Latest news with #MarcoSimone
Washington Post
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Ryder Cup training camp is shaping up for the first fall PGA Tour event in Napa
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — So much for all the PGA Tour fall events having weak fields. The Procore Championship in Napa, California, is shaping up to be training camp for the Ryder Cup for the American team to avoid getting rusty ahead of the Sept. 26-28 matches. 'I know I'll be there,' Scottie Scheffler said. Ditto for Xander Schauffele, who suggested the world's No. 1 player was a strong voice in urging whoever is on the U.S. team to be at Silverado Resort on Sept. 11-14. That was a big concern at the last Ryder Cup, held outside Rome in 2023. The PGA Tour season that year ended Aug. 27 with the Tour Championship at East Lake, and the majority of the team had a full month away from tournament golf before going to Marco Simone for the start of the Ryder Cup on Sept. 29. Justin Thomas and Max Homa were the only players in Napa, along with U.S. captain Zach Johnson. Europe had its players at the BMW PGA Championship in England. Team Europe got out to a fast start at Marco Simone and sailed to an easy victory to win back the cup. The Procore Championship is the only PGA Tour event on the schedule between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York. It also is the same week as the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Odds are against having all 12 of the Americans there — one of them is Bryson DeChambeau, who is banned from the PGA Tour because he's with LIV Golf. U.S. captain Keegan Bradley told Sports Illustrated he would use one of his six picks on DeChambeau, who finished in the top 10 at three of the four majors this year. 'Bryson is going to be a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup,' Bradley said in a text message to SI. 'He brings so much. He brings energy, passion but most importantly, he's one of the best players on the planet.' The LIV Golf League season ends Aug. 24 with its team championship in Michigan. The only other competition for DeChambeau would be a YouTube match or European tour stops in Switzerland, Ireland, England or France. Justin Leonard played four rounds of competition last week for the first time in eight years, making the cut at the British Open and finishing in a tie for 59th. Leonard, 53, stayed largely away from golf while working as a TV analyst, and this is only his third year playing a full PGA Tour Champions schedule. He had not played in the British Open since 2016 at Royal Troon — where he won The Open in 1997 — and he was pleased to be among three players 50 and older to make the weekend at Royal Portrush. Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson were the others. 'It's a different kind of pressure coming over here and playing as a PGA Tour Champions guy,' Leonard said. 'There aren't many expectations. But still, it's nice to come over and play well and justify coming over.' And then Leonard with his dry sense of humor found a perk to his performance. 'Plus, think of all the world ranking points I got this week,' he said 'We've done a hard reset on the ranking. It's rough thinking there are more than 4,000 golfers out there better than I am. But I proved them all wrong this week.' His world ranking going into Royal Portrush was No. 4,689. Leonard's tie for 59th moved him all the way to No. 1,436. So now there are only 1,435 players better than him. But he has one thing going for him. Leonard has a better world ranking than Tiger Woods (No. 1,626) for the first time since the first week of 1997. Hard reset, indeed. The PGA Tour Champions is taking its show out of the country next year with the Portugal Invitational set for July 31 to Aug. 2. It's part of a five-year partnership and will be the first time a PGA Tour-sanctioned event for stroke play is in Portugal. That will give the PGA Tour Champions players the chance of a three-week stay in Europe if they choose. The Senior British Open is the week before, and the Senior PGA Championship on the Legends Tour will be the week after. The 78-man field will have players from the PGA Tour Champions and the Legends Tour in Europe, with a total purse of $3 million at The Els Club Vilamoura. Ernie Els redesigned the course, which previously hosted the Portugal Masters from 2007 through 2022. The World Cup of Golf was held in Portugal in 2005. 'The players are going to love it, not just the golf course but this whole destination,' Els said. 'It's such a beautiful part of the world.' Xander Schauffele made it through a third consecutive year making the cut in every major, taking his total to 15 in a row dating to a weekend off in the 2022 Masters. The opposite end of that was Cameron Smith, who missed the cut in all of them. He nearly had some distinguished company. Two other major champions, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, missed the cut in three out of four. Schauffele was among 17 players to make the cut in all four majors. That includes Corey Conners, who made the cut in the U.S. Open but had to withdraw in the final round with injury. