Monday Musings - Go Time Edition

We've dispensed with the traditional Weekend Wrap header, as we'll be focused on that which is in front of us.... Not that there's all that much to say right now.

Define "Crazy" - Everyone agrees that a Ryder Cup at Bethpage will be.... well, anyone play Mad Libs as a kid?  How about I allow the reader to fill in their own adjective?

Here's Alan Bastable from Golf Magazine:

This New York Ryder Cup will be crazy. Question is, how crazy?

So, enlighten us, Alan:

New Yawkers will come into sharp focus when the Ryder Cup visits the Black Course at Bethpage State Park next week. (Bethpage is in Farmingdale, a Long Island town of 8,500 residents about 40 miles east of New York City.) We know the atmosphere will be loud and charged and boisterous because Ryder Cups always are. We know some fans will be especially chirpy by golf-fan standards, because, well … see: Ryder Cup. We also know all of this rowdiness and razzing and maybe even some rage has the potential to reach a new level of rowdiness and razzing and maybe even some rage because New York golf fans have some history.

Where to start? With the practice round at the 1974 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, where Jerry McGee got an earful from fans for struggling to advance a ball from a rough-choked lie? (“These are supposed to be professional golfers?” a spectator quipped.) Or with the 1986 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, where Greg Norman barreled his way into the gallery to confront two foul-mouthed hecklers? (“I haven’t experienced this kind of stuff anywhere else,” Norman said. “Here they are opening their mouths too much.”)

Or with, well, pick your Bethpage Black major: the 2002 U.S. Open, where Sergio Garcia was so rattled by the smack-talking masses that he responded with a middle-fingered salute; the 2009 U.S. Open, where on Saturday Tiger Woods shushed the fans, and the USGA, in an effort to curb revelers, shut down beer sales early; or the 2019 PGA Championship, where eventual champion Brooks Koepka heard it from the galleries on Sunday when he carded four consecutive back-nine bogeys. “It’s New York,” Koepka later said of the boo birds. “What do you expect when you’re half-choking it away?”

OK, not quite the indictment  of the local we might have expected....

And next week, when the Europeans come to town, looking to become the first road team to win a Ryder Cup in 13 years, in the wake of the contentious 2023 edition in Italy that saw tensions among players and caddies (namely, Patrick Cantlay’s looper, Joe LaCava) spill from the golf course into the parking lot? Ooh, boy, hold on to your periscopes and Mich Ultras, folks, because this Bethpage Ryder Cup could devolve into flat-out anarchy!

“I think it has the potential to be the most disrespectful fanbase of all time in golf,” Gregg Giannotti told me in a phone interview earlier this week. “I really believe this. I don’t want to sound dramatic, but there’s a couple of reasons why.”

For one, Giannotti said, golf has never been more popular, and with heightened interest in the game could come an unprecedented surge of electricity across New York’s fabled “People’s Course.” “Then you put in the whole USA patriotism thing and New York and just the type of person that’s going to attend and want to get in the face and yell at Rory and others — it’s going to be insane,” Giannotti said. “On top of it everybody wants to be a superstar these days and they want to film something and then they want be the guy who [a player] flips the bird to or has [a player] turn around and scowl and yell at you. They want to antagonize these guys and get in their face and get that reaction.”

Odd to this observer that you could write on this subject and have CTRL-F: Alcohol and Betting yield zero results.

Bastable offers no opinion of his own, and his mouthpieces only speak in terms of potential, so it's quite the nothingburger.  But he does remind us of what this event was supposed to feature:

It’s hard to fully capture the excitement and anticipation around this event. Since the PGA of America announced the Bethpage Ryder Cup in 2013, the hype seemingly has grown by the year — and, now, by the day. For a long time, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia — both of whom played starring roles in the 2002 U.S. Open on the Black Course — seemed destined to be their teams’ respective captains. Instead, Donald is back to defend the title he helped win for Europe in 2023, and a guy no one saw coming — 39-year-old Keegan Bradley — is helming the U.S. side. Bradley’s not a born-and-bred New Yorker, but he did spend his college years in Queens, at St. John’s University. He understands the ethos of New York fans.

