Guide to the 44th Ryder Cup

What: 44th Ryder Cup
When: Sept. 29 to Oct. 1
Where: Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, Guidonia, Italy

How to watch

In the United States

In Canada

Team profiles

Europe

Captain Luke Donald's team features superstar power at the top, with Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Viktor Hovland leading the line. Matthew Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, and Tyrrell Hatton will hope to improve on their career Ryder Cup records, while Tommy Fleetwood is eyeing a repeat of his massive success from Paris in 2018. Justin Rose supplies vital veteran leadership on the squad, while rookies Ludvig Aberg, Nicolai Hojgaard, Robert MacIntyre, and Sepp Straka fill out the rest of the team. Read the full team profile.

United States

Captain Zach Johnson brings his group of 12 to Italy hoping to secure the Americans' first win on European soil in 30 years. The United States made a statement two years ago in Wisconsin, throttling the Europeans by the biggest margin of victory in Ryder Cup history. Plenty of firepower returns from that group in Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas. The rookies on the squad come in the form of familiar names Max Homa and Sam Burns, but few people would've foreseen Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman on the team a year ago. The final name on the roster represents a return to team play for Rickie Fowler. Once a staple of team events for the Americans, Fowler is back after missing out two years ago due to poor play. See the full team profile.

Schedule of events

Storylines to follow

30-year drought

Only six members of Team Europe and seven members of Team USA were alive the last time the Americans won a Ryder Cup away from home. The drought has reached 30 years as the golfing world descends on Italy this week. Winning a Ryder Cup in Europe has become one of the most difficult feats to accomplish in sports, but the Americans should be feeling fairly confident. They hold a significant edge in roster talent based on world ranking and recorded a historic margin of victory in the Ryder Cup two years ago. With more and more Europeans playing the majority of their golf on the PGA TOUR, both teams have a similar style of play. That makes it trickier for the hosts to gain an advantage through course setup.

Rise of Ludvig

Just over four months ago, Aberg wasn't even a professional golfer. Now, the 23-year-old finds himself about to step into golf's most pressure-packed atmosphere at the Ryder Cup. The Swedish star has burst onto the scene since turning professional in June following a standout career at Texas Tech. Aberg's all-world talent - specifically his ability to drive the golf ball - had him garnering discussion for a captain's pick shortly after turning professional. A solid run of results, capped by his first victory at the European Masters the day before the rosters were finalized, essentially guaranteed his spot. He becomes the first player ever to play in a Ryder Cup without having played in a major championship first. Will he crack under the pressure in Italy or will he announce himself to the greater sporting world with a breakout performance?

All eyes on JT

Thomas was perhaps the most controversial of the captain's picks for the Americans. His resume speaks for itself, but he's endured the worst season of his career, missing the cut in three majors this year and failing to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Questions over whether he deserved to be selected didn't matter to his captain, who opted to lean on Thomas' undeniable talent over recent form. Thomas has thrived in the role of chief antagonist at recent team events. If he falters, the pick will be heavily scrutinized and captain Johnson will certainly face criticism. However, if he can summon the form that made him one of the best team players in the past decade for the United States, the Americans' losing streak will likely come to an end.

Rory's revenge

Despite providing numerous electric memories throughout his Ryder Cup career, McIlroy's record is rather pedestrian. A career mark of 12-12-4 has him firmly on the .500 line with plenty of pressure to perform in Italy. One of the lasting memories from Wisconsin two years ago was McIlroy in tears following his singles win after he failed to supply a point in the team sessions. Once the young phenom, McIlroy is now one of the elder statesmen on the team and will need to deliver a winning week if Team Europe is to prevail.

Betting preview

Tournament winner

Europe (Even)
USA (+110)

Top USA points-scorer

Scottie Scheffler +450
Patrick Cantlay +600
Xander Schauffele +600
Brooks Koepka +700
Collin Morikawa +750
Max Homa +850
Jordan Spieth +1,100
Justin Thomas +1,200
Rickie Fowler +1,400
Sam Burns +1,400
Wyndham Clark +1,800
Brian Harman +2,200

Top European points-scorer

Rory McIlroy +450
Jon Rahm +500
Viktor Hovland +500
Tommy Fleetwood +700
Tyrrell Hatton +750
Matthew Fitzpatrick +1,000
Ludvig Aberg +1,100
Justin Rose +1,200
Shane Lowry +1,600
Nicolai Hojgaard +2,500
Sepp Straka +2,500
Robert MacIntyre +3,300

All odds via theScore Bet