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton were the only players from LIV Golf to make the cut in all four majors. That's a smaller sample size considering the goal for so many LIV players is to simply qualify or otherwise get into a major. Scottie Scheffler had no such concerns at 'Calamity Corner,' the notorious par-3 16th hole at Royal Portrush for the British Open. He made birdie in the opening round and again on Friday. He began to build his lead with a third straight birdie on Saturday. And in the final round, he drilled his tee shot to 15 feet. He missed. 'It's just a hard hole, I guess,' Scheffler said with a laugh. Calamity Corner does not have quite the same familiarity as the 12th hole at Augusta National, so one more birdie might not have been as noteworthy as the time Scott Verplank made birdie all four rounds in the 2003 Masters. Scheffler thought back to the first time he played it in a practice round. 'It was raining and blowing in out of the left, and I smoked a 3-wood to 30 feet, and I thought it was a pretty amazing shot,' Scheffler said. 'And then I was playing against Sam Burns in a practice round, and he hit 3-wood to about 25 feet and made it.' Even though Nelly Korda hasn't won this year, her seven-win season in 2024 gave her such a big lead that she's still No. 1 in women's golf. Korda has been No. 1 for 70 consecutive weeks, the fifth-largest streak since the women's world ranking began in 2006. ... Scottie Scheffler registered his fourth victory of at least four shots at the British Open, the most PGA Tour titles by four shots or more since Tiger Woods did it five times in 2000. ... Xander Schauffele tied for seventh in the British Open and earned $451,834, moving him past $60 million in career PGA Tour earnings. Scheffler became the fourth player to surpass $90 in career tour money. Scottie Scheffler, Harris English and Chris Gotterup gave Americans a 1-2-3 finish in the British Open for the first time since 1998, when it was Mark O'Meara, Brian Watts and Tiger Woods. 'I've gotten everything I wanted out of this week apart from a claret jug, and that's just because one person was just a little bit better than the rest of us.' — Rory McIlroy on his return home to Northern Ireland for the British Open. ___ AP golf:
San Francisco Chronicle
22-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Ryder Cup training camp is shaping up for the first fall PGA Tour event in Napa
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — So much for all the PGA Tour fall events having weak fields. The Procore Championship in Napa, California, is shaping up to be training camp for the Ryder Cup for the American team to avoid getting rusty ahead of the Sept. 26-28 matches. 'I know I'll be there,' Scottie Scheffler said. Ditto for Xander Schauffele, who suggested the world's No. 1 player was a strong voice in urging whoever is on the U.S. team to be at Silverado Resort on Sept. 11-14. That was a big concern at the last Ryder Cup, held outside Rome in 2023. The PGA Tour season that year ended Aug. 27 with the Tour Championship at East Lake, and the majority of the team had a full month away from tournament golf before going to Marco Simone for the start of the Ryder Cup on Sept. 29. Justin Thomas and Max Homa were the only players in Napa, along with U.S. captain Zach Johnson. Europe had its players at the BMW PGA Championship in England. Team Europe got out to a fast start at Marco Simone and sailed to an easy victory to win back the cup. The Procore Championship is the only PGA Tour event on the schedule between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York. It also is the same week as the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Odds are against having all 12 of the Americans there — one of them is Bryson DeChambeau, who is banned from the PGA Tour because he's with LIV Golf. U.S. captain Keegan Bradley told Sports Illustrated he would use one of his six picks on DeChambeau, who finished in the top 10 at three of the four majors this year. 'Bryson is going to be a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup,' Bradley said in a text message to SI. "He brings so much. He brings energy, passion but most importantly, he's one of the best players on the planet.' The LIV Golf League season ends Aug. 24 with its team championship in Michigan. The only other competition for DeChambeau would be a YouTube match or European tour stops in Switzerland, Ireland, England or France. Justin Leonard on the rise Justin Leonard played four rounds of competition last week for the first time in eight years, making the cut at the British Open and finishing in a tie for 59th. Leonard, 53, stayed largely away from golf while working as a TV analyst, and this is only his third year playing a full PGA Tour Champions schedule. He had not played in the British Open since 2016 at Royal Troon — where he won The Open in 1997 — and he was pleased to be among three players 50 and older to make the weekend at Royal Portrush. Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson were the others. 'It's a different kind of pressure coming over here and playing as a PGA Tour Champions guy,' Leonard said. 'There aren't many expectations. But still, it's nice to come over and play well and justify coming over.' And then Leonard with his dry sense of humor found a perk to his performance. 