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44TH. RYDER CUP.
September, 25 to October, 1 2023. Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Rome.
THE 44TH RYDER CUP.
The ultimate duel.
It is undoubtedly the highlight of the golfing year: the Ryder Cup in Rome. Together with the passionate fans, Worldwide Partner BMW is helping to make this competition what it is: the biggest, most emotional and most prestigious golf event in the world, an epic battle for fame and glory. Hosts Europe and the defending champions from the USA will go head to head against the iconic backdrop of the "Eternal City". Both teams are littered with big names, Ryder Cup legends and impressive rookies. The sport world can look forward to an intense, captivating and highly emotional competition.
"INSIDE THE ROPES" WITH BMW.
During the 44th Ryder Cup, Worldwide Partner BMW is providing its customers with exclusive live broadcasts in their car. The first such service of its kind is available in many BMW models, spearheaded by the BMW i7, and can be accessed around the world, with the exception of Great Britain, Ireland and China.
The BMW Theatre Screen in the all-new BMW 7 Series vehicles offers a very special Ryder Cup experience. The panoramic display, which lowers from the roof and features a 32:9 format and 8K resolution, transforms the rear seats into an exclusive private cinema on wheels. Thanks to the car’s own 5G-ready antenna system, BMW customers also benefit from the best possible streaming speed.
"We want to bring the excitement of golf’s greatest team contest to as many people as possible. This fantastic innovation from BMW will help us to do precisely that. BMW customers around the globe will have the chance to follow every shot in Rome, wherever they are," said European captain Luke Donald.
The exclusive Ryder Cup broadcast is also available in BMW iX, BMW i4, BMW X5, BMW X6, BMW X7, BMW XM, BMW X5 M and BMW X6 models.
MEMORABLE.
Ever since ancient times, people have been astounded by Rome and its wealth of art and cultural treasures. To this day, the historical metropolis has lost none of its fascination and lives up to its nickname "The Eternal City". The same could be said of the Ryder Cup in golfing circles: this unique competition casts its spell on people all over the world, creates countless stories, and is the birthplace of legendary moments and athletes. To commemorate them all, and inspired by the cultural history of the Romans, Worldwide Partner BMW has developed visual imagery for the 44th Ryder Cup that can also be experienced on site in the form of three-dimensional sculptures.
MARCO SIMONE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB.
The club lies to the northeast of Rome, roughly 15 kilometres from the city centre, and opened in 1989. The par-72 Championship Course, on which the Ryder Cup will be played, is 7,268 yards (6,645 metres) long. Under the guidance of European Golf Design in cooperation with Tom Fazio II, the course underwent comprehensive modifications between 2018 and 2021. The focus was on creating a design that brings out the best of the Ryder Cup and produces dramatic match play. Many risk-and-reward holes have been created, along with a lot of fantastic viewing areas for spectators in the hilly landscape.
Fans will not only have a superb view of the sporting action, but the Rome skyline – including St. Peter’s Basilica – also forms a spectacular backdrop, as does Marco Simone Castle, after which the club was named.
As Worldwide Partner of the 44th Ryder Cup, BMW will offer its customers, the fans and the players an unforgettable experience – just as it has done at all the international golf events the company has organised or accompanied as partner for more than three decades. At the heart of the offering is the sport, emotions and sheer driving pleasure. BMW is providing the organisers and partners with almost 300 cars, contributing significantly to the success of the sporting event. 180 fully-electric, zero-emission BMW models will be in use, complemented by a host of electrified vehicles. The i5 M60 xDrive, i7 M70 xDrive, 750e xDrive, iX M60 and iX5 Hydrogen are on display around Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
As Worldwide Partner of the 44th Ryder Cup, BMW will offer its customers, the fans and the players an unforgettable experience – just as it has done at all the international golf events the company has organised or accompanied as partner for more than three decades. At the heart of the offering is the sport, emotions and sheer driving pleasure. BMW is providing the organisers and partners with almost 300 cars, contributing significantly to the success of the sporting event. 180 fully-electric, zero-emission BMW models will be in use, complemented by a host of electrified vehicles. The i5 M60 xDrive, i7 M70 xDrive, 750e xDrive, iX M60 and iX5 Hydrogen are on display around Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
ZACH JOHNSON.
