Donald and Johnson kickstart rivalry with early Ryder Cup duel

Luke Donald and Zach Johnson have kickstarted their 2023 Ryder Cup rivalry by competing in a special challenge at Marco Simone to mark the countdown to the tournament getting officially underway.

With one year to go until Team Europe take on Team USA in Rome, captains Donald and Johnson led two teams of Italian elite junior and disabled golfers in a special challenge at Marco Simone – the host venue of next year’s event.

Getting a taste for what promises to be an enthralling rivalry, the friendly contest helped launch the Ryder Cup Year To Go celebrations as Donald and Johnson went head to head in Italy for the very first time.

Featuring 12 members of the Italian Golf Federation’s under 18 team and four members of the elite disabled team, the four-hole match fittingly ended in a draw at Marco Simone as 300 local school children watched on.

“The Ryder Cup is a huge deal in golf.” Donald said – who was appointed captain of Team Europe after Henrik Stenson was dismissed from the role earlier this year.

“It is our biggest team event which brings in viewers who don’t even play golf because of the great rivalry and history. So today is a great way to start the Year To Go and tell people what an amazing event the Ryder Cup is.”

Following the festivities, Donald and Johnson will turn their attentions to gauging their own squads ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup.

Matching Team USA in having six captain’s picks for next year’s biennial event, Donald will be hoping to build a squad capable of overcoming Europe’s damaging defeat at Whistling Straits one year ago.

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