Ryder Cup: Defining Decisions (Season 2)

Building on the successful launch of the Nicklaus–Jacklin Award, Season Two of “Defining Decisions” expanded the platform through a deeply human, unscripted storytelling series created in partnership with the Ryder Cup and Aon in the lead-up to the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. Inspired by the historic 1969 Concession, the series honors two icons of the game, Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin, and celebrates the player who best embodies the spirit of the Ryder Cup. Season Two broadened this legacy by bringing together three generations of Ryder Cup players and captains from both teams, including Nicklaus and Jacklin together with Paul McGinley, Ben Crenshaw, Zach Johnson, and Luke Donald. Through candid conversations and reflective moments, the series explores how leadership, sportsmanship, and decision-making evolve across eras while remaining rooted in shared values. In addition to the unscripted digital series, the broadcast storytelling introduced a powerful new narrative device: letters written by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin to one another, voiced and delivered on air. These personal exchanges memorialized the origins of the award and contextualized its meaning against the drama and intensity of Ryder Cup competition, grounding the modern tournament in its ultimate spirit that blends competition and sportsmanship. Designed to live across global broadcast, digital, and social platforms, Season Two transformed the award into a worldwide storytelling moment in the lead-up to and during the live broadcast in Rome. The campaign achieved extraordinary scale and impact, delivering 724 million+ global broadcast reach across more than 200 countries, generating 26.9 million partner media impressions, and earning multiple industry awards, further cementing the Nicklaus–Jacklin Award as a cornerstone of the Ryder Cup’s modern legacy.