Ryder Cup: Europe's captain selects final team for 2021 tournament

Europe's captain Padraig Harrington  holds the Ryder Cup during a press conference in 2019.
Europe's captain Padraig Harrington holds the Ryder Cup during a press conference in 2019. Copyright AP Photo/Vincent Phoon
By Euronews
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Europe is hoping to retain the Ryder Cup against the United States at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin later this month.

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Team Europe has selected its final golfers to compete in the 2021 Ryder Cup against the United States.

Captain Padraig Harrington chose Ireland's Shane Lowry, Spain's Sergio Garcia, and England's Ian Poulter as the final members of the 12-person team.

Lowry is one of three European golfers that will make his debut at this year's Ryder Cup, alongside Austria's Bernd Wiesberger and Norway's Viktor Hovland.

Six other British men had already secured their place on the team; England's Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Tommy Fleetwood, as well as Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy.

Spain's Jon Rahm -- the number one ranked golfer in the world -- will also make his second appearance at the Ryder Cup.

Europe will compete against the United States at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin from September 24-26 to retain the trophy. The tournament was due to be held in 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the 2018 Ryder Cup held in France, Europe dominated the United States to win by 17.5 to 10.5.

With only twelve places available on the team, a number of prominent golfers narrowly missed out this time around, including England's Justin Rose, France's Victor Perez, and Sweden's Alex Noren.

Europe will field a team with far more experience than the United States at Whistling Straits, as six American golfers are set for the debuts.

The Ryder Cup: How does it work?

Every two years, twelve golfers from Europe and the United States go head to head in one of the world's most fascinating and thrilling sporting events takes place.

This year's tournament was due to be held in 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Twenty-eight matches will be played over three days, from Friday to Sunday, and each match is worth one point. If a match is tied after 18 holes, the points are halved and shared.

If one player or pairing wins a hole they go "1 up" and the player that loses the hole is "1 down".

To win the Ryder Cup, you need 14.5 points. To retain it, Europe needs to score 14 points.

The first two days of the contest are made up of four matches of four-balls and four matches of foursomes. The final day is made up of 12 singles matches.

What are the different formats?

Unlike the majority of golf tournaments on the European Tour and PGA Tour, the Ryder Cup is a matchplay event rather than strokeplay.

The four-ball format consists of two players from each team playing their own golf ball against two players from the opposition team. The best score at the hole will win the hole.

But in foursomes, two players from each side team up but play the same golf ball, and hit alternative shots.

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In singles matches on Sunday, all twelve players from each side will compete in a head-to-head match.

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