Italy's Ryder Cup Actually Seems Like It's Going To Happen

An extra year will have have helped agronomically. Financially? We’ll never know from Guy Kinnings in this 2023 Ryder Cup update via GolfDigest.com’s John Huggan, but mere talk of all systems go is huge progress for an event circled by some as likely to move.

The renovated Marco Simone Golf Club is on track to open the other nine holes currently growing in giving them a full renovated course for the event (by European Golf Design).

“There has been lots of speculation regarding the course, but right now there are nine holes open for play,” Kinnings said. “The other nine holes are looking good and will be ready later this year, in time for the Italian Open in September. So that answers the Will it be ready for the Ryder Cup? question. Does that mean everything will be perfect? No. But the pandemic hasn’t stopped the grass from growing, although some of the areas around the course won’t quite be as they will be by 2023. So it will not be ‘Ryder Cup ready’ by September [when it hosts the Italian Open]. But it will be in good shape. I think people will be pleased with what they see. And the extra year allows us more time to fine-tune everything for the Ryder Cup.”

Huggan notes that European Tour players will get three Italian Opens over the course before the Ryder Cup. Now we just need to get 2021’s played and a captain picked.

The first tee scene will not be like Le Golf National (above) but Kinnings suggests sunny weather will make up for that based on European Tour surveys of fans. Shocking.