Zach Johnson of Iowa City, Iowa has been named the United States captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup according to Mike Purkey of Sports Illustrated on Wednesday. Johnson will be looking to lead the United States to its first Ryder Cup victory in Europe since 1993, when the United States defeated Europe 15-13 at the Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England.
Johnson is a two-time major champion. He previously won the 2007 Masters and 2015 British Open. The last American captain to win a Ryder Cup in Europe was also a multiple major champion. Tom Watson of Kansas City, Missouri won eight major titles in fact as he won the British Open five times (1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, and 1983), the Masters twice (1977 and 1981), and the 1982 United States Open.
The American opponent, Team Europe, has not yet announced their Ryder Cup captain. In November, Lee Westwood withdrew his name from consideration. According to Kevin Cunningham of golf.com there is growing speculation that the next European Ryder Cup captain could be former world number one Luke Donald of Hemel Hempstead, England.
The 2023 Ryder Cup will take place at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio, Italy. The town is part of the metropolitan Italian city of Rome, which is located in the central part of the country. This will be the first time ever that the Ryder Cup will take place in Italy.
The United States clobbered Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin in the last Ryder Cup in 2021. The top American golfer was another Johnson, in Dustin Johnson of Columbia, South Carolina, who led the American squad with five points.
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