In 2023, the Ryder Cup will blend with high fashion in Italy

By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — An 11th-century castle. A grove of olive trees. The remains of an ancient Roman villa. Views of St. Peter’s Basilica on the horizon. The terrain surrounding and comprising the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club on Rome’s outskirts that will host the 2023 Ryder Cup is quintessential Italy. And no one knows that better than fashion designer and club owner Lavinia Biagiotti Cigna. Biagiotti Cigna also lives on the club grounds with her three dogs in the castle. Astronomer Galileo Galilei once lived in the castle, too. The course has undergone a major restyling that is being played for the first time at this week’s Italian Open.