I'd like to tell you that this week's Wednesday Game™ has been moved to the afternoon solely to allow Ryder Cup blogging...... Well, it coulda happened that way. But, as long as we're going in the p.m., let's have at it....
Venue Notes - What is it with Bethpage and rain? 2002, 2009 and now 2025 for the hat trick.
Geoff has been a blogging machine or, perhaps more accurately, a Substack machine. Here he does his characteristic Bethpage Black By the Numbers:
- 70: Par (71 for daily play)
- 7,352: Ryder Cup yardage (7,459 for the 2019 PGA)
- 78.0/155: Course rating and Slope
- 1936: Black Course opening
- 2: Architects of record, A.W. Tillinghast and Joseph Burbeck
- 1: Renovation architect of record, Rees Jones (1997)
- 3: Previous majors, 2002 U.S. Open (Woods), 2009 U.S. Open (Glover), 2019 PGA Championship (Koepka)
- 2: Freshly awarded majors: 2028 KPMG Women’s PGA and 2033 PGA
- 161 feet: Highest elevation, 10th green
- 81 feet: Lowest elevation, 1st fairway
- 1,475: Total property acreage
- 2: Par 4s under 400 yards
- 455: Average yardage of the par 4s
- 397: Yardage of shortened first hole to accommodate grandstands
- 50: Feet of elevation change from 15th fairway to green
- 179: 17th hole official yardage (207 for the 2019 PGA)
- 210-210-161-179: Yardage of the four par 3s
- 43: Width (in yards) of the 17th green
- 1: Water Hazard (8th hole)
- $80: Resident weekend green fee
- $160: Non-resident weekend green fee
The first hole is resoundingly considered the weakest on the course. The most interesting attribute of the hole may be the elevated tee. It’s sitting under the massive grandstands for this week’s matches.The boomerang-shaped first fairway bends around trees to the flattest, lowest ground on the property, then turns toward a green sloping back to front. Gargantuan and genuinely awful-looking bunkers sit next to the small green like randomly dropped puzzle pieces. But with a new tee created for the Ryder Cup, there is the possibility of players bombing away on opening tee shots, turning the first from worst to exciting. Or, at the very least, mildly interesting.The direct line to the green is 357 yards. Normally, that number would seem out of reach. But these are different times with players who control their sugar intake to gain yardage in hopes of overcoming their feeble equipment.Morning foursomes players seem unlikely to take a crack at the green, but in Friday and Saturday’s four-ball play when the temperature has warmed and a partner can put the ball safely in the fairway? Bomb’s away?
The potential for drama may depend on another factor: will a large videoboard situated next to the tee show the tee shot outcomes, ala the feedback loop seen at Lahinch’s blind Dell hole in the 2019 Irish Open?The screen may be in the player's eyeline, requiring the board to be kept quiet while they are teeing off. We’ll find out Friday morning.
As noted in the Quad ahead of the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, the American side has stuck to a general premise of less rough, fast greens, and simple hole locations. They have quietlybacked off the micromanaging and over-thinking of course setup following 2012’s losing effort at Medinah. That’s when Captain Davis Love’s Sunday singles hole locations failed to favor the preferred shot shapes of several players and led to post-match griping after the U.S. came up short at home.When the Ryder Cup returned to Hazeltine National in 2016, nearly all of the holes were cut dead center in another embarrassing, if effective, response that saw the Americans take 7.5 in Sunday singles.“The home team definitely has a lot less say in the setup than it used to,” claims 2025 Captain Keegan Bradley. “I remember my first couple the home team had a pretty serious say in the course setup and where the tees were.”And now? Bradley says any discussions with the PGA of America over setup ended months ago.“We have no control of the pin positions or where the tees are,” he said. “We have a small little role in that. But truthfully, we're still out there going to play golf. It doesn't matter, really, how the courses are set up. We're going out there and playing against each other.”
Can you believe we're still whining about the pins at Medinah thirteen years later? Yet, somehow the Euros were able to get at those hole locations....
Hatgate and $$$$ - Geoff has great news for us all:
Our long, national nightmare is over.Patrick Cantlay found a hat that fits his sizable cranium. At least, for Monday’s practice.You may recall how Cantlay’s claims in Rome of going hatless were not particularly believable after he answered NBC’s Steve Sands that he wasn’t wearing a hat by pointing at a PGA of America official who he said was getting paid to wear a cap.Publicly, Cantlay claimed sizing issues were to blame for the lack of headwear.
