Zach Johnson: "My players tired but ready"

• golf

"This place, the Marco Simone, never disappoints me. The green of the course is fantastic, the grass is in excellent health. What excites me most, however, is the Italian people. My players are tired from the journey, but they will be ready by Friday." Zach Johnson, golfer and captain of Team USA, said this in the press conference that opens the week dedicated to the Ryder Cup (starting at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club from September 29th to October 1st).

Zach Johnson, statements

The last Ryder Cup won away by the United States dates back to 1993; since that moment the Old Continent has always seen them defeated. "It's difficult to win far from your comfort zone, but my players won't look to the past." A joke is also dedicated to Tiger Woods, world golf legend: "Tiger always encourages us, writes messages to the players and my vice-captains; I am grateful to him for this, he is the best of our generation" The competition, named after the trophy donated by Englishman Samuel Ryder (1858–1936) to the American federation in 1924, is co-managed by the European Tour and the PGA of America.

From 1927 to 1971 the tournament took place between the selection of the United States and that of Great Britain, with a clear American dominance (15-3) and only one draw. Ireland was incorporated into Great Britain in 1973 and the rest of continental Europe in 1979.

Following the acceptance of the European team as an antagonist of the US team, the tournament was much more balanced: from 1979 to 2018, in fact, there were eleven successes for Europe, eight for the United States and only one draw.

The Ryder Cup is hosted alternately on the two continents: British golf courses have always been chosen for Europe, with the exception of the 1997 edition, which was played at the Valderrama Golf Club (Spain) in honor of the former Spanish golfer Severiano Ballesteros , the 2018 one, which was played in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France), and the 2023 one, which will be played at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Italy).

After the 1999 edition, due to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the Ryder Cup was always staged in even years until the 2018 edition. The 2020 edition was moved to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the Ryder Cup is once again played in odd-numbered years.

Among the European ranks, it is worth mentioning the presence, on three different occasions (1993, 1995 and 1997), of one of the most famous Italian players in the history of golf, Costantino Rocca, remembered for his famous hole-in-one during the edition of 1995.

The Italians Francesco Molinari and Edoardo Molinari were the first brothers to compete for the European team in the same Ryder Cup, thanks to their simultaneous participation in the 2010 edition. Francesco Molinari also took part in the 2012 editions, in the United States , and 2018, in France. The reigning champion selection is the US team, which won the title in the 2021 edition.