Netjets US Summer 2023
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TEEING OFF<br />
FLYING THE FLAG<br />
The Ryder Cup brings together some of the best golfers in the world from the two great dominions of the world<br />
game, the U.S, and Europe. As the proud Official Private Jet Provider of the PGA TOUR since 2014, NetJets has a<br />
close connection to the Cup and the teams, once confirmed, will both be replete with NetJets Ambassadors.<br />
Among them will be World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, joined by the likes of Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa,<br />
Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley, and Rickie Fowler. Another NetJets<br />
Ambassador David Love III will be one of Zach Johnson’s vice captains. For Europe, NetJets Ambassadors Viktor<br />
Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, and Tommy Fleetwood will be hoping<br />
to feature.<br />
role whose importance has probably been a little overstated in<br />
the folklore of the matches over the years. He has so far named<br />
Thomas Bjørn, Nicolas Colsaerts, and stats specialist Edoardo<br />
Molinari as vice-captains, and will no doubt announce more<br />
nearer the time, but he will have to play a clever game when<br />
it comes to picking his pairings given the lack of experience<br />
among potentially half of his team, and will be hoping that his<br />
star talents bring their “A” games to Rome if he is to avoid the<br />
ignominy of being the first European captain to lose on home<br />
soil in 30 years.<br />
<strong>US</strong>A: ZACH JOHNSON<br />
Like Donald, U.S. captain Johnson doesn’t come across as a<br />
natural leader, with the 47-year-old from Iowa having quietly<br />
gone about his career without causing so much of a ripple,<br />
barring his two major victories. Despite his quiet demeanor,<br />
he clearly possesses a steely core and has surrounded<br />
himself with former captains, including Davis Love III and<br />
Steve Stricker, along with Fred Couples, who are all too<br />
familiar with the cut and thrust of the Ryder Cup. A fivetime<br />
Ryder Cupper himself, Johnson was on the losing side<br />
four times, although he at least ended on a high when part<br />
of the winning team at Hazeltine in 2016. Unlike Donald, he<br />
has the problem of not knowing how many—or few—ex-LIV<br />
golfers he will have in his team, and how divisive it might<br />
be to pick them as wildcards over players who have stayed<br />
loyal to the PGA TOUR. He will be under immense pressure to<br />
choose the latter, despite the recently announced merger,<br />
but if the result goes the wrong way and the likes of Dustin<br />
Johnson are excluded, questions will surely be asked down<br />
the line and for many years to come.<br />
LEADING OPINIONS<br />
ON THE CHALLENGES OF MARCO SIMONE …<br />
Zach Johnson: “It’s got a lot of everything—up, down, left,<br />
right, short, long. It will be one of the hilliest courses I’ve<br />
stepped foot on and will be a true test of fitness and skill.<br />
It’s all of Augusta and more. The greens aren’t nearly as big<br />
or as undulating, but as far as approach play is concerned,<br />
it’s remarkable how many yards up and down shots play.”<br />
Luke Donald: “It’s going to be a great match-play course—<br />
there’s some exciting holes, a few drivable par fours; some<br />
great par threes, and, if the matches come down to 18, there’s<br />
another spectacular par five down the hill with water by the<br />
green that will test nerve and skill. The elevation changes will<br />
also give crowds incredible viewpoints to see some amazing<br />
golf.”<br />
ON THE CHANCES OF VICTORY …<br />
Luke Donald: “I fully expect us to be underdogs, despite that<br />
home percentage of wins over the last 30 years. We’re going<br />
to have a bunch of established, world-class players along<br />
with a new generation of players playing well, and I think<br />
that creates an exciting mix to have at my disposal. And<br />
giving myself more picks will give me an opportunity to pick<br />
the best in-form team, which hasn’t always been the case.”<br />
Zach Johnson: “Europe are not the underdogs. They are on<br />
their home soil, they will have the majority of the fans rooting<br />
for them. We’re too used to being told we’re “strong on paper”<br />
to come into this thinking we’re the better team. But we’ll go<br />
there with what I believe will be our strongest team and do our<br />
best to retain the cup.”<br />
rydercup.com<br />
VALERIO PENNICINO/GETTY IMAGES<br />
IN PLAY<br />
The second at<br />
54 Marco NetJets Simone.