If the hat does not fit, then you must acquit....
It's great that we have a Task Force and even a Team manager, but they don't seem very well prepared, do they?
The Captains convened for Monday’s traditional opening press conference with the session remaining on the light side—other than Keegan Bradley’s surprising inability to articulate why only his team will be paid or how his players will contribute their charitable gifts.In case you haven’t heard, the PGA of America will provide players a $500,000 stipend this year, of which $300,000 must be donated to the charity of their choice. The Europeans are not receiving any form of compensation.Bradley repeatedly mentioned the charity component as a “personal decision” and how this year’s higher amount brings the Ryder Cup’s charitable contributions up to modern standards.“The PGA of America came to me, they wanted to bring the Ryder Cup into the present day,” he said. “The charity dollars hadn't changed since 1999 and they asked me to sort of shepherd their way into making it into 2025.”Instead of sending a more assertive message that put the topic to bed before the matches, the normally earnest and no-BS’ing Bradley appeared uncomfortable dealing with what should be a positive topic—assuming the team is united in its passion for giving back to causes other than their personal foundations.“I think for everyone it's a personal decision,” Bradley said again. “A lot of guys aren't comfortable sharing what they're going to do with their money, but we're going to donate.”Asked why he was donating his entire stipend away but appeared uncomfortable promoting the gesture, Bradley reiterated the personal nature of the decision.
Geez, these guys remain completely tone deaf. I may have to revisit the timing of when my rooting interest transfers to the Euros....
Bradley and the PGA had months to come up with a less nefarious-sounding narrative. After all,most in the privileged position to donate charitably are looking to raise awareness for a cause nearest and dearest to their hearts.When a reporter asked if Europe’s willingness to play for pride provided evidence that the Ryder Cup means more to them, Bradley’s tone turned chippy-adjacent.“I'm not concerned about what Europe does or what they think,” he said. “I'm concerned about what my team is doing.I was tasked with a job the PGA of America asked me to do, and this was what we decided. We wanted to bring the Ryder Cup into today's age, and we felt like this was the best way to do it. We copied a lot of what the Presidents Cup does.“We did the best we could, and I think a lot of good is going to come from this. I think the players are going to do a lot of good with this money, and I think it's great.”A follow-up about “questionable” optics wondered if he had any regrets over a pay issue that his predecessor, Zach Johnson, claimed was never an issue for the 2023 team (when it so clearly was).“I don't really get that, but I think the goal here was that the charity dollars hadn't been raised in 25, 26 years, and that's what we started out doing,” he said of the donation that started after several American stars spoke up about pay prior to the 1999 matches.“These players are going to do the right thing and do a lot of really good with this money. You can say that, but I think that the players are really good people and are going to do a lot of good things.”
It's blindingly obvious that the money involved isn't worth the reputational hit. That said, perhaps a reminder of the rules of the road would be helpful. Remember, when they tell us it's about the money, it's about the money. When they tell us it's not about the money....well, you can finish that sentence.
If you're amused by journalistic incontinence, then this piece is just for you:
In Ryder Cup pay controversy, debate misses 1 simple thing
Spoiler alert, the one simple thing is "consistency", although the application thereof will have you pulling your chin.
That BAD Man - I'll take Silly Golf Feuds for $100, Art:
Amid the interview, Murray brought up DeChambeau’s recent comments. At the “Happy Gilmore 2” premiere in New York City this July, People asked DeChambeau about McIlroy and the RyderCup.His response could be considered one of the first shots fired of what is expected to be a tense Ryder Cup.“I’ll be chirping in [McIlroy’s] ear this time. Now, if we go up against each other, I mean, you can be sure of it,” DeChambeau said.When Murray asked McIlroy what he thought of DeChambeau’s plan for him at Bethpage, McIlroy dismissed it with his own jab at the two-time U.S. Open champion.“I think the only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people. That is basically what I think of that. To get attention he will mention me or Scottie [Scheffler] or others,” McIlroy told the Guardian.