Captain of Team USA.
Zach Johnson is regarded as a rather quiet representative of his sport, both on and off the course. However, that definitely does not mean that the 47-year-old is not listened to when he does have something to say. Quite the contrary: Johnson is an extremely respected player on the Tour. This is down to the respectful and sympathetic way he goes about his business, but also the success he has enjoyed. For a long time, Johnson was one of the very best players in the world. He has tasted victory at two of the most prestigious venues in international golf: at the 2007 Masters in Augusta and the 2015 Open in St. Andrews. His 12 wins on the PGA TOUR include the BMW Championship in 2013. Johnson, who competed in five Ryder Cups as a player, is looking to pull off something in Rome that no American captain has achieved for exactly 30 years: victory on European soil.
LUKE DONALD.
Captain of Team Europe.
Similar could be said of Luke Donald as of his American counterpart, Zach Johnson. It would be hard to find any of his peers with a negative word to say about the respected Englishman. The 45-year-old spent a total of 56 weeks at the top of the world rankings and in 2011 became the first golfer ever to end the season at the top of the money list on both the European Tour and the PGA TOUR. The following year, he was the last player to date to successfully defend his title at the BMW PGA Championship in London. Donald has represented Europe at four Ryder Cups as a player – and emerged victorious with his team on each occasion. He is now hoping to continue that winning run as a captain at the 44th Ryder Cup.
THE HOSTS.
Team Europe.
As so often has been the case in Ryder Cups of recent years, anyone looking purely at the world rankings and other statistics across all twelve players can come to but one solution: the Europeans are underdogs. However, the actual outcome is regularly a very different story – particularly at home. Whether it is down to home advantage, the layout of the course, the fans, the team spirit that is often invoked, or a combination of all of the above: the European team is almost unbeatable on this side of the Atlantic. Looking to reinforce that reputation of invincibility on home soil this year are Rory McIlroy (NIR), Jon Rahm (ESP), Robert MacIntyre (SCO), Viktor Hovland (NOR), Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG), Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Ludvig Åberg (SWE), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Nicolai Højgaard (DEN), Shane Lowry (IRL), Justin Rose (ENG) and Sepp Straka (AUT).
THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS.
Team USA.
Two years ago, the Americans inflicted a crushing defeat on the defending champions at the time on US soil – Team Europe was basically outclassed at Whistling Straits. Although many players from that team are still involved in Rome, the cards have been well and truly reshuffled. This is because, no matter what top-class squad the US team has brought to Europe, since 1997 it has always headed back across the pond empty-handed. The goal now is to finally break the "away curse". The players charged with achieving this tricky task are Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler, Brian Harman, Max Homa, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
WORLD-CLASS FROM THE WORD GO.
The Ryder Cup festival in Rome kicks off on Wednesday 27th September with an All Star Match, featuring big names from the worlds of sport and entertainment. The two teams will be led by Colin Montgomerie (SCO, Europe) and Corey Pavin (USA), who faced each other as Ryder Cup captains in Wales in 2010. Back then, "Monty" came out on top. Pavin now has his chance to take revenge.
Montgomerie will play doubles alongside former world-class footballer Gareth Bale (WAL), while Pavin pairs up with another football legend, Andriy Shevchenko (UKR). Tennis star and record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic (SBR) and G4D Tour (Golf for Disabled) player Kipp Popert (ENG) take on Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz (ESP) and Italian G4D Tour golfer Tommaso Perrino. In the third match, content creator Garrett Hilbert (Dude Perfect) from the USA and professional surfer Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) go up against actor Kathryn Newton (USA) and Super Bowl winner Victor Cruz (USA).