Inside Day 1 at the Ryder Cup: the Colosseum, pasta, early Marco Simone findings

Welcome to GOLF.com’s “Seen & Heard” video series, in which we give you an inside look at golf’s biggest events through the eyes and ears of our onsite crew. On deck this week: the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome. Let’s go!

When in Rome…tour the Colosseum and crush pasta.

Well, that isn’t quite the saying, but that’s what our Sean Zak and James Colgan did first upon arriving in “The Eternal City,” site of this week’s Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

Coming straight from last week’s Solheim Cup in Spain, Sean and James had to do the “absolute minimum of Tourism in Rome.” The first stop, of course, was for food, leading Sean to agree: the pasta is “just different” in Italy. The second was seeing perhaps the most iconic landmark in the city, the Colosseum.

Anyway, onto the golf course where the DP World Tour has constructed a “Colosseum” of its own around the first tee at Marco Simone, which should make for another epic first-tee experience at one of the biggest events in golf.

When Claire Rogers and Dylan Dethier walked most of the course, Dylan observed that after the first six holes, there isn’t a hole longer than 330 yards and shorter than 450 yards.

“There are no mid-length par-4s,” Dylan said. “It’s either going to be drivable or a test.”

“Half-pars!” Sean chimed in.

Day 1 at the Ryder Cup not only meant the arrival of our team but the arrival of the U.S. and European teams as well. While they were at the course, Claire and Dylan watched Justin Thomas, Team USA’s controversial captain’s pick, put on a show at the short-game facility.

It was also interesting to see teammates helping each other with technique, something rarely seen on the PGA Tour. Max Homa was directing Sam Burns into swing positions.

Dylan and Sean noted how the Ryder Cup falls at a bit of an odd point in the calendar. Many players just took a month off after the Tour Championship and will likely take more time off before the FedEx Cup starts up again in January.

Thus, this is a time for changes, and we came upon Scottie Scheffler, equipped with a new SuperStroke putter grip, getting a lesson from renowned putting instructor Phil Kenyon.

“Guys are going to be tinkering in trying to get ready for Hawaii,” Sean said.

“We’re catching guys in workshop season,” Dylan added.

Want a sneak preview of all the action? You can watch the crew’s highlights from Marco Simone Monday in the video above. And make sure to tune in every day this week for more exclusive content from the 2023 Ryder Cup.

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.