Juvenile on both sides. But Rory's jab seems especially silly, given that Bryson is the one guy that has found the kind of non-traditional audience that Rory would have craved:
The two-time U.S. Open champion caught up with Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis on Monday and responded to McIlroy’s jab and their growing rivalry by focusing on his YouTube channel.“All I’m trying to do is inspire kids on YouTube, and we’ve amassed quite a big audience on YouTube,” DeChambeau said. “I’m continuing to focus on that train of thought. Whatever Rory says and whatnot — granted, I didn’t mean anything by it other than I’m excited. I hope we can have some good banter back and forth, and if not, if he wants to do what he’s doing, great, no problem. Crowd is going to be on our side. We’re going to have a fun time. But ultimately, my job is to get a kid out there who is looking at me hitting a golf ball smiling.“There’s a rivalry between every one of us golfers. Is it heightened with Rory? Sure. You can make it that way. But look, anytime we go out in the arena, we’re trying to be the best we can possibly be, and if it helps the game of golf out to then great, so be it.”
Whereas Rory went full Greta Garbo this summer.
Then this flame-thrower dove in:
Those remarks — we’re almost done here, promise! — in turn caught the ear of Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, who took out his flamethrower and accused DeChambeau of being more interested in his YouTube channel than he is in the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Chamblee added: “He’s an odd duck when he’s trying to blend in with the team, and he has so many potential bulletin-board mistakes. I think he would be a captain’s nightmare.”Harsh! But is it true?
I'm sorry, aren't we all supposed to be about growing the game? I've watched Rory struggle with message control over the last few years, but how stupid to take Bryson's bait?
Scottie Scheffler called DeChambeau a “tremendous competitor” and said that “the people love him.” Patrick Cantlay said, “I’m glad he’s on our side. He’s a showman out there. I think he’s going to get the crowd fired up.” Xander Schauffele characterized DeChambeau as a “gladiator golfer,” adding, “I feel like Bryson could be like the difference for us.”And U.S. captain Keegan Bradley, whose opinion matters most? He said DeChambeau has been “incredible in the team room,” adding, “We need the energy from Bryson, and he brings that every day.”
Bryson is an odd duck and perhaps a bit of an awkward pairing, but there may not be a more popular player to the crowd:
DeChambeau certainly did on a warm and breezy Tuesday at Bethpage Black, where he played a nine-hole practice round (10 through 18) with Cameron Young and two of DeChambeau’s likely partners this week, Ben Griffin and Justin Thomas. While his playing partners largely were focused on assessing aim lines and green slopes and club selections, DeChambeau also made time for the galleries. Fist bumps. High fives. Arms waving upward to stoke the cheers. On the 13th green, DeChambeau was greeted by a woman and two young boys perched in the grandstand behind the green. They were holding a homemade sign that read, “Bryson, we skipped school to caddy for you.”
How does poking this guy help the visitors? It's a time to keep your head down and your mouth shut, Rory. But our Rory is far from the sharpest knife in the drawer.
On Concessions - Have you heard about the beer prices? Yeah, head fake, that's not where I'm headed.
Shack has a delightful two-parter on the subject, but I'll first direct you to this USGA primer on the history of conceding putts, which is a far more recent addition to our game than most folks would suspect. Like so much in life, it's all about the stymie....
Geoff starts here:
Recent Ryder Cup dramatics surrounding putts not given appears to be an American phenomenon that is all quite funny--except to some of the world's best golfers who feel entitled to freebies.
This should be fun, no?
The gesture of conceding a putt started with a loose-but-sensible rule of thumb: if it’s inside the length of the grip, it’s good. Somewhere along the way—at least in the minds of entitled golfers—a “gimme” morphed into the length of a putt extending from the butt of the grip all the way down to the putter blade. That’s a twofold increase in distance. In some recent cases, it appears the golfers now think anything inside the length of the putter should be good. That’s extending an inch or two under three feet.For any number of complex reasons, conceding a putt has morphed from the ultimate act of sportsmanship to the ultimate declaration of war on the (usually American) male ego. How did concessions go from a pragmatic, sporting gesture to a bulletin board-worthy affront on all things America? Are some of USA’s finest that soft? Or are they trying to rile up home crowds and willing to make asshats of themselves in the process?
At Cypress Point’s recent Walker Cup, the reigning NCAA Champion mimicked his professional elders by signaling disgust at the lack of a gimme on a left-to-right, three-footer for bogey to halve a hole in foursomes play. After Michael LaSasso put his putter down in outrage at not being given a putt, he was boo’d and reprimanded by the walking referee. Such extreme pushback seems unlikely at Bethpage Black. Then again, with Americans being paid for the first time after protesting the horror of playing for country, pride and immortality, any silly antics may be met with apathy. Or worse, jeers from the home crowd.
