GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy — European team captain Luke Donald is hoping for a fast start at this week's Ryder Cup, which tees off Friday morning at Marco Simone outside Rome.
As captain of the home team, Donald elected to start with foursomes (alternate shot) matches on Friday morning. It's the first time the Ryder Cup will start with foursomes since 1993, which was the last time the Americans won a Ryder Cup outside of the U.S.
The U.S. team hasn't won on foreign soil since a 15-13 victory at the Belfry in Warwickshire, England. World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns will take on Spain's Jon Rahm and England's Tyrrell Hatton in the first match.
Scheffler has won six times on the PGA Tour the past two seasons, but struggled mightily with his putting in 2023. Burns ranked fourth on tour in total putting and seventh in one-putt percentage (43.83%).