The Winners have been established. Now, for the so-so weeks at Bethpage. Given the preponderance of point-missing, Cutmakers rejoice.
Single(s) Americans. Partnership struggles are a given with red-white-and-blue individualists, but Sunday’s performance was something. While this lone wolf phenomenon extends to the Walker, Solheim, and Presidents Cups, there are concerning signs for USA despite this year’s 8.5 points that matched USA’s best day since a final day with 12 singles matches began in 1979. All time, the USA has accrued 295 to 223 points, but only holds a 13-point edge in singles points since 1979. The Americans hold a five-point total edge in Singles since 2010, but the cushion is entirely attributable to Sunday’s impressive comeback.
Bethpage Pink. The state-owned public course made history by becoming the seventh venue to host a U.S. Open, a PGA Championship, and a Ryder Cup. And from its (too?) healthy turfgrass, to the native roughs, to the trimmed trees, the property is looking swell. The Rees Jonesification of the Black’s bunkers remains ghastly to look at in all hours, particularly now that blinding country club sand added for the Ryder Cup produced an alarming number of fried eggs. The course started the week somewhat soft despite all the additional sunlight hitting the turf, thanks to tree trimming or losses since 2019. Rain then softened it up (even though Captain Bradley said it didn’t rain!?). It was staggering to see how pitifully short it played thanks to the change in driving distances and technology since the 2019 PGA. Several holes are complete pushovers with or without high rough. Unless equipment rules are more drastically altered for the professional game beyond the 2028 changes, they might just keep the Warning sign in storage. Good thing the PGA of America sees this and is strongly supporting the new 2028 testing rules.
Setup. When it was apparent the Europeans would bring more bombers to this Ryder Cup—how did the USA’s braintrust miss this?—the USA’s traditional light rough approach backfired. It was designed to reward its freeswingers, but the Europeans were the ones who seemed ecstatic and made some cocky comments about the rough being a better place to be than some fairways. After Sunday play, Keegan Bradley said he regretted the setup and suggested he should have listened a little bit more to his “intuition.” But Bradley never indicated what would have made a difference other than regretting the softness and speed of Bethpage’s greens that his players missed in some key moments with short irons and appeared to overread. The Europeans spent two long days getting to know them and made more key putts. “The Europeans played just incredible golf,” Bradley said. “Doesn’t matter how you set the course up when you play that well.”
DeChambeau on Friday at Bethpage (Michael Reaves/PGA of America)
Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau went 1-3-1 and impressively battled back against Matthew Fitzpatrick. His comeback generated hope for his teammates and he thrived on a first tee stage made for his showmanship. But for someone with so as much match play experience as anyone on the U.S. team, he sure steps on his SIK…Pro-C Series putter too much for a 32-year-old two-time U.S. Open champion. Approach play struggles that prevented his 2025 season from going to epic places continued. And on a course where the conditions should have made iron play a breeze for a man of his talent. DeChambeau kicked things off in dramatic fashion with Friday’s opening tee shot and was presumably put in a foursomes pairing with Justin Thomas to set a certain tone. Otherwise, is there a worse foursomes pairing given their games? Boring steadiness and emotional stability are vital in a stressful alternate-shot showdown. He’s now 0-4-0 in combined Ryder and Presidents Cup alternate shot play and should be seen as a four-ball and singles specialist. DeChambeau’s urge to entertain and perform for fans is fantastic in a world populated by too many robots—until it gets in the way of playing sound golf.
PGA CEO Derek Sprague, PGA President Don Rea, President Donald Trump and Larry Nelson at the first tee during Friday play at the 2025 Ryder Cup (Maddie Meyer/PGA of America)
Trump Visit. What could have been a fiasco on many levels ended up as a surprisingly un-Trump like appearance that did not interfere with the afternoon matches. Given Trump’s anger at losing the 2016 Grand Slam at golf over his remarks about Mexicans to losing the 2022 PGA at Bedminster, he had plenty of reason to embarrass the PGA of America. While the security increase did restrict what high-ticket putchasers from bringing some basics in Friday, the real issues getting in were related to the PGA overselling the event. The bag searches were restricted to the main grandstand area and carried out well. Trump did get a shoutout from the Europeans Sunday night who chanted, “Are you watching? Are you watching? Are you watching, Donald Trump?” He acknowledged them with a subdued, “Yes I’m watching. Congratulations.”
Captaincy Selection Committee. The “younger” mantra came up repeatedly during Keegan Bradley’s surprise unveiling after a unanimous decision. Oh, he Captained like a young man who’d played two Ryder Cups. Everything else about the rationale behind Bradley’s selection and the future looks pretty bleak. Tiger Woods could take the job before but does he want to report to the PGA of America’s smother brothers, Don Rea and Derek Sprague? No chance. The committee added Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas before the Rome loss and were joined by former Captain Zach Johnson, then-PGA VP Rea, then-President John Lindert, and then-CEO Seth Waugh. “A lot of them were asking questions to me and Justin,” Spieth said at the time. “The cool part about it was the questions they asked of us, and we were blatantly honest, from clothes we were wearing to ceremonies to how many dinners we’re doing, what kind of recovery tools and methods we had and access to that. It was a good start.” Curious, did a basic understanding of what attributes work in foursomes happen to come up? Asking for a nation.
Scheffler, Captain Bradley, and Henley walk to the first before another foursomes loss. (Darren Carroll/PGA of America)
Americans And Foursomes. The analytics told Keegan Bradley that America holds a 16-8 foursomes record over the last three domestic Ryder Cups. So he kept alternate shot as the opening session format and swatted away questions from writers who remember some of America’s glummest faces occurring during a format our boys hate. As with all things match play and stats, the numbers apparently did not highlight another vulnerability: only one duo responsible for some of those 16 foursomes points could be reunited at Bethpage (Schauffele/Cantlay). Then there was no word of Bradley prepping the rookies in alternate shot work at the team combine in Napa. But I’m sure they had some dynamite Cabs. Last year’s Presidents Cup success in foursomes apparently inspired the first of Bradley’s poor decisions to open with alternate shot at Bethpage and wheel out Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley twice. Luke Donald must have been over the moon when Bradley kept the foursomes-first order in place. You know, the same format that was vital to Europe conquering Rome…in 2023. Bradley apparently forgot what an awkward format it can be on a Ryder Cup stage where everything speeds up and routine-reliant world-class golfers can feel out of place. The USA would have been better off starting off with Four-balls to let eight of the rugged individualists play their own ball while giving the Captain a sense of who was in form. Last year’s Presidents Cup started with Four-ball on Thursday and again for Saturday’s two-session day. The USA started 5-0 under Jim Furyk, a 2025 Ryder Cup Vice Captain, then were swept by the Internationals in foursomes on Friday. The warning signs were there. Bradley whiffed.
Bryson DeChambeau gets in between caddies Greg Bodine and Ian Finnis during Saturday’s 15th hole brouhaha. (Michael Reaves/PGA of America)
Caddies. The bagmen of Europe and USA were enjoying an appropriately low profile week until Saturday afternoon’s rumpus caused by the Jeeves to Bryson DeChambeau’s Bertie Wooster. Greg Bodine was moving onto the green and in Justin Rose’s eyeline as the Englishman was getting ready to putt, believing it was his time to help Bertie go through his 84-step putting routine.