This is one of many reasons my rooting interest tends to waiver, as the Yanks have the asshat thing down to a T.
Of course, Geoff can't avoid the existence of repeat offenders:
At the 2021 Ryder Cup, USA’s Justin Thomas was forced to putt out from 2’10” in a foursomes match. This was in a year he’d ranked T140 on the PGA Tour from inside five feet with a 96.35% make rate.After making the putt at the eighth hole, Thomas floated his putter in the air for all to see and with apparent hopes of firing up the fans. They didn’t bite. Even the home crowd knew he was playing the Ryder Cup, not a Tuesday senior’s four-ball at The Villages where they ran out of paint for the usual gimme circles.The perpetually aggrieved Thomas glared after the opponents made him repeat what he does every day playing stroke play tournaments. But it was also the same length that caused a similar reaction by Thomas at the 2019 Presidents Cup.
Part 2 is here, in which he recounts some prime examples, including a wonderful Payne Stewart moment. Best of all, he recounts an early dick move from a specialist in the genre:
Phil Mickelson, who was once expected to Captain the matches at Bethpage and will spend the week in his new life as a social media troll, has been a part of several wild concession-related situations.
In the 1990 U.S. Amateur second round facing future Mid Am champion Jeff Thomas, Mickelson had a four-footer for birdie. Thomas took three shots to the green and was lining up a 25-footer when Mickelson conceded Thomas’s par putt. Mickelson sank his birdie try and took the match 6&5.“Why did I do that?” Mickelson said to writer Dave Shedloski years later. “Well, he took like two minutes to hit the chip shot, and he hit it 40 feet by the hole. Then he started the process again, and I just thought, ‘just pick it up.’ So he did, and I made it, and we went on.”According to Brian Keogh at the Irish Golf Desk, Mickelson first protested the lack of a concession by floating his putter between ball and cup at the 1991 Walker Cup. He made the putt but few friends.“He’s an arrogant so-and-so,” opponent Andrew Coltart said. “If his club had touched the ground I would have claimed the hole.”Mickelson took the showdown 4&3, but according to Keogh, “he endeared himself to few that week, especially when he was asked about a shot he hit into the crowd and said: ‘That’s not a place I want to be – the Irish women are not that attractive.’”
Class.
Who Ya Got? - I have no clue how this will play out, after all, there's a reason I call myself the '62 Mets of Fantasy Golf.
There are dueling power rankings here and here, which are quite curious. They are wacky to go through, as somehow guys like Aberg and Cameron Young seem consistently overrated. I think we all instinctively think this European team is deeper than prior versions, the same topline strength and a weaker back end is still in play.
It's hard to know what to expect from so many of these guys, but the overarching trend line has been towards home team dominance in recent years, so do we think that trend will be broken in front of a New York crowd?
Josh Schrock had some thoughts, so let's riff on his thoughts and see where that leaves us:
Though this fist seems a little lacking in the promised boldness:
JT leads the AmericansScottie Scheffler is the unquestioned best player in the world and just won the Procore Championship, which he played just to stay sharp for this event. Add in the fact that Scheffler and Brooks Koepka suffered a humiliating 9-and-7 defeat at the hands of Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland in Rome, and it would be fair to assume that the World No. 1 plans to put pelts on the wall this week in New York.“I don’t know if motivation is really the right word,” Scheffler said Tuesday about what happened in Rome. “I think you can learn from your wins and your losses, and I’ve had some nice wins out here, and I’ve had some tough losses as well.Thomas is 7-4-2 in his Ryder Cup career and is undefeated in Sunday singles. After finding himself in the wilderness during the 2023 season, Thomas has played like a top-10 player for the last year. He ranked sixth on the PGA Tour in Adjusted Total Strokes Gained (1.55), per Data Golf, and snapped his winless drought in April at the RBC Heritage. Thomas’ play dipped this summer, but he lives for the team events, and I expect him to be at his best at Bethpage.
He will most certainly be amongst the most vocal and fired-up Yanks. That's carries a pretty big risk with it as well, given that his indifferent play this year.
