Former Northwestern golf star Matt Fitzpatrick selected to European Ryder Cup Team

Former Northwestern Wildcat Matt Fitzpatrick has been named to the 2017 Ryder Cup team, he confirmed via Twitter on Sunday.

Fitzpatrick will play on the same team as stars such as Rory McIlroy, 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson and Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose. This year’s Ryder Cup, at Hazeltine National Gold Club in Minnesota, runs Sep. 27-Oct. 2.

The competition between Team USA and Team Europe alternates every year with the Presidents Cup, which takes place on odd years and features Team USA versus Team World (minus Europe).

The Ryder Cup is one of the most hallowed events in the sport and has been around for nearly a century. Unlike a normal golf tournament, the Ryder Cup features several different styles of play. Day 1 features four teams of two from both countries play either alternate shot or fourball (take the best score on every hole), with morning and afternoon sessions of each. Day 2 features the same, and Day 3 features 12 straight up singles play, golfer versus golfer. Each round won is worth a point, a tie worth half a point. The first team to 14 1/2 points over the course of the three days wins.