Hello friends, and happy Wednesday from Marco Simone! It’s been another very hot day here outside Rome, but that didn’t stop me (or any of the fans) from taking on the course. I’m heading into Rome tonight for the Lazio vs. Torino Serie A soccer (or as I like to call it while in Italy, calcio) match this evening, which I am very excited about. This will be my first soccer game since I played on the Wheeler School’s “C” Team in the sixth grade, so it’s safe to say it’s been a while since I’ve watched the sport. Also, I regret to inform you all I have not hit up any gelato spots here yet, which I’m really hoping changes before the next time I check in with you all.
Okay, on to the good stuff.
The celebrity Ryder Cup
My main goal today was to follow the All Star Match at Marco Simone, aka the celebrity matches. Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin captained the teams, and the squads had some serious celebrity depth. Novak Djokovic, Gareth Bale, Kathryn Newton, Carlos Sainz and Victor Cruz are a handful of the players who we watched tee it up. Folks, I watched Kathryn Newton play in the 8AM Invitational at Wynn Las Vegas and she has some serious game. She got crowd going before she smoked her first tee shot down the middle of the fairway in front of a few thousand people at Marco Simone today.
After Newton teed off, I caught up with Djokovic’s group. I’ve never seen fans swarm a celebrity like this before. When he hit over the green on the 15th hole, he lost all personal space as fans shoved cameras in his face and demanded photos. His patience was unmatched and he handled it like a total pro. I cannot say I would have been able to do the same.
Also, check out that golf bag. I was disappointed when he didn’t hit the ball with one of those tennis rackets all day.
More from the U.S. Team’s significant others
Last night, I wrote about the wives of Team USA heading on a Roman excursion, which I have a few more details on (thanks once again to social media.) Just this morning, I learned that U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson’s wife is public on Instagram, which is huge for the program. We now have yet another Ryder-Cup insider sharing what they’re up to with the world this week. To Kim Johnson, Lacey Homa and Jena Sims: your work does not go unnoticed.
Anyway, Kim Johnson shared a few Ryder Cup highlight reels that I’m excited to share with you all. Check out that “Captain’s wife” jean jacket! That thing puts all those “Future Mrs. (Insert fiance’s last name here)” jackets that gals wear when they get engaged to shame.
The European Team wives step out
As great as it must be to tee it up on a Ryder Cup team, I honestly think it might be better to be the significant other of someone who does. You get to dress well, explore a new area and get treated like royalty without the pressure of playing good golf. As a high handicapper, that sounds like a dream to me! Thanks to social media, I’ve been able to piece together what the better halves of the European Team have been up to over the last couple of days.
It’s not a trip to Rome without checking out the hottest tourism spots, so that’s what they started with. Props to them for looking like a million bucks in the 85-degree heat here. I haven’t quite figured out how to make that work yet.
The gals also attended a pasta-making class, grabbed some sweet treats and rode around town.
U.S. Team date night
The American squad had a team date night on Tuesday evening, which served as the perfect warm-up for Wednesday night’s gala (or as I like to call it, my Super Bowl). Phillip Phillips performed at the event as well. Nothing like dinner and a private concert!
Anyway, here are some photos from the night.
