Golf is a hard game, but when you introduce the pressure of potentially putting your partner in a terrible spot because of your mistake, it can get even harder. Maybe that’s why Foursomes, a game in which two golfers alternate hitting shots until the hole is completed, is not played too much in America.
Ryder Cup captains take a lot of factors into consideration when they create teams and partnerships for Foursomes. They often blend big hitters with elite wedge players, good iron players with outstanding putters, or sometimes opt to match up guys who have very similar styles in the hope that they blend together smoothly.
All the players at the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Italy, will be using their own clubs, but when they are paired together in Foursomes (which is often referred to as alternate shot), whose ball does they use? The answer is, both.
“The One Ball rule is not in effect,” confirmed U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson during his press conference on Tuesday.
Tommy Fleetwood may need to tee off with someone else’s ball in Foursomes at the Ryder Cup. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
Technically, what Johnson was referring to is Model Local Rule G-4, which states, “During an entire round, each ball at which the player makes a stroke must be the same brand and model as found in a single entry on the current List of Conforming Balls.” Simplified, that means when Model Local Rule G-4 is adopted by a tournament or event, golfers have to use the exact same type of ball throughout the round. You are free to use a Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway, Bridgestone, Srixon or any other ball you find on the Conforming List, but once you hit it off the first tee, that’s the ball you need to use the whole time.
According to the USGA, the purpose of the One Ball rule is to, “prevent a player from using balls with different playing characteristics depending on the nature of the hole or shot to be played during a round.” In other words, the rule prevents you from using a distance-oriented ball on long par 5 and then switching to a spinny ball on short par 3.
So, when Johnson said that the One Ball rule is not in effect at the Ryder Cup, he is also revealing that teams in Foursomes can, and almost certainly will, use different balls on different holes. Teams have to use the same ball throughout a hole, but they are free to switch any time a different ball before the start of a hole.
Collin Morikawa and Max Homa practicing at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club on Tuesday. (Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports)
“With three practice round days, and arguably a practice round trip, there’s ways to get used to somebody else’s golf ball off the tee, and that’s really what it is, right,” Johnson said. “If we are playing together, I’m probably going to tee off with your golf ball, more times than not, so that we can have more control with your iron play or your wedge play or whatever it may be with your own golf ball. That’s kind of the unwritten rule, right?”
Indeed it is. Every player on both the American and European Ryder Cup teams uses a multi-layer, urethane-covered ball. From a performance perspective, the biggest differences between the balls will be seen on approach shots and shots hit around the greens. Some balls spin more than others and fly higher than others with irons and wedges, so teams want the player who will hit the approach shot to use his own ball.
So, if Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are paired together again in Foursomes and Schauffele has to hit a tee shot on a par 3, expect him to use his own Callaway Chrome Soft X LS ball. If Schauffele has to tee off on a par 4, he will use Cantlay’s Titleist Pro V1x so Cantlay can use the ball he is accustomed to on the approach shot.
Below is a complete list of the golf balls being used by both the American and European Ryder Cup teams:
United States
Sam Burns – Callaway Chrome Soft X
Patrick Cantlay – Titleist Pro V1x
Wyndham Clark – Titleist Pro V1x
Rickie Fowler – TaylorMade TP5 pix
Brian Harman – Titleist Pro V1 (2017)
Max Homa – Titleist Pro V1
Brooks Koepka – Srixon Z-Star Diamond
Collin Morikawa – TaylorMade TP5x
Xander Schauffele – Callaway Chrome Soft X LS
Scottie Scheffler – Titleist Pro V1
Jordan Spieth – Titleist Pro V1x
Justin Thomas – Titleist Pro V1x
Europe
Ludvig Aberg – Titleist Pro V1x
Matt Fitzpatrick – Titleist Pro V1x
Tommy Fleetwood – TaylorMade TP5 pix
Tyrrell Hatton – Titleist Pro V1x
Nicolai Hojgaard – Callaway Chrome Soft X
Viktor Hovland – Titleist Pro V1
Shane Lowry – Srixon Z-Star XV
Robert MacIntyre – TaylorMade TP5x
Rory McIlroy – TaylorMade TP5
Jon Rahm – Callaway Chrome Soft X
Justin Rose – Titleist Pro V1 Left Dot
Sepp Straka – Srixon Z-Star Diamond