Listen to most former Ryder Cup captains discuss pairings, and they’ll often talk a lot about how statistics are used to help them decide on who plays with you.
Then you have former skippers like Paul McGinley talking about a “gut feel” for who will make a successful partnership.
Europe’s 2023 captain, Luke Donald, will no doubt have prepared just as thoroughly as any of his predecessors, although, just like many former captains have done in the past, he will also have kept a few cards close to his chest this week.
However, once the Ryder Cup practice days commence, it doesn’t take a genius to work out who might be playing with who – the answer is often there right in front of our eyes as the players team up together.
After seeing Rory McIlroy alongside Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm with Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland with Ludvig Aberg, and Shane Lowry with Sepp Straka, Donald confirmed that these were his four pairings for Friday’s foursomes.
Donald will talk about how they get along and how their games suit each other perfectly for the foursomes format, but has the model of ball that these players use also come into his thinking?
Pairing up players who play the exact same model makes sense. Lowry and Straka, who both use the Srixon Z-Star XV, won’t have to worry about getting used to a different model.
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood play a practice round together at Marco Simone prior to the 2023 Ryder Cup
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The same can be said of Fleetwood and McIlroy, who both play with a TaylorMade TP5x golf ball.
The type of ball players use is a big deal. At this level, players are meticulous with their golf ball choice, and they can have quite different preferences when it comes to spin control and feel.
There will, of course, be some players who have to make an adjustment and play with a ball that they’re not used to playing week to week.
As to who decides which ball to play, it’s difficult to imagine it being decided by a game of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’. More likely, players call rank. In other words, you’re not going to have a choice if you’re a rookie.
Then again, maybe a more experienced player might be able to make those…
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