Phil and Tiger, man.  They didn't do enough damage to the event as players, so we had to let them muck up the captaincies....

This speculation you'll see elsewhere as well:

Still, it’s hard to police heckling, which, in theory, Giannotti said, the U.S. team could hear from their own fans if things start going sideways. “The crowd could turn on the Americans,” he said. “We don’t like losing. How many times has everybody watched Jets fans boo their own team off the field at halftime? For God’s sake, they booed Aaron Judge at Yankee Stadium last year. We turn on our teams and we scream at them, and we expect more. That could end up working in the favor of the Europeans if they end up playing well.”

It could happen.  If it did, I'd think Cantlay might want to skip the baseball cap and go straight to a pith helmet.

We'll sample heavily  from this week's Tour Confidential panel, including this first Q&A that touched on this subject:

After two years of waiting, Ryder Cup week is finally here. The U.S. squad is hosting Europe at Bethpage Black on Long Island, Friday through Sunday, as the Europeans will attempt to win two in a row and be the first road team to win since it did so in 2012. Lots to unpack here, but let’s start with an easy one: What’s your top storyline for the 45th Ryder Cup?

Josh Sens: The over-the-top atmosphere of the Ryder Cup is not a new story, but as our man Alan Bastable explained in a fun piece a few days ago, this week stands to take things to an entirely

different level. The potential for boisterousness spilling over into ugliness seems ripe, which ties into what I think is another important theme: on paper, at least, the Europeans appear to be the slightly stronger team. But playing an away game makes them the underdogs, which takes some pressure off them and piles it on the Americans. In that sense, it’s fair to wonder whether having the home crowd behind them and all the expectations that come with that might work against Keegan and Co. How that dynamic does or doesn’t play out will be key to the final result.

Josh Schrock: Agree with Sens. I think the Bethpage crowd will certainly get top billing as storyline 1A entering the week. I’ll offer how Rory McIlroy finishes a storybook year. He laid out three goals to accomplish for the rest of his career in January and knocked off one with his win at the Masters. After a summer spent in malaise, McIlroy won the Irish Open and now can finish off the year by leading the Europeans to an away win. Very interested to see how McIlroy elevates his game this week.

Alan Bastable: The importance of experience in Ryder Cups is probably overstated, but it’s hard not to ponder the imbalance of rookies on the two sides: four on the U.S. team (Ben Griffin, Russell Henley, J.J. Spaun, and Cameron Young) vs. just one on the European squad (Rasmus Højgaard). For the American team to prevail, at least a couple of those newbies will need to rise to the occasion. Have a sneaking suspicion Cameron Young will embrace the moment, and not just because he’s the only New Yorker on the team. You know he can pound it, but now he’s also figured out how to putt it (he’s 5th in SG: Putting this season). Keep an eye on CY.

OK, Josh, that summer seemed less "storybook" to this observer...

Everyone Talks About The Weather.... -  I had seen some issues for Saturday earlier, but now it looks like mostly clear sailing:

Clear sailing, mostly.

Inspiration - It's actually quite amusing.  These guys have spent the last two years focused on making these teams, yet we seem to think they need to be pumped up.  To me the reality is the opposite, to wit, that the Americans have always been accused of not caring, whereas they more likely want it too much.

The Euros will of course take inspiration form their top dog:

Rory McIlroy’s Ryder Cup promise will tell the story at Bethpage Black

Two years ago, after Europe’s dominant victory over the United States at the 2023 Ryder Cup at

Marco Simone, Rory McIlroy confidently sat on the dais and offered a prediction that has echoed throughout the golf world ever since it left his lips in Italy.

“I’ve said this for the last probably six or seven years to anyone that will listen: I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup, and that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage,” McIlroy said.