'Plus, think of all the world ranking points I got this week,' he said 'We've done a hard reset on the ranking. It's rough thinking there are more than 4,000 golfers out there better than I am. But I proved them all wrong this week.' His world ranking going into Royal Portrush was No. 4,689. Leonard's tie for 59th moved him all the way to No. 1,436. So now there are only 1,435 players better than him. But he has one thing going for him. Leonard has a better world ranking than Tiger Woods (No. 1,626) for the first time since the first week of 1997. Hard reset, indeed. Senior European vacation The PGA Tour Champions is taking its show out of the country next year with the Portugal Invitational set for July 31 to Aug. 2. It's part of a five-year partnership and will be the first time a PGA Tour-sanctioned event for stroke play is in Portugal. That will give the PGA Tour Champions players the chance of a three-week stay in Europe if they choose. The Senior British Open is the week before, and the Senior PGA Championship on the Legends Tour will be the week after. The 78-man field will have players from the PGA Tour Champions and the Legends Tour in Europe, with a total purse of $3 million at The Els Club Vilamoura. Ernie Els redesigned the course, which previously hosted the Portugal Masters from 2007 through 2022. The World Cup of Golf was held in Portugal in 2005. 'The players are going to love it, not just the golf course but this whole destination,' Els said. "It's such a beautiful part of the world.' Major cuts Xander Schauffele made it through a third consecutive year making the cut in every major, taking his total to 15 in a row dating to a weekend off in the 2022 Masters. The opposite end of that was Cameron Smith, who missed the cut in all of them. He nearly had some distinguished company. Two other major champions, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, missed the cut in three out of four. Schauffele was among 17 players to make the cut in all four majors. That includes Corey Conners, who made the cut in the U.S. Open but had to withdraw in the final round with injury. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton were the only players from LIV Golf to make the cut in all four majors. That's a smaller sample size considering the goal for so many LIV players is to simply qualify or otherwise get into a major. Calamity Corner Scottie Scheffler had no such concerns at 'Calamity Corner,' the notorious par-3 16th hole at Royal Portrush for the British Open. He made birdie in the opening round and again on Friday. He began to build his lead with a third straight birdie on Saturday. And in the final round, he drilled his tee shot to 15 feet. He missed. 'It's just a hard hole, I guess,' Scheffler said with a laugh. Calamity Corner does not have quite the same familiarity as the 12th hole at Augusta National, so one more birdie might not have been as noteworthy as the time Scott Verplank made birdie all four rounds in the 2003 Masters. Scheffler thought back to the first time he played it in a practice round. 'It was raining and blowing in out of the left, and I smoked a 3-wood to 30 feet, and I thought it was a pretty amazing shot,' Scheffler said. 'And then I was playing against Sam Burns in a practice round, and he hit 3-wood to about 25 feet and made it.' Divots Even though Nelly Korda hasn't won this year, her seven-win season in 2024 gave her such a big lead that she's still No. 1 in women's golf. Korda has been No. 1 for 70 consecutive weeks, the fifth-largest streak since the women's world ranking began in 2006. ... Scottie Scheffler registered his fourth victory of at least four shots at the British Open, the most PGA Tour titles by four shots or more since Tiger Woods did it five times in 2000. ... Xander Schauffele tied for seventh in the British Open and earned $451,834, moving him past $60 million in career PGA Tour earnings. Scheffler became the fourth player to surpass $90 in career tour money. Stat of the week Scottie Scheffler, Harris English and Chris Gotterup gave Americans a 1-2-3 finish in the British Open for the first time since 1998, when it was Mark O'Meara, Brian Watts and Tiger Woods. Final word 'I've gotten everything I wanted out of this week apart from a claret jug, and that's just because one person was just a little bit better than the rest of us.' — Rory McIlroy on his return home to Northern Ireland for the British Open. ___
Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Ryder Cup training camp is shaping up for the first fall PGA Tour event in Napa
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — So much for all the PGA Tour fall events having weak fields. The Procore Championship in Napa, California, is shaping up to be training camp for the Ryder Cup for the American team to avoid getting rusty ahead of the Sept. 26-28 matches. 'I know I'll be there,' Scottie Scheffler said. Ditto for Xander Schauffele, who suggested the world's No. 1 player was a strong voice in urging whoever is on the U.S. team to be at Silverado Resort on Sept. 11-14. That was a big concern at the last Ryder Cup, held outside Rome in 2023. The PGA Tour season that year ended Aug. 27 with the Tour Championship at East Lake, and the majority of the team had a full month away from tournament golf before going to Marco Simone for the start of the Ryder Cup on Sept. 29. Justin Thomas and Max Homa were the only players in Napa, along with U.S. captain Zach Johnson. Europe had its players at the BMW PGA Championship in England. Team Europe got out to a fast start at Marco Simone and sailed to an easy victory to win back the cup. The Procore Championship is the only PGA Tour event on the schedule between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York. It also is the same week as the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Odds are against having all 12 of the Americans there — one of them is Bryson DeChambeau, who is banned from the PGA Tour because he's with LIV Golf. U.S. captain Keegan Bradley told Sports Illustrated he would use one of his six picks on DeChambeau, who finished in the top 10 at three of the four majors this year. 