Ryder Cup: Where, how and when it's won

Europe and the United States will battle it out in the 44th edition of the Ryder Cup this weekend in Rome, the first to be held in Italy.

Here we outline the format and schedule for the tournament ahead of the big tee off. 

The Course

The Marco Simone Golf and Country Club is located less than nine miles from the Colosseum as the crow flies and has undergone a hefty redesign since being assigned the Ryder Cup in 2015 in order to make it good enough for the world's best players.

Situated on the site of a 1,000-year-old castle restored by deceased Italian fashion designer Laura Biagiotti and still the home of her daughter Lavinia, the course is steeped in the sort of history befitting the Italian capital.

The 10th hole runs next to a Roman villa which dates back to the first century and both Saint Peter's Basilica and the surrounding rolling countryside is visible as far as the eye can see from the course's highest points.

Format

Europe and the USA both have 12 players at their disposal, six of whom qualified automatically via their performance on the European and PGA tours and another six selected by respective captains Luke Donald and Zach Johnson.

The two teams then battle it out over 28 18-hole matches across three days which are worth one point and can be won, lost or tied, with tied matches earning each side half a point.

Friday and Saturday feature one session each of foursomes and fourball, while Sunday is given over to 12 matches of singles matchplay.

Whichever team reaches 14.5 points wins the Ryder Cup, and if Europe and the USA finish level on Sunday evening the Americans will retain the trophy as they won two years ago at Whistling Straits.

Foursomes

Ryder Cup foursomes feature four pairings from Europe and USA