RYDER CUP ’23: Hole by hole look at Marco Simone
GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — A hole-by-hole look at Marco Simone, site of the 44th Ryder Cup matches that start Sept. 29:
NO. 1, 445 YARDS, PAR 4: The bold play is to challenge the left bunker on the slight dogleg left and keep short of two bunkers on the right. That will leave a short iron to the green. To play it safer will leave a mid-iron to a green protected by a steep ridge in front of a large bunker to the left.
NO. 2, 476 YARDS, PAR 4: A 275-yard shot should cover a bunker, with two more bunkers beyond it. The safe shot is a shorter club to the right. There’s a bunker about 45 yards short of the green, and a severe slope beyond and left of the green.
NO. 3, 453 YARDS, PAR 4: The deep native grass offers two options. A safe, straight shot leaves a mid-iron to a slightly elevated green. Big hitters can try to cut the right corner of the dogleg, but the fairway is framed by the deep stuff.
NO. 4, 185 YARDS, PAR 3: The hole plays slightly downhill and should be little more than a short iron to a two-tiered green. Two bunkers to the right should be avoided.
NO. 5, 376 YARDS, PAR 4: The first water hazard on the course gives players an option to hit driver down the right side and leave a short iron to the green, or play short of the water and leave a longer shot to the green.
NO. 6, 383 YARDS, PAR 4: Players will have the option of playing short of a large bunker on the right side or squeezing driver over the bunker and leaving a flip wedge to green with several ridges.
NO. 7, 219 YARDS, PAR 3: The hole can play anywhere from 145 yards to 220 yards depending on tees and particularly pin positions on this long, kidney-shaped green that has two bunkers in the front. Two putts from long range on this green should be adventurous.
NO. 8, 503 YARDS, PAR 5: This will be easily reachable in two, but the drive must stay short of the water, which wraps all round the left side of the green. Anyone having to lay up has to keep it down the right side for a good angle with the wedge.
NO. 9, 587 YARDS, PAR 5: The drive must avoid two bunkers on the right before contemplating whether to try to reach the green in two. This runs opposite the eighth hole, and there’s a small area of water left of the green. The trouble is long into native grass for the bunkers framing the right side of the green.
NO. 10, 455 YARDS, PAR 4: A strong drive to the center of the fairway leaves a short or mid-iron to the green that is protected by two bunkers on the right.
NO. 11, 330 YARDS, PAR 4: How to approach this reachable par 4 depends on the pin position. The hole plays slightly uphill, a steep slope short and right sends ball into a depression area. A back left pin might lead players to lay up because of the bunkers down the left side.
NO. 12, 554 YARDS, PAR 5: An accurate driver will provide for a long iron to reach the two-tiered greens. Par is likely to lose the hole here.
NO. 13, 145 YARDS, PAR 3: The difficulty of this short par 3 is the green being exposed and subject to wind. The big miss is to the left of this two-tiered green.
NO. 14, 495 YARDS, PAR 4: This long par 4 plays slightly downhill, and only big hitters might try to cover the two bunkers on the left of this slight dogleg. The key is to avoid a deep bunker on the right side of the green.
NO. 15, 478 YARDS, PAR 4: Bunkers are to the right on the tee shot and should be avoided to leave a mid-iron to a green that features three bunkers guarding the right side.
NO. 16, 352 YARDS, PAR 4: The safe play is a 200-yard tee shot that sets up a wedge to the green with a pond to the right. But it will be tempting to hit driver which must fly 300 yards to cover a creek, with two bunkers guarding the green and the water on the right.
NO. 17, 206 YARDS, PAR 3: The hole slopes to the left, but it’s trouble to get tee shots caught in thick grass above the green to the right. A large bunker is front and right.
NO. 18, 626 YARDS, PAR 5: For matches that get this far, the advantage is to the longer hitters who can reach in two. But there is a water hazard that juts out short and left of the green. There’s a bunker short of the green, and the safe miss is a bunker on the right side.
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