The Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black is finally here, in what is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated tournaments in golfing history.
Team Europe head to New York as defending champions of the Ryder Cup, lifting the trophy in Italy two years ago.
They defeated the USA 16½-11½ at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, led by Englishman Luke Donald.
He has retained his role as captain for Bethpage Black, while Keegan Bradley is in the USA hot seat in place of Zach Johnson.
Both Ryder Cup captains have spoken at the opening ceremony, with all eyes now turning to the action itself in New York.
Two Europeans have used the same word to describe Bethpage Black after practice rounds
European star Rory McIlroy thinks the Bethpage rough isn’t a penalty at the Ryder Cup, with Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner now sharing their verdicts on the course.
Hoggard said on the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex & Lav: “I have to be honest with you. Both you and I went for walks on Monday to see the golf course and what it looks like.
“I remember walking down the left side of the 12th fairway and just being taken by that it didn’t feel like Bethpage.
“Usually you have to walk through the rough and it’s an effort. You have to pick your feet up. Because the rough is always so thick.
“It was that way for both the US Opens that have been played here and the playoff events that have been played here on the PGA Tour. It’s just the animal that is Bethpage.
“The rough is now two inches. By comparison the last time the PGA Championship was played here it was three and a half inches.
“That doesn’t sound like much until you are actually walking through it and realise that you can play out of two inches. There is no real guesswork. Maybe you can’t spin the ball quite as much, but there is no real guesswork.
“Now it’s a little bit thicker around the greens. I will say there was a time not that long ago, six years ago, in Paris for that Ryder Cup where it was an extreme advantage for the European team.
“Thomas Bjorn knew exactly what he was doing in setting that golf course up. The Americans had a team full of bombers but not necessarily straight ball strikers and that was set up brutally difficult off the tee.
“The US would have had a better week if they would have played their vice-captains, who were Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker, Webb Simpson. Great drivers of the golf ball! They had no chance the way it was set up.
“I think that’s dialled back and I’m not going to say it’s a neutral set up, but I feel like more Europeans live in South Florida than Europe. They play the PGA Tour almost exclusively.
“They are used to fast greens, used to all the things the American side seem to think give them an advantage. I don’t think it’s the golf course that gives them an advantage. I think it’s the crowd.”
Sharing his take, Lavner said: “I think you are right. I talked to two European golfers this week and they described the golf course as easy.
“That means a lot of birdies and excitement. But I think what it also means is that when you look at this European team, perhaps for the first time in Ryder Cup history, on average they are slightly longer than Americans.
“So if you can tee off on reckless abandon and hit it anywhere, I think the advantage they potentially have has been neutralised even more.
“I think when you look at the composition of this US team particularly, you could make an argument that actually a stronger, harder, US Open-like set-up may have been more conducive for success.”
How big a role will the American fans play at Bethpage Black?
The unnamed European duo may just live to regret their verdicts, with Bethpage still likely to cause real trouble as the week progresses.
But plenty of other factors will be playing a part at Bethpage, namely the home support and the potential atmosphere they can create.
American Ryder Cup fans have been “tame” so far, although the situation could change rapidly once the action gets underway.
And the American fans may just be the difference given the quality of both teams, although the European players have been preparing for the noise they are expecting.
It is certain to be a hostile atmosphere for the visitors, with their fans having provided that in Rome in 2023, to fantastic effect.
Certain players may thrive under the conditions, but others really could let the occasion get the better of them at the worst possible time.
And as for those who can hit big, each team has one real specialist in the form of McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau.
The European ranks second for driving distance on the PGA Tour in 2025, while the American finished the LIV Golf season in the same position.
They should be able to hit the ground running at Bethpage, which hosted the US Open in 2002 and 2009, and the PGA Championship in 2019.
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