For the 45th Ryder Cup, the United States held homefield advantage, hosting the tournament at the infamous public course, Bethpage Black, in Farmingdale, New York. Along the front gates surrounding the parking lot is the well-known disclaimer printed in bold, “ The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Golf Course In Which We Only Recommend For Highly Skilled Golfers”. With inescapably rough, contorting greens and deceptive pin placements, this course proved to be a daunting challenge, even for the professionals.
Homefield Heckles
All American spectators were full on display last week with clear, audible, derogatory commentary throughout the week. The majority of this behavior was directed at well-established European star Rory McIlroy. Seemingly, with every shot McIlroy took, the American crowd continued to rumble. McIlroy was vividly upset by the repetitive, inappropriate behavior targeted against him and revealed so in media sessions held after the tournament. Evidently, the national pride held in the Ryder Cup gives the tournament a much more competitive and personal edge than standard major tournaments, but the American crowd passed the line of decency. Numerous times throughout the week, McIlroy had to back off on major putts and integral shots in order to wait for the American crowd to simmer down. While McIlroy lined up his approach shot from the right rough on Saturday, an American fan yelled, “Rory, that bunker is looking tasty!“, in McIlroy backed off his shot to respond with an expletive that shouldn’t be repeated. Nevertheless, Rory is in the right. This type of behavior should not be tolerated at a professional golf tournament. It is common courtesy to stay quiet during all players’ shots. If you want to heckle, go to a hockey, soccer, baseball, football, or basketball game.
USA’s struggles in the Foursomes Format
After the conclusion of day 2, the Americans had only won 4.5 points, sitting a staggering 7 points behind the Europeans. A large part of their struggle to put points on the board was due to their struggle to find success in the foursomes format. The foursomes format is another name for the well-known alternate shot format in which the two teammates have to alternate shots until they are in the hole. Throughout the week, the USA team struggled to find winning combinations in the morning rounds. Off the tee, the Americans were much less consistent than the Europeans. Most evidently, the Americans failed to convert birdie putts. Notably, American star Scottie Scheffler struggled to make birdies to the high standard we are used to witnessing from him. The Americans have been 10-2 in this format against the Europeans since the 2023 Ryder Cup and have heavily contributed to their losses.
America’s Impressive Comeback in Singles
The European’s held a 7-point lead over the American’s after day 2, which matches the largest lead going into a Ryder Cup final round since 1979. The American’s position leading into Sunday made a victory nearly impossible. Regardless of circumstances, the Americans put up an admirable fight on Sunday. To open the day, Cameron Young won the first singles match against veteran European Justin Rose. Secondly, in dramatic fashion, Justin Thomas sank an 11-foot putt to take down Tommy Fleetwood. Lastly, Xander Schauffele defeated John Rahm to earn a third U.S. point. The most praiseworthy performance came from Bryson DeChambeau. On the back nine of his match against Matt Fitzpatrick, DeChambeau found himself down five holes with four to play. He went on to card four consecutive birdies en route to winning a crucial half point for the Americans in a tie. Despite falling short, their comeback tied for the best singles performance in Ryder Cup history.
