Over half the players at this year’s Ryder Cup will be teeing it up with a Titleist ball. Seven of the 13 will be using a Pro V1x ball (higher flight and more spin than the Pro V1) while one player will be using a ball that nobody else is even using on Tour.
Probably the most misunderstood thinking behind the ball in team competitions is that the players do not have to use one model of ball for the entire match.
So in foursomes Player A can tee off with their ball on the odd-numbered holes and Player B can do the same on the even-numbered ones but they then have to complete the hole, playing alternate shots, with the ball that they teed off with.
That rule has actually been in operation since 2006 though it is rarely explained. So there is slightly less onus on this side of the strategy but, for example, you wouldn’t expect Rory McIlroy to be paired with Jon Rahm, who plays a Callaway ball.
Of course these days the premium balls are all outstanding and, off the tee, there are minimal differences. But, like any golfer, you do want the familiarity of ball flight, feel and spin when hitting your approach or chip so it does remain a factor.
So, who plays what?
United States team ball selection
Titleist Pro V1
Harris English
Scottie Scheffler
Titleist Pro V1x
Patrick Cantlay
Russell Henley
Justin Thomas
Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot
Cameron Young
Bryson DeChambeau
Callaway Chrome Tour
Xander Schauffele
Callaway Chrome Tour X
Sam Burns
Srixon Z-Star Diamond
JJ Spaun
TaylorMade TP5
Collin Morikawa
Maxfli Tour X
Ben Griffin
Ryder Cup clues
The easy assumption is that Ben Griffin won’t be playing a foursomes which would probably be the case anyway. The American, who plays the Maxfli Tour X golf ball, got into the ball thanks to Lexi Thompson.
“I saw she was playing it and my caddy, who used to caddy for Lexi’s brother Curtis, thought I should at least test out the Maxfli to see how it performed. It was roughly eight yards additional during preliminary testing. Around the green, I didn’t see a ton of differences across balls.
“That’s when the distance side really started to intrigue me. There are certain weeks out here when distance has kind of turned into a priority.”
Also, DeChambeau has been using the Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot which is designed for players needing a lower flight and reduced spin compared to the standard Pro V1x. So he and Cam Young might be another, and fairly explosive, pairing in the alternate shots.
Another interesting sub-plot is who partners Scheffler? For all the talk of his good friend Sam Burns, the more likely option will be Russell Henley.
Europe team ball selection
TaylorMade TP5
Rory McIlroy
TaylorMade TP5x
Tommy Fleetwood
Titleist ProV1
Viktor Hovland
Bob MacIntyre
Titleist ProV1x
Ludvig Aberg
Matt Fitzpatrick
Tyrrell Hatton
Justin Rose
Srixon Z-Star XV
Shane Lowry
Sepp Straka
Callaway Chrome Tour X
Rasmus Hojgaard
Jon Rahm
Ryder Cup clues
Luke Donald has gone on record as saying that the ball is a huge factor in lining up his foursomes pairings. Look back to Rome and the Lowry/Straka axis which was built on both playing the Srixon Z-Star XV.
McIlroy and Fleetwood both play TaylorMade and will definitely line up together. One option would be for Fleetwood to switch to McIlroy’s TP5 ball while Aberg and Hovland already seem to have worked out what works best for them. Likewise Hatton and Rahm.
The foursomes ended up 7-1 to Europe two years ago and all four pairings are back so, for at least the opening session, we’ll see that repeated.
Lowry and Straka might have a slight question mark over them and Rose/MacIntyre appear more in form and are unbeaten as a partnership.
Read next: Inside Europe’s meticulous preparations for the Ryder Cup
