Ryder Cup 2023: How to watch competition for free, TV channel, radio coverage & streaming details

The Ryder Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in this year’s golf calendar and it typically features some of the most talented stars on the planet.

This year’s event is no exception and the likes of Rory Mcllroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland are all aiming to guide Team Europe to glory as they aim to win back the trophy from Team USA.

This year’s Ryder Cup will be played on home soil in Rome and fans can expect to see plenty of excitement from the Italian capital over the three day tournament.

But how can fans watch this year’s Ryder Cup tournament on TV and is it free to watch? Here’s all you need to know.

When is the Ryder Cup?

The 44th edition of the Ryder Cup begins today and it runs from Friday 29 September to Sunday 1 October. Team USA are the reigning champions of the Ryder Cup and they recorded a 19-9 victory over Europe in 2021 at Whistling Straits, Haven, Wisconsin.

This year’s event takes place in Italy at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio, northeast of Rome. Team Europe has traditionally performed well on home soil and their last defeat when hosting the tournament came 30 years ago in 1993.

How to watch the Ryder Cup?

The Ryder Cup is a huge sporting event which attracts the attention of fans from around the world. UK viewers can follow all of the action in its entirety on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf, if they are subscribers to the channel.

Coverage begins each day at 6am BST ahead of the opening tee shot at 6.35am and runs all the way to the final shot of the day. Sky customers can also stream the action via the SkyGo app which is available to view on a mobile phone or electronic device.

How to watch highlights of the Ryder Cup?

Freeview viewers can watch highlights of all the tournament’s main talking points on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 8.30pm during day one and day two.

Day three highlights will also be shown on the same channel at the slightly earlier time of 7.30pm.

Can fans watch the Ryder Cup for free?

Golf fans who are based in Italy will be able to watch all of the Ryder Cup action for free through state broadcaster Rai. Free streaming in the area is also available on RaiPlay.

RaiPlay is geo-restricted to Italy, but anyone from around the world can access this free streaming platform with a VPN, providing it is within the bounds of the network’s terms and conditions.