The countdown to the Ryder Cup next year is officially under way as the DP World Tour visits the host venue for the 2023 match this week.
Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome is the venue for the Italian Open and what a place it is.
It’s a modern golf club and one which will welcome a stellar field this week.
Europe captain Luke Donald and his vice-captains are in Italy for what will undoubtedly be a huge week for them.
There will be much discussion centred on the set-up of the course, the best way to play it, whether certain holes should played off forward tees and whether it is worth making any of the par 4s driveable.
It is a proper dry run for the captain who will also get the chance to come back here for this event early next year prior to the match.
Ryder Cup hopefuls have two chances to impress
You can be sure those two chances to play tournament golf at the venue will be uppermost in the mind of the established players and the Ryder Cup hopefuls this week.
If you play well here this week and again next year then you are putting yourself firmly in the equation for when the time comes for Luke to announce his six picks for the match.
This is where having those six picks comes into play.
That flexibility I spoke about a couple of weeks ago will be crucial as we get closer to the match.
If you haven’t secured your place but have shown up well at Marco Simone then you are at least going to be under consideration for one of those six picks nearer the time.
I’m looking at the Hojgaard twins – of whom Nicolai is the defending champion this week – Bob MacIntyre, Ewen Ferguson and Jordan Smith as being the new guys on the tour hoping to catch their captain’s eye.
That’s why guys like Rory McIlroy, who is also playing this week, can play leading roles too.
Rory is a senior figure in the game now and his opinion and counsel will be valuable for Luke and his vice-captains when it comes to assessing potential pairings and team harmony.
Clearly, the hard graft starts now for Luke and his backroom staff.
Shane Lowry is the man for the big occasion
When it comes to the established guys on the tour I am sure Luke was thrilled to see so many Europeans vying for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on Sunday.
With the tournament reduced to 54 holes following the death of the Queen it was always likely we would see a tight, tense finish and so it proved.
Patrick Reed set the early clubhouse lead but the lowest back nine in PGA Championship history from Jon Rahm set a target of 16 under par for those out on the course to beat.
Shane Lowry needed all 18 holes to get his nose in front but he played two brilliant shots at the 18th to go to 17 under.
That left Rory with the task of trying to catch Shane and he got close before having to settle for matching John’s 16 under as Shane took the title by a shot.
It was all too much for Shane, who is a good friend of mine, and he was emotional at winning the title.
He’s an established big game player these days. A major champion and winner of big WGC and Rolex Series events, he is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve and I was thrilled for him.
He had every right to be happy with his lot. He beat a stellar field in the toughest of circumstances on his way to winning the tournament.
I’m sure Luke was delighted too at seeing so many European guys at the top of the leaderboard ahead of Reed too.
Sergio Garcia’s early exit from Wentworth does not look good
Sergio Garcia WD’d from the @BMWPGA but thankfully is healthy enough to attend Texas v Alabama game today back in the states 👍 #LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/VpZVdOtmIR
— LIV Golf GO (@LIVGolfGO) September 10, 2022
If there was one negative from a fantastic event at Wentworth then Sergio Garcia’s early withdrawal from the tournament was it.
The fact Sergio is now a LIV Golf player and was among one of the 17 guys from that tour taking part, only for him to pull out after a first-round 76 and head to an American Football game in the United States didn’t look good.
Players pull out of tournaments all the time. Injuries and illness or family emergencies are all genuine reasons for someone having to withdraw from an event.
But the LIV Golf angle magnifies everything at the moment and the lack of explanation for withdrawing from a high-profile figure such as Sergio, who is then pictured all smiles a few hours later, is bad optics.
There’s a protocol which needs to be followed here and if Sergio does not come up with a valid reason then he is going to be fined.
It will all come out in the wash soon enough.
