'Built with the Ryder Cup in mind' - Europe vice-captain Edoardo Molinari on Marco Simone course

With the Ryder Cup a little over a year away, European captain Luke Donald and vice-captain Edoardo Molinari have been out scouting the Marco Simone track, host venue of the event, ahead of this week's DS Automobiles Open d’Italia.

Marco Simone Golf Club was originally built in the 1980s when acres of Roman countryside was transformed into a Championship course on the outskirts of Rome. After securing the right to host the prestigious event, a re-design was undertaken in 2018 with the full 18 holes being completed early last year.

As Donald and Molinari meticulously plotted their way across the full 18 there will no doubt be a lot of thoughts and ideas that Team Europe want to implement. With the team being dealt their heaviest defeat in Ryder Cup history at Whistling Straits in 2021, Donald and his captains will leave no stone unturned as they look to take back the trophy.

The pair were part of a crew that included lead architect Dave Sampson, head Superintendent Lara Arias and Director of Agronomy, Alejandro Reyes, who also lent his hand to Le Golf National, the Ryder Cup venue back in 2018.

The Ryder Cup being in Italy marks just the third time the event has been staged in continental Europe. It follows in the footsteps of Real Club Valderrama in Spain (1997) and Le Golf National in France (2018).

The course was met with mixed reviews last year when it hosted the Open d’Italia. A fresh crop of European players were being exposed to it for the first time with many being less than impressed but vice-captain Molinari has no concerns, he said: “I think the golf course is very good. Last year it was by far the best maintained and best conditioned golf course we played all year and with the design you know, it’s very difficult to get good golf straight away, at your first attempt (of playing).”

When asked if there would be any further updates to the course, he said: “There's always going to be some tweaking and changing that goes on. Some things have already happened this year and there will be a little bit more going on this Winter. Overall it's a very good design.”

Molinari also reflected on previous venues of the Ryder Cup and was clear on why this one would be different, the 41-year-old said: “Well, I think compared to other courses, this was built with the Ryder Cup in mind.

“I think for spectators, it will be much better than a few of the previous venues we have played. Then, as far as playing, I think it was basically the idea to have various sets of tee that you can move around and make the holes play a little bit different depending on the weather conditions for the day and sometimes for performance, you might change a few things up.

“I think it has got a lot of flexibility and a lot of options.”

The Ryder Cup takes place from September 29 2023 to October 1 2023.