Matt Fitzpatrick and Robert MacIntyre today confirmed their places on Luke Donald’s 2023 European Ryder Cup team at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
Qualifying via the World Points List, Fitzpatrick enjoyed a strong finish in Switzerland and the FedExCup Playoffs to overhaul compatriot Tommy Fleetwood and secure the last of three automatic qualifying berths via the World Points List with Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton.
With the Ryder Cup first appearing on US soil in 2016 and 2021, Matt Fitzpatrick is set for his home debut at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
MacIntyre will make his first appearance for Team Europe in Rome later this month after securing the third automatic qualification spot on the European Points List.
With everything to play for in the final event of the year, the 27-year-old topped off with a 55th finish in Switzerland to confirm his place in the team heading to the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club – the site of his second DP World Tour title.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Age: 30
Ryder Cup Rank: 5 (World Points)
Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2016, 2021)
Ryder Cup record: 0-5-0
How did he qualify?
In the second week of the qualifying process, Fitzpatrick finished runner-up at the DS Automobiles Italian Open as he lost to Robert MacIntyre in a play-off at this year’s Ryder Cup host venue.
He ended the 2022 DP World Tour season with a tie for fifth at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, before he began 2023 with a tie for seventh at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Fitzpatrick suffered a neck injury before his next start on the PGA TOUR, however, a top ten at the Masters signaled a return to form and he won the following weekend at the RBC Heritage in a play-off against defending champion Jordan Spieth.
The victory saw Fitzpatrick return to the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking, where he remains, but it was his previous two performances at the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship that earned him an automatic qualifying spot. .
The Ryder Cup experience
Fitzpatrick made his Ryder Cup debut in 2016 at Hazeltine after qualifying through the World Points List.
Under the captaincy of Darren Clarke, he played two sessions in three days, losing the quarter on Saturday morning and the singles on Sunday.
After missing out on the Le Golf National team in 2018, the Englishman re-enters the Whistling Straits fold in 2021 as an automatic qualifier via the World Points List.
He did not find his footing in the Foursomes playing alongside Lee Westwood, losing both of their matches together, before being beaten by Daniel Berger in the final singles match of the week as he approached 18th found the penalty area.
Fitzpatrick has match-winning experience as part of European teams at the EurAsia Cup in 2016 and 2018.
Previous Pairs
In his two previous Ryder Cup appearances, Fitzpatrick played two different players in three foursomes matches.
His first taste of the Ryder Cup came in the Saturday morning foursomes at Hazeltine as he and Henrik Stenson suffered a 3&2 loss to Brandt Snedeker and Brooks Koepka.
At Whistling Straits, Team Europe Captain Padraig Harrington chose to pair him with Westwood -who he played alongside at the 2016 EurAsia Cup.
But since taking his game to new heights as a Major Champion, Fitzpatrick is hoping to score his first competitive points in front of his home fans.
Robert MacIntyre
Age: 27
World Ranking: 55
Ryder Cup Rankings: 3 (European Points)
Ryder Cup appearances: ROOKIE
How did he qualify
In just the second week of last year’s European Qualification, MacIntyre made an early but lasting impression with his second DP World Tour win at Ryder Cup venue Marco Simone, where he beat Matt Fitzpatrick to the title with a birdie in the first play-off. hole. .
His year so far has been characterized by stringing together a string of good results, highlighted by three consecutive top tens earlier in the season in Kenya, Japan and Korea, before he was sidelined due to injury in his title defense in Italy.
He returned to action after a two-week break, but it wasn’t until he followed up a top five in Himmerland with a strong final round at the Genesis Scottish Open in July that he improved himself to third place on the European Points List. A stunning approach to setting up a birdie on the final hole saw MacIntyre hit the clubhouse target with a 64 in difficult conditions in Scotland, but Rory McIlroy ended his hopes of a victory at home on that occasion with a miraculous finish of his own. However, a runner-up finish in a Rolex Series event was enough to move the Scot into automatic qualification, and he has held firm in that spot ever since.
A recent tie for fourth at the D+D REAL Czech Masters helped extend MacIntyre’s lead over nearest challenger Yannik Paul, and after making the cut in Switzerland, he’s been able to hold on to his spot. which tied for 55th place.
Game experience
MacIntyre may be a rookie in this team, but he does not lack experience in the game of the game, having appeared in nine amateur team competitions, two editions of the WGC Dell-Technologies Match Play, and the 2023 Hero Cup.
The Scot, who memorably defeated Cameron Champ 6&4 during his first singles match at the 2017 Walker Cup, quickly impressed in his first outing at the WGC Dell-Technologies Match Play in 2021. He topped his group to reach the knock – out stages that year, and the following year defeated European Ryder Cup record points holder Sergio Garcia 4&2 in group play.
He was also part of the Great Britain and Ireland side in the inaugural Hero Cup under the Captaincy of Tommy Fleetwood, with a 1-3-0 record which does not tell the full story. MacIntyre was particularly strong in the foursomes – teaming up with Jordan Smith on Saturday morning and pushing Adrian Meronk and Antoine Rozner to 18thbefore beating Victor Perez and Guido Migliozzi 2&1 with partner Seamus Power.