'Bryson is going to be a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup,' Bradley said in a text message to SI. 'He brings so much. He brings energy, passion but most importantly, he's one of the best players on the planet.' The LIV Golf League season ends Aug. 24 with its team championship in Michigan. The only other competition for DeChambeau would be a YouTube match or European tour stops in Switzerland, Ireland, England or France. Justin Leonard on the rise Justin Leonard played four rounds of competition last week for the first time in eight years, making the cut at the British Open and finishing in a tie for 59th. Leonard, 53, stayed largely away from golf while working as a TV analyst, and this is only his third year playing a full PGA Tour Champions schedule. He had not played in the British Open since 2016 at Royal Troon — where he won The Open in 1997 — and he was pleased to be among three players 50 and older to make the weekend at Royal Portrush. Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson were the others. 'It's a different kind of pressure coming over here and playing as a PGA Tour Champions guy,' Leonard said. 'There aren't many expectations. But still, it's nice to come over and play well and justify coming over.' And then Leonard with his dry sense of humor found a perk to his performance. 'Plus, think of all the world ranking points I got this week,' he said 'We've done a hard reset on the ranking. It's rough thinking there are more than 4,000 golfers out there better than I am. But I proved them all wrong this week.' His world ranking going into Royal Portrush was No. 4,689. Leonard's tie for 59th moved him all the way to No. 1,436. So now there are only 1,435 players better than him. But he has one thing going for him. Leonard has a better world ranking than Tiger Woods (No. 1,626) for the first time since the first week of 1997. Hard reset, indeed. Senior European vacation The PGA Tour Champions is taking its show out of the country next year with the Portugal Invitational set for July 31 to Aug. 2. It's part of a five-year partnership and will be the first time a PGA Tour-sanctioned event for stroke play is in Portugal. That will give the PGA Tour Champions players the chance of a three-week stay in Europe if they choose. The Senior British Open is the week before, and the Senior PGA Championship on the Legends Tour will be the week after. The 78-man field will have players from the PGA Tour Champions and the Legends Tour in Europe, with a total purse of $3 million at The Els Club Vilamoura. Ernie Els redesigned the course, which previously hosted the Portugal Masters from 2007 through 2022. The World Cup of Golf was held in Portugal in 2005. 'The players are going to love it, not just the golf course but this whole destination,' Els said. 'It's such a beautiful part of the world.' Major cuts Xander Schauffele made it through a third consecutive year making the cut in every major, taking his total to 15 in a row dating to a weekend off in the 2022 Masters. The opposite end of that was Cameron Smith, who missed the cut in all of them. He nearly had some distinguished company. Two other major champions, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, missed the cut in three out of four. Schauffele was among 17 players to make the cut in all four majors. That includes Corey Conners, who made the cut in the U.S. Open but had to withdraw in the final round with injury. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton were the only players from LIV Golf to make the cut in all four majors. That's a smaller sample size considering the goal for so many LIV players is to simply qualify or otherwise get into a major. Calamity Corner Scottie Scheffler had no such concerns at 'Calamity Corner,' the notorious par-3 16th hole at Royal Portrush for the British Open. He made birdie in the opening round and again on Friday. He began to build his lead with a third straight birdie on Saturday. And in the final round, he drilled his tee shot to 15 feet. He missed. 'It's just a hard hole, I guess,' Scheffler said with a laugh. Calamity Corner does not have quite the same familiarity as the 12th hole at Augusta National, so one more birdie might not have been as noteworthy as the time Scott Verplank made birdie all four rounds in the 2003 Masters. Scheffler thought back to the first time he played it in a practice round. 'It was raining and blowing in out of the left, and I smoked a 3-wood to 30 feet, and I thought it was a pretty amazing shot,' Scheffler said. 