Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship in 2018 and that same night he was on a plane to Paris to play the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National. The same thing happened to Jim Furyk in 2010, when he won the FedEx Cup in Atlanta and flew directly to Celtic Manor in Wales. This year is different, with a change in the PGA Tour schedule.
For most American golfers, competition at the Tour Championship at East Lake ends on August 27, so some will spend 33 days before hitting Marco Simone outside of Rome.
US Captain Zach Johnson, is not concerned about competitive rust. “I’m sure the guys know what they’re doing,” Johnson said after visiting Rome this past weekend with nine of the 12 Americans on the team (they were missing Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele) to test the Ryder-hosted course starting September 29.
“Number two, there is a tournament and some of the guys are playing in Napa, in California. So you can prepare and play if you want. It’s an option,” he added. Max Homa is the two-time defending champion of the Fortinet Championship that starts this Thursday. Justin Thomas He’s also playing, mainly because he missed the FedEx Cup playoffs and last competed on August 6.
“But you know, it’s been a long, tiring season, and I think there’s something to be said for a break,” Johnson said. “There’s also something to be said for being home and with your family and constantly preparing that way, too. So I don’t really worry about that.”
The European circuit, for its part, holds the iconic BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week, the French Open next week and then the Ryder Cup. 12 Europeans were at Marco Simone on Monday, and all 12 are playing at Wentworth. The American team will have four days of training ahead of the opening Ryder session on September 29.
There were two weeks between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup in 2021 (Wisconsin) and 2014 (Scotland). The Ryder Cup immediately followed the Tour Championship in 2010 (Wales), 2012 (Chicago) and 2018 (Paris). Then there was 2008, when there was a week break between the BMW Championship and the Ryder Cup, and the Tour Championship was after the Ryder.
Zach Johnson and assistant captain Stewart Cink are playing in Napa. To Thomas and Homa’s question, they said that we should not give too much importance to the result, good or bad. “The bottom line is most of the team has played so much golf in July and August that they need a break,” Johnson said Tuesday. “His body needs rest. It’s unique that we had a month break from the Tour Championship to the Ryder. The rest, I think, is probably better than competing outside the Tour Championship,” USA captain finish.
Source: La Verdad
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