What’s the difference between fourballs and foursomes in golf and which order are they played in at the 2023 Ryder Cup? – The Scottish Sun

EUROPE hopes to win back the Ryder Cup from Team USA in Rome.

The action is underway with two days of pairs competition, but do you know the difference between a fourball and a foursome in golf?

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What is a foursome?

Teams play in pairs, with their players taking turns hitting the same ball until the hole is over.

This can be difficult if players have to use a ball they are not used to.

They also alternate tee shots – with one hitting the odd numbers and the other hitting the even numbers – meaning one player can make a putt and then take their team’s first shot on the next hole.

Each captain selects four pairs to play in teams on Friday morning and then another four pairs to play on Saturday morning.

Since the foursomes are spread over two days, Luke Donald and Zach Johnson can select players to play twice, in the same or different pairs.

Using a match play scoring system, each team receives one point for winning their 18-hole match and half a point for drawing.

Since eight games are played in this format, there are eight points to be awarded.

What is a fourball?

The teams again play in pairs, but the difference to foursomes is that, as the name suggests, there are four balls on the court.

Each golfer plays their own ball and the lowest score on each hole is used to determine which team wins the ball.

Again there are a total of eight games spread over Friday and Saturday – this time in the afternoon – with another eight points.

Players can participate in the event on both days, meaning it is possible for someone to play 72 holes on Friday and Saturday.

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Are fourballs or foursomes played first in the Ryder Cup?

The order in which the fourballs and foursomes are played is determined by the home team captain.

One round of fourballs and one round of foursomes will be played on both Friday and Saturday.

In recent years, American captains have typically chosen to play fours first, while European captains have played fours first.

What are the singles?

All 12 men selected for their teams play a head-to-head duel, each worth one point.

As with four-a-side and four-a-side ball, the two captains announce the order of their players at the same time. This way, no team gains an unfair advantage.

How does the scoring work?

With a total of 28 points contested, the first team to reach 14½ points wins the Ryder Cup.

If it ends in a 14-14 draw, Europe retains the trophy.