'And then I was playing against Sam Burns in a practice round, and he hit 3-wood to about 25 feet and made it.' Divots Even though Nelly Korda hasn't won this year, her seven-win season in 2024 gave her such a big lead that she's still No. 1 in women's golf. Korda has been No. 1 for 70 consecutive weeks, the fifth-largest streak since the women's world ranking began in 2006. ... Scottie Scheffler registered his fourth victory of at least four shots at the British Open, the most PGA Tour titles by four shots or more since Tiger Woods did it five times in 2000. ... Xander Schauffele tied for seventh in the British Open and earned $451,834, moving him past $60 million in career PGA Tour earnings. Scheffler became the fourth player to surpass $90 in career tour money. Stat of the week Scottie Scheffler, Harris English and Chris Gotterup gave Americans a 1-2-3 finish in the British Open for the first time since 1998, when it was Mark O'Meara, Brian Watts and Tiger Woods. Final word 'I've gotten everything I wanted out of this week apart from a claret jug, and that's just because one person was just a little bit better than the rest of us.' — Rory McIlroy on his return home to Northern Ireland for the British Open. ___ AP golf:
Fox Sports
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2031 Ryder Cup to be hosted in Girona, Spain, says Catalan golf federation
Associated Press Barcelona, Spain (AP) — The 2031 Ryder Cup will be held in northeastern Spain, the president of the Catalan golf federation has told The Associated Press. Ramon Nogué, president of the Catalan golf federation, told the AP by phone Friday that 'next week it will be official' that Girona will be announced as the host of the golfing event between the best male players of Europe and the United States. The choice of Girona was first reported by Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia. 'Any announcement in relation to future editions of the Ryder Cup will be made in due course,' Ryder Cup Europe said. This will be the second time for Spain to host the Cup after Valderrama in 1997, and just the fourth time it will be played in continental Europe after Le Golf National outside Paris in 2018 and Marco Simone outside Rome in 2023. The Ryder Cup is closely tied to Spain because of European team stalwarts Seve Ballesteros, José María Olazábal and Sergio García. This year's Ryder Cup will be held at Bethpage Black in New York in September. The next one staged in Europe is in 2027 at Adare Manor in Ireland. ___ AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas in Portrush, Northern Ireland, contributed to this report. ___ AP golf: in this topic
Forbes
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Play Golf At Marco Simone Where The 2023 Ryder Cup Was Played
Italy's Marco Simone Golf & Country Club welcomes golfers from around the world to play its course ... More where the 2023 Ryder Cup was held. The club is located near Rome. During the hotly contested 44th Ryder Cup in 2023, some of the world's top professional golfers including Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay battled it out at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in the outskirts of Rome, Italy. 'It's definitely the best course I've ever played in Italy, hands down,' Patrick Cantlay of Team USA said at the time. It was the first time the Ryder Cup—professional golf's premier team event— had been held in Italy and only the third time the competition had been held in Continental Europe. Marco Simone's meticulously maintained 7,299-yard long course offers sweeping views of Rome in the ... More distance, including St. Peter's Basilica. The 16th green is seen here. The Ryder Cup Course At Marco Simone Little at Marco Simone has changed since the Ryder Cup was held there two years ago. Not only is the course the same but even the individual lockers bearing the names of each of the 2023 Ryder Cup players are still present. And while it operates as a private club, Marco Simone welcomes visitors from around the world to play the course. The experience should be at the top of every golf enthusiast's list as Marco Simone is one of the top golf courses in Europe. The meticulously maintained 7,299-yard long course offers sweeping views of Rome in the distance, including St. Peter's Basilica. 'The beauty of Marco Simone is that it already has a canvas that is really, really good,' Zach Johnson, Captain of Team USA commented at the start of the 2023 event. 'The course, the grass, is extremely healthy and very pure. The greens are fantastic.' Johnson praised the Marco Simone facilities and for being a venue that tests all aspects of the players. 'Marco Simone is a very high-character golf course,' he said. 'It (requires) everybody on both sides to have all elements of their game to be on, and I think that's a true test of the golf course. They have done a great job. They should be very proud.' While it presents a true test for seasoned players, the course is also enjoyable and approachable for novices. In preparation for the Ryder Cup, the course was redesigned to make it more challenging. The 17th ... More hole is seen here. Ranked Among The Top Golf Courses In Europe The pros are not the only ones in the global golf community praising Marco Simone. Indeed, it is considered to be one of the best in Italy and ranks among the top courses in Europe. It was recently ranked in tenth spot in the Golf World Top 100 Most Awe-Inspiring Courses on the European Continent. The original course, designed by world-renowned golf architect Jim Fazio, opened in the late 1990's. In preparation for the Ryder Cup, the course was redesigned by Fazio's son, Tom Fazio II and was remodeled