Slate Breakdown | The Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is a rare and highly anticipated team golf event that brings together the best golfers from the United States and Europe to compete for the prestigious Ryder Cup trophy. This thrilling spectacle spans three days, during which golfers pair up with one partner for the first two days to face two pairs from the opposing team and finish with a singles affair on Sunday. This year the event takes place in Rome, and the DraftKings Reignmakers PGA TOUR contests lock at 1:30 am E.T.! So be sure to get your lineups in. 

While some golf fans may not be accustomed to partner golf, the Ryder Cup generates significant excitement due to its biennial occurrence. In this article, we will break down each of the formats that the golfers will be playing and when they will be playing them. Additionally, we'll explore potential player combinations to help you optimize your portfolio. Speaking of portfolio optimization, if you have a multitude of cards for this week's event, be sure to take advantage of our lineup optimizer tool, now available for both NFL and PGA. You can access it by clicking here.

Before moving on, let's just quickly update where we are in the fall golf schedule.  

• Ryder Cup- Sept. 25-28
• Sanderson Farms Championship -- Oct. 5-8
• Shriners Children's Open -- Oct. 12-15
• Zozo Championship -- Oct. 19-22
• World Wide Technology Championship -- Nov. 2-5
• Butterfield Bermuda Championship -- Nov. 9-12
• RSM Classic -- Nov. 16-19
• Hero World Challenge- DEC 5-8

The Formats

The Ryder Cup plays host to multiple formats of play. 

Foursomes

Let's begin by discussing the foursomes format, which essentially translates to alternate shot. In this format, one golfer from each team takes the first shot, and the partner who didn't hit the first shot will then take the next shot. This alternating pattern continues until the ball is successfully holed out. The team with the lowest score on each hole wins, and the victorious team at the end of the match earns one point for their country or team.

Fourball

The fourball format, often likened to best ball, is likely more familiar to many. In this format, each golfer in the group plays their own ball, and one score from each team is considered for each hole. The lowest score on each hole is the winner. Much like in the foursomes format, the victorious team in a match earns one point for their country or team. In the event of a tie, each team is awarded half a point.

Singles

Lastly, there are the singles matches that take place on Sunday. In this thrilling showdown, all twelve players from each team are individually matched up against a player from the opposing team in a head-to-head competition known as Sunday singles. The winner of each match secures one point for their team, and in the event of a tie, each team is awarded half a point. This day often adds tremendous drama to the Ryder Cup, as it can be a deciding factor in which team takes home the trophy.

Each time a format is used (two times each for the first two) it’s called a “session” and there are five sessions during the event. Thus, a golfer can play a maximum of matches.

The Slate: Reignmakers PGA TOUR

The Golfers

Now, let's delve into some analysis. As in normal PGA TOUR events, it's crucial to consider golfers who are likely to play the most holes for their team. Predicting match outcomes can be challenging, but estimating which golfers might participate in these matches is somewhat easier. Here's a breakdown of golfers expected to play:

Expected to Play All 5 Matches:

• Jon Rahm
• Viktor Hovland
• Scottie Scheffler

These golfers have consistently performed well and are injury-free, making them strong contenders to play all five matches. However, Rory McIlroy, while a top player, is dealing with back issues and might sit out one of the matches.

Speculative on 5 Matches:

• Rory McIlroy
• Patrick Cantlay
• Xander Schauffele

Cantlay and Schauffele have been a reliable duo for the USA, and if the team is in a tight spot during the event, they could potentially play all five matches together.

Likely to Play 4 Matches:

• Tommy Fleetwood
• Tyrrell Hatton
• Max Homa
• Collin Morikawa

These golfers seem, strong candidates, to play at least four matches based on their first session pairings and team dynamics.

As for Sam Burns, his playing time might be influenced by his strong friendship with Scottie Scheffler. If they perform exceptionally well in the morning session, they might be fielded again in the afternoon, which could impact the playing time of other American golfers. Expect the rest of the players like, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Thomas, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Brian Harman, and Wyndham Clark to all play three matches each. 

Lastly, before we leave, a bit of strategy. Partners do receive the same score for each match, so using stacks of known partners for the first session matches could prove vital if the pairs stay together throughout the team portion of the event. 

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