Team GolfXYZ
July 8: The PGA of America is likely to announce on Wednesday the postponement of the 43rdRyder Cup 2020 to 2021. The venue will remain the same as Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin, and the dates will be similar. The dates in 2020 were September 25-27.
There has a lot of speculation in British and American media and the European Tour, which depends enormously on the revenues generated from the biennial event, wanted to look at every possibility of having it in 2020. But the spread of Covid-19 and the increasing trend of not allowing of fans, had seen many players voice their feeling that the Ryder Cup would be nothing without the fans.
Meanwhile, the Presidents Cup originally slated to be held in September 2021 as per schedule will now likely take place in late 2022 at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The re-scheduling will also mean the 2022 Ryder Cup in Italy will be shifted to 2023.
Recently, leading the top players’ views, Rory McIlroy had expressed concern about playing the matches without fans amid a pandemic. “I just can’t see [the Ryder Cup] going ahead without fans,” he said last month.
Originally, the Ryder Cup was originally contested in odd years but it was moved to even years following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The Ryder Cup was not played from 1939-45 because of World War II.
In recent months, a lot of debate and discussion had led to United States allowing captain Steve Stricker to ‘pick’ six of the 12 players, while Europe had also made changes to selection criteria.
Now it remains to be seen whether the US returns to the ‘older’ pattern of 10 qualifiers and two picks and what changes Europe makes.
The current Top-10 for US and Europe are as follows:
United States: Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods and Tony Finau.
Europe: Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Victor Perez, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Bernd Wiesberger, Tyrrell Hatton, Danny Willett, Lee Westwood and Marcus Kinhult.
Read also:
US Ryder Cup captain Stricker to pick half the team; criteria revised
An open letter from Ryder Cup Captains Stricker and Harrington
Lahiri lauds Immelman’s appointment as captain for 2021 Presidents Cup
