Golf event comes to Italy for the first time.

The Ryder Cup offers Rome a "unique opportunity to show the world the best face of a capital perfectly capable of organising and hosting major events", the city's mayor said on Thursday.

"The eyes of the whole world are on Rome", Roberto Gualtieri said during the opening ceremony of the "spectacular" golf tournament which comes to Italy for the first time in its almost 100-year history.

The 44th edition of the golf world’s biggest showcase is underway at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, 17 km north-east from the centre of Rome, with the main action taking place between Friday and Sunday.

This is Rome. This is the Ryder Cup.#TeamEurope #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/8Qsm2GGANK

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 28, 2023

The 2023 Ryder Cup was inaugurated on Thursday afternoon with a flypast by Italy's Frecce Tricolori jets while English opera singer Carly Paoli sang the Italian national anthem.

The tournament, which sees 24 of the best players from Europe and the US face off in match play competition, is the third most followed international sporting event after the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup.

• Ryder Cup 2023 in Rome: a quick guide

The two Ryder Cup captains, Luke Donald for Team Europe and Zach Johnson for Team USA, also presented their respective teams during Thursday's opening ceremony.

The event has been a boon for tourism in the capital, which is already enjoying a bumper year, with hotels and restaurants booked up across the city this week.

Il #golf mondiale è a #Roma con la #RyderCup: fino a domenica 1/10 al Marco Simone Golf & Country Club la più importante e prestigiosa manifestazione di golf al mondo, per la prima volta nella Capitale https://t.co/KCEgyRcc1j
@FederGolf @marcosimonegolf @rydercup pic.twitter.com/ZLRypbavt8

— Roma (@Roma) September 29, 2023

Gualtieri hailed the tournament as a "positive calling card" for Rome, particularly in light of the city's bid to host Expo 2030, adding that large events such as the Ryder Cup are a "fundamental driving force of the economy."

The fact that Rome attracts tourists for the beauty of its past "does not mean that we can rest on our laurels", Gualtieri said, stressing that the city is striving to be "at the top" in terms of tourist appeal.

The 2023 Ryder Cup is being played in Rome until Sunday 1 October, for full details see website.