I think you'll agree that this prediction is curious:
A goose egg for Captain AmericaBryson DeChambeau is one of the five best players in the world and should be a weapon for Team USA.DeChambeau has leaned into the team aspect of LIV Golf and has become more comfortable in his skin since making the jump to the breakaway league. Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and others have praised DeChambeau’s “all-in” approach to being a part of Team USA. When you factor in DeChambeau’s ability to feed off the crowd, there’s every reason to believe he’ll be one of captain Keegan Bradley’s best players this week.Here’s where we zag.DeChambeau and Cameron Young take a 1-up loss to Viktor Hovland and Aberg in Friday foursomes. Two more losses come for DeChambeau on Saturday and he falls to Tommy Fleetwood in Sunday singles.An 0-4-0 record for the Crushers GC frontman.
This to me is weird for a few reasons, not least that Captain America bit. Exactly no one calls him that, it being associated with a guy we'd rather forget. But the second curious bit is putting Cam Young out in foursomes..... Why would Keegan do that? The two guys are reportedly playing the same prototype ball, but Cam is one of your two last picks and should be relegated to playing his own ball.
Europe opens with haymaker, but U.S. responds with flurryThe last two times the Ryder Cup was contested on U.S. soil, the Americans opened with 4-0 and 3-1 wins in the opening foursomes matches. That set the U.S. up to lead 5-3 and 6-2, respectively, after Day 1.Europe flips the script in front of a raucous Bethpage crowd on Friday morning, winning all four foursomes matches, including a dominant 6-and-5 win for Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood over Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.Despite Europe’s massive opening salvo, the U.S. goes 3.5-.5 in fourballs to trim the deficit and wins Saturday’s foursomes session 3-1 to go up 6.5-5.5. Another 3-1 win in fourballs gives the U.S. a 9.5-6.5 lead heading into Sunday.
Very granular, but you'll sense the set-up.
Europe storms back to winEntering singles with a three-point lead and the crowd behind them, the Americans appear to haveall the momentum as the final day at Bethpage begins.But the tide soon turns as Rahm beats Scheffler, Hovland defeats Young and McIlroy beats Cantlay. Thomas’ win over Lowry stems the tide, but Aberg takes down Russell Henley, Justin Rose dominates J.J. Spaun and Robert MacIntyre defeats Harris English to make it 12.5-10.5. Tyrrell Hatton beats Ben Griffin and then Fleetwood takes down DeChambeau 2 and 1 to clinch the cup for Europe.McIlroy plays all five sessions, going 4-0-1 to lead Europe with 4.5 points.
So, Medinah redux? Hard to imagine the Euros winning without being closer Saturday night, but Sunday could be lit.
A Hard Pass - I don't agree with this at all:
‘For good of the game:’ Famed caddie challenges Ryder Cup captains with unique idea
After declaring his excitement for the tournament, which he called “my favorite event… in all of sports,” Mackay took advantage of his time to reveal that his dream would be for Ryder Cupcaptains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald to come together and match World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler against World No. 2 Rory McIlroy in Sunday’s singles matches.“And all I’ll say is that I think that if it hasn’t already been said, I would love if things look really close as we head into Sunday, if the two captains, Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald, who are close friends, could find 60 seconds for themselves and for the good of the game, maybe find a way to see that Rory [McIlroy] and Scottie [Scheffler] play each other in singles on Sunday,” Mackay proffered on Wednesday.Mackay continued by arguing that if the captains bought into his idea, it would take the excitement and interest levels to a whole other level.“I think at a close Ryder Cup that would basically bring the house down in terms of the excitement that everyone sees around the play there on Sunday, and of course, a close competition,” Mackay said.
The formal answer to Bones is that he fails to understand that the event is an exhibition the morphed into a competition. The problem with forcing a pairing is that it pushes the event back into the realm of a meaningless exhibition, a place they don't have any need to go. The event is big enough that we don't need to get gimmicky.
But maybe the bigger issue is that that's not the match I want to see. I'd much rather, given the chippiness, see Rory play Bryson than Scottie. What turned this event into must see Tv is the bad blood, so let's go for that. I'd also be OK with a Rory-Cantlay match on Sunday, given the fact that those two guys aren't exactly soul mates.
That is likely it for our pre-event coverage. My calendar is mostly clear to watch an obscene amount of golf this weekend, and we'll wrap it all at length on Monday. Have a great weekend.
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