The Northern Irishman laid down another marker at the start of this season when he outlined the remaining goals he wanted to accomplish in his career: win the Masters, win an Olympic medal and win an away Ryder Cup.

McIlroy checked off the first with a historic win at Augusta National in April. An expected post-Masters malaise followed as McIlroy searched for motivation to climb another mountain after finally summitting his Everest. But McIlroy found himself again at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush, and his win at the Amgen Irish Open reminded us of what he has been saying for a while: When the events that matter to him arrive, he doesn’t need to find the motivation.

Amusingly, he seems to forget that he's already won an away game.... one in which he took down the American captain rather handily, despite showing up just a few minutes before his tee time.

That's actually doubly amusing, because we consider the Euros the golf standard of Ryder Cup preparation, yet they almost let Rory miss his game.

The TC gang had this:

After winning in Rome in 2023, Rory McIlroy said winning an away Ryder Cup is one of golf’s biggest accomplishments, adding, “and that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.” He’s since added a Masters title and career Grand Slam to his resume. What would a Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage do for McIlroy’s legacy?

Sens: I consider Ryder Cup legacies a separate category. Think of Ian Poulter, whose individual Tour career does not stand out but who will go down forever as a Ryder Cup killer. Or, conversely, Tiger Woods, whose less-than-impressive Ryder Cup record does nothing to diminish his status in the game. At this point, Rory’s legacy seems pretty well established. A dominant week at Bethpage could add a nice gloss to it, especially if he pulls off something heroic like beating Scottie Scheffler in Sunday singles for the clinching point. Short of that, though, I don’t expect this week to alter how future generations think of him.

Schrock: I mostly agree with Sens, but I do think if McIlroy leads the Euros to a win by playing all five sessions while racking up 4-5 points, it will be another critical line in the resume he’s building to become the best European golfer of all-time.

Bastable: Rory’s already in rarified Ryder Cup air. But a big haul this week would elevate him into even more elite company. Three points would move him ahead of Jose Maria Olazabal on the all-time points list. Four would tie him with Nick Faldo. Four and a half would tie him with — gasp! — Seve. But beyond however this week could influence McIlroy’s individual status in the record books, he so obviously is burning for a win, period. As mentioned above, on several occasions this year he has reminded us that winning a road-game Ryder Cup is one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports. If Europe somehow pulls it off, Rory will declare 2025 the undisputed greatest season of his career.

I actually think that Rory's Ryder Cup record mostly mirrors his career, in that it was better early and then he became almost a week link (think of that singles match against Reed).  To all those who think the Euros should be favored, my first reaction is to ask them what they expect from Rory?   He might actually prove to be their weak link, so hold that thought.

And for the Yanks:

Keegan Bradley’s inspirational message to U.S. Ryder Cup team? It’s personal

As is often the case with captains, coaches and commanders, there’s a question of motivation. How do you create buy-in? In the Ryder Cup, that’s harder. Golf is an individual pursuit, and

there it’s not. Getting players to run through a clubhouse wall isn’t easy. There are means to do so, of course. Playing for country. Playing for teammates.

To Bradley, it’s partially that.

In 2012, he played in his first Ryder Cup. The Americans lost in what’s become known as the Miracle at Medinah, after a 8.5-3.5 European whalloping in Sunday singles at Medinah CC in Illinois. Things were emotional. Two years later, Bradley played again. The Americans lost again. Things were emotional again. Then, at Gleneagles in Scotland, Bradley’s Sunday singles loss to Jamie Donaldson was the deciding point in a 16.5-11.5 Euro win. But Bradley’s never played since then. Two years ago, he was close, but was bypassed for the team, with the selection news memorably shown on Netflix’s “Full Swing” show. This year, with a chance to pick himself, he chose just to captain. Eleven years ago, Bradley might have believed he’d be a Cup anchor for the next decade-plus. But golf isn’t linear.

So to his team of a dozen, Bradley’s message is personal.

Make the most of it.

The play. The team. The burgerdogs. All of it.

