"Grind mode" - Wyndham Clark, Brooks Koepka and other US Ryder Cup team members ready for the challenge in Rome

The US Ryder Cup members are ready for the European challenge as the tournament is set to kick off on Friday, September 29 at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Italy.

The US has won just twice on foreign soil since the Great Britain and Ireland squad expanded to include the whole of Europe. Moreover, it has been 30 years since their last triumph in Europe.

Speaking at the pre-event conference on Wednesday, September 27, Team US members expressed their excitement for this year's Ryder Cup.

Wyndham Clark earned a Ryder Cup spot after a great season in which he won his first title at the Wells Fargo Championship, followed by his maiden major triumph at the US Open.

​

"I'm still pinching myself every day," said Clark. "And once we get started, obviously I'm going to try to be in grind mode and be the best I can, but I'm still going to be hopefully soaking it all in because this is the pinnacle of golf."

He added that it was an honor to be considered one of the top 12 American players.

Brooks Koepka is playing in his fourth Ryder Cup after being the only LIV Golf professional selected for the event. Having previously played with senior players like Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Jim Furyk in his past appearances, he mentioned that this time it would be a different environment since most of his teammates are of the same age

He said:

​

"Everybody has got a lot more in common, too, being in pretty much the same age group."

Rickie Fowler acknowledged that the US wasn't the favorite in the tournament this time but mentioned that it could help them play with greater freedom and enjoy the game.

He said:

​

"We're on foreign soil. We're not the favourites. But the more that you can accept that and enjoy it and kind of play with the fans a bit and feed off , I feel like there's a lot of mutual respect."

Collin Morikawa was asked if it would affect him to have 50,000 people cheering against the United States. He said it didn't matter much at the end of the day.

He said:

​

"Things like people cheering, you do hear it and you do draw the energy, but it's almost like you know they're cheering for the Europeans. But you're still going to have the fans out there for the U.S. Team that are going to be able to push you through, whether it's one person or 50,000, having that one means the world."

​

---

Who is in the US Ryder Cup squad? Team explored

Zach Johnson is leading the US squad at this year's Ryder Cup. Davis Love III, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Steve Stricker, and Fred Couples are the five vice captains.

Here is the list of the 12 players in this year's Ryder Cup squad:

1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Wyndham Clark
3. Max Homa
4. Brian Harman
5. Xander Schauffele
6. Patrick Cantlay
7. Sam Burns
8. Collin Morikawa
9. Rickie Fowler
10. Brooks Koepka
11. Jordan Spieth
12. Justin Thomas

​