between 2018 and 2021. The original course offered 27 holes, but nine were sacrificed in order to develop hospitality offerings required for the Ryder Cup in which as many as 50,000 spectators were there each day to watch the competition. European Golf Design, a United Kingdom-based golf design firm, worked with Fazio to reconfigure holes, specifically the last four holes, to make them more challenging and ideal for match-play purposes with the opportunity for high risk and high reward for competitors. Several of the par 4 holes are drivable, but bunkers surrounding landing areas present challenges for longer hitters. The 15th hole, for example, is a long and difficult par 4 while the 16th hole is a very short par 4 that has a challenging, but drivable green with water on the right side. The 17th hole is a difficult and long par 3, with three levels of greens. The final hole, the 18th, is a very short par five. 'These four holes were designed while thinking about the match play format,' says Marco Aquilino, General Manager of Marco Simone. Luke Donald, European Ryder Cup Captain, enthused about these holes which he considered to be particularly exciting. 'The 17th hole is not an easy par three with water in play and really nowhere to miss it,' Donald noted, adding that the 18th hole is another spectacular par five down a hill with water by the green. In preparation for the Ryder Cup, a 7,000-square-meter clubhouse with a restaurant and pro shop twas ... More added. The building has event spaces, meeting rooms and expansive terraces, enabling it to host private events including weddings. A Meticulous Restoration And Expansion Marco Simone is owned and operated by Italian designer Lavinia Biagiotti, president and chief executive of the Biagiotti Group, one of Italy's largest fashion houses. In addition to having the golf course redesigned, Biagiotti Cigna also oversaw the meticulous restoration of a stunning 11th century castle located on the premises. Marco Simone has been a lifelong passion for Biagiotti since her late parents bought the property in 1978. In preparation for the Ryder Cup, Biagiotti added a 7,000-square-meter clubhouse with a restaurant and pro shop that features golf apparel from such brands as FootJoy, Ecco, and Adidas. The building also offers event spaces and meeting rooms enabling it to host corporate and team building events as well as weddings. The complex has expansive terraces with beautiful views of the course and surrounding countryside. Additional club facilities include a driving range (the only driving range in Central Italy with Trackman technology), an indoor golf simulator and other practice facilities. Marco Simone also offers five tennis courts, a swimming pool and a fitness center featuring state-of-the-art Technogym equipment. An off-site hotel alongside the 10th fairway offers several apartments for those of who want to stay close to the club. The club will add a fitting center in the near future. Marco Simone has partnered with GolfZon Leadbetter Golf Academy that enables members and guests can take lessons and participate in clinics. The golf academy, which opened on June 1, also developed a juniors program to encourage young Italians to take up the sport. 'We are constantly improving the quality of the product for the local community to increase the number of players,' says Aquilino. 'We also wanted to offer a higher level of lessons for visitors. The result is a golf academy with a very high standard.' In addition to having the golf course redesigned, the owner also oversaw the meticulous restoration ... More of a stunning 11th century castle located on the premises. No Need To Bring Your Own Set Of Clubs There is no need to travel with equipment as the course offers Callaway club rental sets. Greens fees to play the 18 hole course vary depending on the season and range from 195 Euros to 270 Euros for weekday play and 195 Euros to 270 Euros per player during weekends. The high season for 2025 includes April, May, June, September and October (ending on November 2). Low season is January, February, July, August and November 3 to December 24. (The course is closed from June 23 to June 27 for maintenance, December 25 through January 1 and during various Italian bank holidays.) Last year, more than 9,000 guest golfers came from around the world, with half being from the United States with the remainder from the United Kingdom, Continental Europe and a small portion from Asia. Marco Simone, which has also hosted the DS Automobiles Italian Open four times (1994, 2021, 2022 and 2023), offers club memberships but also welcomes visitors. International annual memberships are also offered for 3,000 Euros and include unlimited play, special greens fees for guests of members, and full access to all of the facilities at Marco Simone. 'Hosting the Ryder Cup was just the beginning,' says Aquilino. 'It was a turning point that represents the club's transformation when everything was elevated, from the course to its facilities. But it was not the pinnacle for Marco Simone which continues to improve its offerings.' The lockers for the 2023 Ryder Cup players can be seen at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. Located in Guidonia, Lazio, Marco Simone is only 20 minutes from the center of Rome. Additional information about Marco Simone Golf & Country Club can be seen on its website.