“I think as a kid in sports, you always are craving that team atmosphere,” Bradley said. “With golf, we don’t get that ever. When you’re playing for your country in any sport, it heightens all of that. I think for us, we really only get one time a year to do this.

All well and good, I'm just failing to discern any actual inspiration.  Then again, it's hard to imagine they need any....

Justin Rose tries to be helpful:

“To a European player, the Ryder Cup is about history,” Justin Rose said after Europe’s dominant

win over the Americans at Marco Simone two years ago. “More specifically, it’s about your chance to add to that history. It’s about playing a small role in a collective story that has been going on for decades. The entire privilege of the week is having the chance to help write the next chapter.”

Added Jon Rahm: “It’s the ability to walk through those gates and those doors and forget about who you are outside of this week. What you have done or what you may do afterwards, really truly doesn’t matter.”

“We’re caretakers of this European jersey right now,” Rory McIlroy chimed in that day. “And we’re hopefully going to pass it on in the future in a better spot than where we found it.”

“I think the U.S. team have definitely bonded a lot more in recent years, and I think that they do have pockets of good friendships,” Rose said during a Q&A session ahead of the Justin Rose Ladies Open earlier this month, via Sky Sports. “But I think the Americans have gotten a little bit … they think being a great team is about being best mates. I really don’t think that’s what being a great team is. Being a great team is having a kind of a real good theme and having an identity that has come from players before you, and you all buy into that vision.

I guess he doesn't realize that Patrick just wants to get paid....

Joel Beall also tries to be helpful:

Ryder Cup 2025: Seven mistakes the Americans need to avoid repeating

 Only seven?  I suspect you're going to need a bigger boat....

Most of this is borderline silly, though they did at least deal with the face plant in Rome of the guys showing up rusty.  This one gets a lot of attention:

Mistake: Foursomes Performance

The Americans suffered a devasting 7-1 in foursomes in Rome. For context, they won the other three combined sessions, and still suffered a lopsided loss.

In the Americans’ defense, this has been a recurring theme for the away team, as the host team's ability to set up the course to their specifications creates an overwhelming advantage:

2014: Europe won foursomes 7-1, winning the Ryder Cup by five points

2016: The U.S. won foursomes 5½-2½, winning the Ryder Cup by six points

2018: Europe won foursomes 6-2, winning the Ryder Cup by seven points

2021: The U.S. won foursomes 6-2, winning the Ryder Cup by 10 points

Expanding the data back to 2012 provides an even starker picture: across six Ryder Cups, home teams have dominated foursomes 36½-11½. Meanwhile, in singles and fourballs combined, that margin shrinks to a nearly even 57-55.

The Fix: Taking care of business. As we noted above, the Ryder Cup is essentially decided by foursomes. If the United States doesn’t take advantage of this asset, the Europeans will defend the cup.

I guess Joel Beall didn't get the "Correlation is not causation" memo.  Do you notice anything about those four citations?   The U.S. rocks in foursomes based upon Joel's data, at least in the home games.  The fix would seem to be to play at home, and I've good news there...

Eying The Exit - Shall we dive into the remainder of the TC panel's insights?  Just to be clear, that was rhetorical:

Who is the most important — if not necessarily the best — player for each team?

Sens: McIlroy for the Europeans. He’s not just the best player on the team but he’s also the obvious team-room leader. How he fares stands to be infectious for the rest of the squad. The U.S. team is a different story, I think, because the best player, Scheffler, isn’t a rah-rah guy. I don’t see him being as much of a bellwether as McIlroy. I think the key players for the U.S. are Ryder Cup rookies like Ben Griffin and J.J. Spaun — great talents who are entirely untested in a setting like this.

Bastable: No love for Bryson?! If DeChambeau can get it going, he has the potential to electrify the U.S. fans in a way that none of his teammates can match. Trouble is, he has not been in top form. I’m intrigued to see what version of BDC we’ll see. On the Euro side, Bobby Mac might end up being the MVP no one saw coming.

