What is it like to watch the Ryder Cup live from the first tee? We reflect on the football chants, questionable costumes, long queues and incredible golf on offer on the opening day of this year’s contest at Marco Simone GC.
By Ali Stafford in Rome
Last Updated: 29/09/23 3:37pm
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Fans can be seen sprinting through the gates as the 44th Ryder Cup gets underway. Credit: @RyderCup
Fans can be seen sprinting through the gates as the 44th Ryder Cup gets underway. Credit: @RyderCup
It takes something special to get people out in their thousands queuing outside before sunrise, with the Ryder Cup one of the few sporting occasions where such behaviour is warranted.
The Fan Village at Marco Simone GC was already awash with activity by 6am local time in Rome, more than 90 minutes before play was going to begin, with fans out early in their thousands as they eagerly waited for Europe’s Ryder Cup bid to begin against Team USA.
Messages on the tannoy system continued to remind fans that access to the course would be no earlier than 6.30am, or later depending on daylight, although many were left unperturbed as they joined grown lines of spectators waiting for access to both the grandstands and other areas.
Huge crowds filled the grandstand on the opening day in Rome
Also ignored were the “don’t run” messages as the public gates opened, with a sprint race ensuing between fans desperate to charge through the limited light and find their vantage points to watch the opening session.
The most popular spot was the huge grandstand that horseshoes around the par-four first, filled with close to 5,000 Azzurri blue seats and designed in a way to look like the Colosseum synonymous with the city.
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We explain why the opening hole of the Ryder Cup is ‘unique’ and what the players will expect at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
It wasn’t just the fans desperate to get a spot, with the 75-seater media section quickly reaching capacity and operating a “one in, one out” policy before the opening foursomes match had reached the practice area to prepare for their 7.35am tee time.
Once entry was finally possible and the 103 stairs to the top of the stand had been negotiated, you entered a temporary terrace looking down at an array of colour, costumes, noise and general excitement.
A group of lads with ‘Aberg 1’ on Swedish football shirts, missing the Å, watch on with interest, with Union Jack outfits, Team USA dungarees, chef costumes with pizzas attached and even Super Mario just some of the other outfits on show.
Europe bring their own noise
Unlike Le Golf National five years earlier and Europe’s Solheim Cup tie in Spain last Monday, where a DJ was put near the tee to try and create a party atmosphere, the music was limited to one play of the iconic Nessun Dorma on the speakers and otherwise left for the spectators to create themselves.
It didn’t take long for the tradition chants of ‘USA! USA!’ and ‘Ole, ole, ole!’ to echo around the venue, while the Guardians of the Ryder Cup – regulars at this event – were among those to try and put golfing twists on iconic classics and traditional football chants.
The Guardians of the Ryder Cup tried to raise the noise in the grandstand at the first
‘Two Molinaris! There’s only two Molinaris!’ was chanted as vice-captains Edoardo and Francesco Molinari made their way to the tee, while ‘Europe’s on fire! USA are terrified’ was another used to try and drown out the chants of the strong American contingent.
The Cranberries’ track Zombie, belted out after Ireland’s win over South Africa at the Rugby World Cup last week, was given some new golfing lyrics: ‘We’re on the tee! We’re on the tee! Lowry! Lowry!’
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Ahead of the Ryder Cup, Team Europe pick their dream 5-a-side from the 12 players on the team.
There were a mishmash of chants for Viktor Hovland, utilising the Heartbeat theme tune before later putting his surname to the tune of Depeche Mode’s ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’.
Every player at some point had a song or two in their honour, while vice-captain Nicolas Colsaerts tried to raise the noise ahead of the opening tee time with encouraging the packed grandstand to shout “Europe” back at him.
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Jon Rahm was on brilliant form for Team Europe as he partnered Tyrrell Hatton to beat Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns 4&3 during the Friday foursomes at the Ryder Cup in Rome.
The ‘thunderclap’ that featured heavily in Europe’s 2018 Ryder Cup success and had been made popular by Iceland’s football fans a couple of years earlier featured, with the claps being timed correctly with the stands, only for the decibel levels to rise further as the players made their way to the tee.
There was a smattering of boos for the American contingent as they entered the arena, leading to world No 1 Scottie Scheffler to shrug his arms unfazed by it all, although the arrival of the Europeans brought huge cheers and applause.
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Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm got the 2023 Ryder Cup underway at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome in front of a raucous home crowd.
Scheffler received a shout of “you suck, Scottie” by one disrespectful spectator, who was told to shush by those around him, although it didn’t stop the American from sending his tee shot down into the left rough.
Spectators watched on the big screens as Europe made early birdies to take advantage in the foursomes, before being asked to clear the grandstand to watch the rest of the session from the fairways. And what a session it was.
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Team Europe Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald gives us a behind the scenes look at their team space at the Marco Simone Golf course.
Europe completed a historic sweep over Team USA, the first time ever they’ve won all four matches in the opening session, with Luke Donald’s side building up a 4-0 lead to bolster their hopes of a seventh consecutive home victory.
That shock score, along with the Italian heat and the adult refreshments on offer around the course, saw the atmosphere only get louder when the spectators returned to the grandstand for the fourballs. There really is nothing that can compare to the magic of a Ryder Cup.
Live Ryder Cup Golf
September 30, 2023, 6:00am
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What’s next?
Day two coverage has the same timings as Friday, with the opening foursomes tee shot at 6.35am and the afternoon fourballs sessions getting under way at 11.25am. Coverage of the final day singles begins on Sunday at 9am ahead of the first match going out at 10.35am.
Watch the Ryder Cup exclusively live this week on Sky Sports! Live coverage from day two begins on Saturday from 6am, ahead of the first tee time at 6.35am. Stream the Ryder Cup and more for £21 a month for six months with NOW.
