s defection to LIV, but the Englishman boasts an impressive Ryder Cup record as part of four winning teams.
“We’re still carrying that pain from two years ago and it’s about giving them a clear plan of how we can be successful and why we can be successful. I also want to put them in the right frame of mind and get them to to believe that once they step on the first tee on Friday, they have a great opportunity to win.
“We are looking at how we can best pair with the six who are already automatically qualified,” Donald said. “I think there are many different factors. I am very detail-oriented and like to think things through. If someone asks me a question, I won’t just give you an answer right away. I like a chance to consume everything and get all the information I have and then make the best choice.
“With the six picks, there’s a number of things I’m looking at – that’s one of the reasons we had six – we didn’t want to get into a situation where the nine or ten automatic qualifiers might have played really well six months ago, but their form has really dipped since then.
“I think the Ryder Cup for him is super important to follow the legacy of some of his heroes. José Maria [Olazabal]obviously Seve [Ballesteros]and even Sergio [Garcia]. These guys have forged their way through and made a great legacy in their history that is truly tied to the Ryder Cup.
“He understands that. He wants to do it individually, but he also wants to go through the Ryder Cup. So I think you will see a lot of passion. You’re going to see him very focused during the week and that’s going to help some of the rookies and some of the guys that maybe have only been there once will see that, that passion and he’s going to be a great motivator for the others players because of that.”
What does Zach Johnson say?
Johnson has a stable of more established names to choose from, but that won’t make his job any easier.
“It’s going to be tough. There’s an ample stable of American studs to choose from,” Johnson said on GOLF’S Subpar podcast. “I’m confident we can take a variety of tandems and scenarios with us and have a great result.
“I don’t have to take the top 12 American players because that’s hard to figure out. I have to take the top 12 players that make up the best team. It’s going to be up to me.”
“I’m going to make a lot of guys happy and I’m going to make some guys sad. I’ve been on both ends of that phone call.”