Those are good thoughts, though there are at least twenty-four respectable answers.

I agree with Josh Sens that it's hard to see the Euros winning without Rory playing well.   But there are so many guys from whom we just don't know what to expect, more on the American side just because they have more rookies.

If you're looking for a horse race analysis, the guys have us covered:

The Americans will win if…

Sens: …rookies like Spaun and Griffin hold up in the crucible, and Patrick Cantlay annoys the opposition enough to put them off their game.

Schrock: …Justin Thomas, after a poor start in Napa, reawakens. I expect Scheffler to play well, especially after the egg he laid in Rome. But Thomas has been the Americans’ heart and soul when they’ve dominated. They’ll need Thomas and the Cantlay-Schauffele pairing to help lead, along with Scheffler.

Bastable: …Keegan Bradley reconsiders, dumps one of his rooks and suits up in the first match Friday. I kid! But yes, as covered, some of the U.S. rookies will absolutely need to show out. Scheffler will need to win at least 3.5 points. And Sam Burns will need to bring his putter.

Which means the Europeans will win if…

Sens: …McIlroy leads them to a hot start and the momentum builds. The pressure is really on the Americans here. They’re expected to ride the homefield advantage to the win, but there’s nothing easy about having to drain a crucial putt in front of a huge crowd whose hopes are riding so vocally on you.

Schrock: …Rory does Rory things. When he is clicking, they are hard to beat.

Bastable: …Jon Rahm antagonizes the crowds and Tommy Fleetwood charms ’em. (And they each collect at least 3 points.)

There's no shortage of storylines, but we don't know how they'll be paired and therefore who will break out.  My guess is that team sessions will be exciting but inconclusive, and it'll all come down to that Sunday singles lineup.

What will be the most crucial strategic decision each captain will have to make?

Sens: Aside from selecting captain’s picks, I think the importance of a captain’s decisions is wildly overstated. They’ve already studied the personalities and the analytics. They know, in theory at least, which players should mesh. The captains’ most important roles are to select the rosters and create an atmosphere/culture that allows their players to play their best. Seems like Bradley and Donald have both already done that. As always, this will come down to which guys make the big putts.

Schrock: For the Americans, it’s who plays with Bryson DeChambeau. Given that he and Cam Young play the same prototype ball, that would seem to be the proper pairing, but I’m interested to see how Keegan Bradley deploys what should be one of his best weapons.

Luke Donald said he planned to mix things up from Rome, but I have a hard time seeing the foursomes pairings not being Rahm-Hatton, Hovland-Åberg, McIlroy-Fleetwood and a fourth. I’m interested to see if Donald changes things up on Day 1 or trots out his proven pairings that dominated in Rome to start.

Bastable: Hate to harp on the rookies, but managing them will be Keegan’s toughest task given they represent a third of his team. For Donald, it’ll be keeping his boys from getting rattled by the fire-breathing galleries. If his squad can block out the noise and get comfortable early, look out.

The ball only matters in foursomes, and I'm not sure Bryson belongs there.  But Keegan has already made his most strategic decisions, leaving himself out of the mix.

And drumroll, please… who will win the 2025 Ryder Cup and why? (And give us a score!)

Sens: This one ends up in a tie, 14-14, with the Europeans retaining the Cup.

Schrock: Europe. 15.5-12.5, thanks to a Sunday singles comeback. Fleetwood beats Bryson to clinch the away win.

Bastable: Dare I make it a clean European sweep? I do dare! Europe 14.5, USA 13.5, in a thriller for the ages.

Wow, didn't see a Euro sweep in the cards....  But how much fun would it be to see the reaction of the U.S. Ryder Cup braintrust to a home loss?  I'd pay Bethpage ticket prices to see the look on Cantlay's face....

I still think the home team dominance is the story of recent Ryder Cups, and don't see that changing this week.  At this point we'll all just hope for a Cup that comes down top those late singles matches.

I need to roll.  I will be back this week with more, though juggling a few things.  Just to be safe, check back early and often.