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Ryder Cup Is Seriously Flawed

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Ryder Cup Is Seriously Flawed

 

Now that the 2025 Ryder Cup is over, it’s time for perspective. Here are some thoughts: 

Professional golf at the elite men’s level has become far too divisive. 

Independent of the boorish behavior that transpired last week at Bethpage Black Course, the problems began well before the tournament began.  

Really, this is a product of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf and the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). You have players in the tournament who are not even ranked because they are part of LIV, specifically Bryson DeChambeau (Titleist Pro V1x), Jon Rahm (Callaway Chrome Soft X) and Tyrrell Hatton (Titleist Pro V1x), while you have one player, Xander Schauffele (Callaway Chrome Tour), who is among the highest-ranked players for the Americans but had a marginal season while playing through a rib injury. The OWGR has been adjusted so many times over the years, but it is still hard to follow even for people who diehard golf fans. For those who don’t follow the sport, I wonder how many pay attention to the Ryder Cup because it probably makes no sense at all. 

Keegan Bradley (Srixon Z-Star) chose not to participate in the tournament because he didn’t want to be a Playing Captain for the U.S., even though based on current form he would have been an asset to the American team. I still believe the task of playing in the tournament as the Captain would have been far too tough, so I think the PGA of America should have given him the option of stepping down as Captain. He said he made the decision not to do it. 

Clearly, he had to choose between playing in an event he yearned for or putting his personal desires aside for the good of the team and the country. He chose the latter. I think the PGA of America should choose a Captain who is on the back nine of their career, not someone who is still competitive. Perhaps Bradley was chosen as a way of saying sorry for being left off the 2023 team, which he admitted was heartbreaking. So, what happens? He rediscovers his game and turns back the clock 10 years and becomes a top player on the PGA Tour. 

The PGA of America has an executive committee that decides on the American Captain, while the Europeans have a committee that ultimately makes a decision ratified by the European Ryder Cup players and stakeholders board. Going with Luke Donald (Titleist Pro V1 Left Dash) for the second time in a row was brilliant because he led his team to victory in 2023 and is hardly a force anymore on the PGA Tour and the European Tour. He and his advisors went with 11 of 12 players from two years ago. It was a shrewd move because they collectively knew one another, combined with Donald micromanaging every aspect and detail, far beyond just analytics. 

In a nutshell, I think the European committee takes this event far more serious than the Americans, and I think it applies to the players, too. I think it is more about pride and legacy. When it starts to become common for the Europeans to win this event, it tells you something about planning and purpose. 

CADDIE NONSENSE: After all the drama two years ago involving the caddie for Patrick Cantlay (Titleist Pro V1x) getting in the way of Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5) lining up a putt and Shane Lowry (Srixon Z-Star XV) getting upset about it, once again there was a brouhaha. This time it was the caddie for DeChambeau getting in the way of Justin Rose (Titleist Pro V1x) lining up a putt. Seriously, a rule should be made to essentially keep the caddies from doing this. It’s just nonsense and you really don’t see this in normal tournament play. So why is etiquette forgotten about in the Ryder Cup? 

BOORISH FAN BEHAVIOR: All the comments directed at McIlroy and his wife by the gallery, who were stoked up on Saturday by the tournaments Master Of Ceremonies on Saturday and subsequently relieved of her duty on Sunday, was way over the top. You could say it was a product of the tournament taking place in New York, but it was really poor judgement to hire a comedian to be the MC. Chalk it up to experience. 

MCGINLEY THE HOMER: Paul McGinley, who is part of the European Ryder Cup Committee and a former player and Captain in the event, was an absolute embarrassment because of his partisan commentary. I posted this on social media and someone pointed out he on the NBC broadcast specifically for that reason. But there wasn’t anyone on the broadcast who was nearly the same in terms of one-sided commentary for the U.S. McGinley had to tone down his commentary when the U.S. started to make it close. When patrons were seen leaving the course knowing the end was inevitable, he wondered if this would be the case at a ball game in the U.S. if there was the prospect off a tie? During a game between the hometown Buffalo Bills and visiting Baltimore Ravens a few weeks ago, the Bills were getting blown out in the fourth quarter and fans left. The Bills made a miraculous comeback to win. But here’s the thing: fans won’t leave a game if it is going into overtime because it will be extended. I don’t necessarily blame patrons for leaving the course because they knew a miracle wasn’t going to happen. Two years from now the Ryder Cup is in Ireland, and we can only imagine how giddy McGinley will be for that. NBC should hire a counterpart to wave the American pompoms or a former U.S. Ryder Cup Captain to balance things out. Brandel Chamblee of the Golf Channel isn’t shy about being controversial.  

RORY AND SHANE: You have to admire the relationship between McIlroy and Lowry. They work so well together, and it was somewhat apropos Lowry sunk the winning putt for Europe. Both of them will also be keen on winning at home in two years from now. 

ANTI RORY FANS: Why are Americans so down on McIlroy, who shows his emotion playing in the Ryder Cup? Or is what happened this year a product of New Yorkers being, well, New Yorkers? Hard to believe he won the Masters early this year in a moment of great American sporting history and a few months later things got ugly for him in another U.S. state. 

SCOTTIE NOT TOO HOTTIE: For whatever reason, Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1) hasn’t brought his A game to the Ryder Cup. I wonder if his mental and physical energies have been drained by then. The best players need to lead by example, but is it really going to affect his legacy? Hardly. 
Perry Lefko
Perry Lefko
Perry Lefko is an award-winning writer who has published nine books, three of them bestsellers. He has been involved in sports writing for more than 35 years and has interviewed many superstar athletes. He lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and enjoys watching golf and playing it.

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