What is the difference between the fourball and foursomes? The Ryder Cup 2023 matchplay formats explained

The 2023 Ryder Cup is under way in Italy, with Europe roaring to a 4-0 lead on Friday morning in an emphatic start to their bid to regain the trophy from the United States.

The tournament is being played from Friday 29 September to Sunday 1 October across three formats – foursomes, fourball and singles.

European captain Luke Donald and US captain Zach Johnson must select the pairings and order they think gives them the best chance in each format, making the Ryder Cup as much about tactics as it is play out on the golf course.

Here’s how each format works, the scoring explained, and what exactly needs to be done to win the Ryder Cup.

How do the Ryder Cup formats work?

Foursomes

Friday from 6.35am, Saturday from 7.35am: In foursomes two players from each team play one ball, taking alternating shots. One point will be allocated to each team for a win, and a tie will result in each team earning a half-point.

Fourball

Friday from 11.25am, Saturday from 12.25pm: In fourball two players from each team compete but each has their own ball. The best score for each side is taken as the score for each hole. As with foursomes, a win is worth a point, and that point is halved in a tie.

Singles

Sunday from 11.35am: All 12 players from both the US and European teams compete head-to-head in singles matches, with a point for a win. Match-ups are somewhat random, with each captain deciding the order the players will be sent out in ahead of time.

How does Ryder Cup scoring work?

In most golf tournaments, players’ scores are measured against the par for the course, and will finish the 18 holes with a score like -3 or +2. This is called strokeplay.

The Ryder Cup is scored using matchplay, which means a pair or singles player gets a point for winning a hole. It doesn’t matter whether a team wins the hole by five shots, they still get just one point for the hole. If the teams score the same on a hole, no points are awarded.

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Note that these points are only relevant to the match itself, not the overall Ryder Cup scoreboard, which we will get to shortly.

This means on the in-play scoreboards you will see lots of “1 up”, “3 up”, “2 down” and so on. If a pair or singles player gets far enough ahead that it becomes impossible for the opponent to catch them, the match is ended there and then, rather than going to the 18th hole.

A pair or singles player gets a point for winning a match, which is added to the overall Ryder Cup scoreboard. If a match is drawn each team gets half a point.

There are 28 points at stake in total. The team with the most overall points at the end of the weekend takes home the Ryder Cup.

In the event of 14-14 tie, the team who previously won the Ryder Cup retains the trophy, which would be the USA in this instance.

2023 Ryder Cup schedule

Here’s the full schedule for the weekend (all times BST):Friday

• 6.35am – foursomes match 16.50am – foursomes match 27.05am – foursomes match 37.20am – foursomes match 411.25am – fourball match 111.40am – fourball match 211.55am – fourball match 312.10pm – fourball match 4

Saturday

• 7.35am – foursomes match 17.50am – foursomes match 28.05am – foursomes match 38.20am – foursomes match 412.25pm – fourball match 112.40pm – fourball match 212.55pm – fourball match 312.10pm – fourball match 4

Sunday11.35am start, 12 players tee off every 12 minutes, finish time approximately 5pm.

How can I watch the Ryder Cup?

It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf. Coverage begins at 6am on Friday and Saturday, and 9am on Sunday. Subscribers can also stream the tournament via the Sky Go app and Now TV.

For those without Sky, full highlights from day one and two will be on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from 8.30pm. Highlights from the final day will be on the same channel at 7.30pm.

2023 Ryder Cup teams

Team Europe

Captain: Luke Donald (England)

• Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
• John Rahm (Spain)
• Viktor Hovland (Norway)
• Tyrrell Hatton (England)
• Robert MacIntyre (Scotland)
• Matt Fitzpatrick (England)
• Tommy Fleetwood (England) – captain’s pick
• Sepp Straka (Austria) – captain’s pick
• Justin Rose (England) – captain’s pick
• Shane Lowry (Ireland) – captain’s pick
• Nicolai Højgaard (Denmark) – captain’s pick
• Ludvig Åberg (Sweden) – captain’s pick

Team USA

Captain: Zach Johnson

• Scottie Scheffler
• Wyndham Clark
• Brian Harman
• Patrick Cantlay
• Max Homa
• Xander Schauffele
• Sam Burns – captain’s pick
• Rickie Fowler – captain’s pick
• Brooks Koepka – captain’s pick
• Collin Morikawa – captain’s pick
• Jordan Spieth – captain’s pick
• Justin Thomas – captain’s pick

Find full profiles of each player here.

Where is the Ryder Cup being held?

This year’s tournament is at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome, Italy.

It was designed by architect Jim Fazio and recently underwent an €11m (£9.5m) complete restyling in order to host the Ryder Cup.

Some of the highlights of the course are its expansive lakes and the ability to see St Peter’s Dome from many vantage points.

But most impressively, on the grounds of the course is an 11th-century castle. It’s wedged between the sixth and eighth holes and has a large Italian flag waving from its tower.

The castle is the private residence of fashion designer Lavinia Biagiotti Cigna, who owns and runs the golf club.

It is accessed by passing through a series of three different security gates, and contains about 50 rooms, many of which feature Renaissance-era frescoes. It was named Marco Simone for the son of a 15th-century owner, Simone dei Tebaldi, who oversaw a massive restoration after centuries of invasions.

Astronomer Galileo Galilei once lived in the castle, and there are fossils that date back 300,000 years in the dungeon.