Zach Johnson knows how tough it is to win a Ryder Cup on European soil – a feat the United States hasn’t achieved in nearly 30 years – so it’s no wonder that he’s planning a team scouting trip to Marco Simone Golf Club ahead of the 2023 matches.
Speaking Wednesday in Honolulu, Hawaii, ahead of the Sony Open, the 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup captain discussed playing golf, of course, but the lengthy conversation was centered on his captaincy, with just under eight months to go until the matches tee off in Rome, Italy.
Johnson was asked about trying to get his players overseas to play the challenging course before late September. Many of Europe’s top players will make the trek to play the course during the DP World Tour’s Italian Open in May, but it coincides with one of the PGA Tour’s designated (i.e., bigger purse) events: the Wells Fargo Championship.
Full-field scores from the Sony Open in Hawaii
“That was discussed at length numerous times,” Johnson said. “I have not [tried], and I don’t think I will encourage anybody necessarily to go out and play the Italian Open… Nothing against the Italian Open. If they want to go play, that’s great. I think it’s fantastic. But at the same time, there is a lot going on here.
“We’re not going to receive Ryder Cup points in the Italian Open, so that would be something we don’t want to go down and Charlotte doesn’t deserve that. Quail Hollow and everybody at Wells Fargo doesn’t deserve that, because that’s an awesome tournament. So that’s not what we’re going to be doing.”
Instead, Johnson plans to take the U.S. team on a scouting trip after the team is finalized on September 4 and before the matches begin September 29.
“I’ll just say this: There is an opportunity for those individuals that make the 2023 Ryder Cup to see the Italian Open, Marco Simone, the golf course, before the tournament, and come home and then go back,” Johnson confirmed.
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