Ryder Cup Preview

The 42nd Ryder Cup is back on European soil this time around. It will be played at Le Golf National just outside of Paris, France from Sept. 28 thru Sept. 30. The course plays 7,138 yards and is a Par 71. It is a great venue for a Ryder Cup with plenty of spots to put up stadium like bleachers.The US team are the favorites to retain the cup after winning in 2016 at Hazeltine. Even with a stacked US roster (avg. World Ranking of 11.2), Europe is not going to back down. The US may have missed the World Cup but you will still get a chance to show your patriotism and get rowdy in 2018. If you haven't already, sign up for our free Ryder Cup office pool https://bit.ly/2Ib5946! The winner gets a USA towel and either a USA Titleist hat or USA Volvik golf balls! Buckle up as I expect this weekend to be a fun and exciting weekend of golf!

Format

I love the format of the Ryder Cup because you never feel like your team is out of it. Also playing every two years apart seems just far enough that you miss it. Four ball and foursomes are the matches for the first two days of the Ryder Cup. One match four ball will be played in the morning and a match of foursomes in the afternoon. Four ball is where every player plays their own ball and the pairs pick their best score after each hole. Foursomes is where players switch off hitting the same ball until the ball is in the hole. On the final day of the Ryder Cup, the format switches up to individual play. All players on both teams will play. There a total of twelve 1 vs 1 matches. It is always very exciting to see the matchups posted the night before.

Scoring

The winner of each hole receives a single point. If the hole is tied then no points will be awarded. Points are never lost. At the end of each match, the winning team or player gets one point for their country. A half point is awarded if play ends in a tie. The magic number is 14.5 points to win the Ryder Cup.

Squad

USA

Brooks Koepka

Tiger Woods

Phil Mickelson

Rickie Fowler

Justin Thomas

Tony Finau

Jordan Spieth

Patrick Reed

Bubba Watson

Webb Simpson

Dustin Johnson

Bryson Dechambeau

Europe

Justin Rose

Ian Poulter

Francesco Molinari

Tyrrell Hatton

Tommy Fleetwood

Jon Rahm

Rory McIlroy

Alex Noren 

Thorbjorn Olesen

Paul Casey

Sergio Garcia

Henrik Stenson

Where and When To Watch

Day 1 -- Friday, Sept. 28 

All times Central

Session 1 (fourballs): 1 a.m. 

Session 2 (foursomes): 6:45 a.m.

Live TV coverage: 1 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Golf Channel
Live stream online: 1a.m. - 12 p.m. on RyderCup.com

Day 2 -- Saturday, Sept. 29

Session 1 (fourballs) starts: 12 a.m.
Session 2 (foursomes) starts: 6:45 a.m.

Early TV coverage: 1-2 a.m. on Golf Channel

Live TV coverage: 2 a.m. - 12 p.m. on NBC
Live stream online: 2 a.m. - 12 p.m. on RyderCup.com

Day 3 -- Sunday, Sept. 30

Singles: 5 a.m.

Live TV coverage: 5 a.m. - 12 p.m. on NBC
Live stream online: 5 a.m. - 12 p.m. on RyderCup.com