Luke Donald shares what Team Europe have already noticed about the rough at Bethpage Black after scouting mission

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The 2025 Ryder Cup is now only two weeks away, so the golf course at Bethpage Black must be nearly ready for the competition.

The United States and European teams were chosen with the course in mind, but inevitably, some players will suit it more than others.

Everyone expects Bethpage Black to present an exceptional challenge to the Ryder Cup competitors, but what separates it from other courses?

European captain Luke Donald has given his verdict on what conditions the players could face in two weeks.

• READ MORE: Rory McIlroy states what Rasmus Hojgaard needs to tell himself before he plays at the Ryder Cup in September

Luke Donald comments on the rough at Bethpage Black

Donald revealed in his press conference before the BMW PGA Championship this week that vice captain Edoardo Molinari recently visited Bethpage Black.

Molinari reported back that there was not much rough, which Donald expects to remain the case for the event in two weeks. He also predicts that the greens at Bethpage Black will be fast.

“My vice captain, Edoardo, was there a couple of weeks ago and had a look at the course,” Donald said. “There wasn’t too much rough at that time. Obviously, they have had three weeks since he was there, so they could grow it a little bit.

“But again, I expect the course to be set up with minimal rough, fast greens, and we’ll get a little bit of a sense on Monday and Tuesday of how the course is playing. It’s always up to the home team how they set that up. So we might get there with greens at nine on the Stimpmeter. Who knows? That’s their prerogative.

“But I think we’ve had plenty of events at Bethpage, US Opens, PGA Championship, and FedEx Cup events. There’s enough data there to understand what the course requires.

“Long driving is a benefit. Good putting is a benefit. Iron shots outside of 150 yards. Again, all kinds of information that we have, and again, that’s part of the process of how we put the team together and the pairings.

“But Monday and Tuesday will be nice just to see kind of how the course is laid out. Obviously, you can’t grow rough in a week. So we’ll see what sort of length it is by then.”

The length of the rough is important because it determines how aggressive players can be off the tee.

European golfers tend to be more accurate, but that will not matter if the rough is not penalizing. Instead, it will encourage the longer-hitting US team to drive the ball as far as possible.

Why Bethpage Black suits Rory McIlroy’s game perfectly

Rory McIlroy has always been known as a big-hitter, so the long yardages at Bethpage Black will not faze him.

He ranks second in driving distance on the PGA Tour this season and third in strokes gained off the tee.

The biggest improvement in McIlroy’s game, which helped him win The Masters earlier this season, has been his putting.

McIlroy is now one of the 10 best putters on the PGA Tour, which will stand him in good stead at the Ryder Cup later this month.