After winning in Rome in 2023, Rory McIlroy said winning an away Ryder Cup is one of golf’s biggest accomplishmentsadding, “and that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.” He’s since added a Masters title and career Grand Slam to his resume. What would a Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage do for McIlroy’s legacy?
Sens: I consider Ryder Cup legacies a separate category. Think of Ian Poulter, whose individual Tour career does not stand out but who will go down forever as a Ryder Cup killer. Or, conversely, Tiger Woods, whose less-than-impressive Ryder Cup record does nothing to diminish his status in the game. At this point, Rory’s legacy seems pretty well established. A dominant week at Bethpage could add a nice gloss to it, especially if he pulls off something heroic like beating Scottie Scheffler in Sunday singles for the clinching point. Short of that, though, I don’t expect this week to alter how future generations think of him.
Schrock: I mostly agree with Sens, but I do think if McIlroy leads the Euros to a win by playing all five sessions while racking up 4-5 points, it will be another critical line in the resume he’s building to become the best European golfer of all-time.
Basic: Rory’s already in rarified Ryder Cup air. But a big haul this week would elevate him into even more elite company. Three points would move him ahead of Jose Maria Olazabal on the all-time points list. Four would tie him with Nick Faldo. Four and a half would tie him with — gasp! — Seve. But beyond however this week could influence McIlroy’s individual status in the record books, he so obviously is burning for a win, period. As mentioned above, on several occasions this year he has reminded us that winning a road-game Ryder Cup is one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports. If Europe somehow pulls it off, Rory will declare 2025 the undisputed greatest season of his career.
;)
Rory McIlroy’s Ryder Cup promise will tell the story at Bethpage Black
Josh Schrock
Who is the most important — if not necessarily the best — player for each team?
Sens: McIlroy for the Europeans. He’s not just the best player on the team but he’s also the obvious team-room leader. How he fares stands to be infectious for the rest of the squad. The U.S. team is a different story, I think, because the best player, Scheffler, isn’t a rah-rah guy. I don’t see him being as much of a bellwether as McIlroy. I think the key players for the U.S. are Ryder Cup rookies like Ben Griffin and J.J. Spaun — great talents who are entirely untested in a setting like this.
Basic: No love for Bryson?! If DeChambeau can get it going, he has the potential to electrify the U.S. fans in a way that none of his teammates can match. Trouble is, he has not been in top form. I’m intrigued to see what version of BDC we’ll see. On the Euro side, Bobby Mac might end up being the MVP no one saw coming.
The Americans will win if…
Sens: …rookies like Spaun and Griffin hold up in the crucible, and Patrick Cantlay annoys the opposition enough to put them off their game.
Schrock: …Justin Thomas, after a poor start in Napa, reawakens. I expect Scheffler to play well, especially after the egg he laid in Rome. But Thomas has been the Americans’ heart and soul when they’ve dominated. They’ll need Thomas and the Cantlay-Schauffele pairing to help lead, along with Scheffler.
Basic: …Keegan Bradley reconsiders, dumps one of his rooks and suits up in the first match Friday. I kid! But yes, as covered, some of the U.S. rookies will absolutely need to show out. Scheffler will need to win at least 3.5 points. And Sam Burns will need to bring his putter.
Which means the Europeans will win if…
Sens: …McIlroy leads them to a hot start and the momentum builds. The pressure is really on the Americans here. They’re expected to ride the homefield advantage to the win, but there’s nothing easy about having to drain a crucial putt in front of a huge crowd whose hopes are riding so vocally on you.
Schrock: …Rory does Rory things. When he is clicking, they are hard to beat.
Basic: …Jon Rahm antagonizes the crowds and Tommy Fleetwood charms ’em. (And they each collect at least 3 points.)
;)
Keegan Bradley’s unlikely Bethpage return? 1 road tells his Ryder Cup story
Dylan Dethier
What will be the most crucial strategic decision each captain will have to make?
Sens: Aside from selecting captain’s picks, I think the importance of a captain’s decisions is wildly overstated. They’ve already studied the personalities and the analytics. They know, in theory at least, which players should mesh. The captains’ most important roles are to select the rosters and create an atmosphere/culture that allows their players to play their best. Seems like Bradley and Donald have both already done that. As always, this will come down to which guys make the big putts.
Schrock: For the Americans, it’s who plays with Bryson DeChambeau. Given that he and Cam Young play the same prototype ball, that would seem to be the proper pairing, but I’m interested to see how Keegan Bradley deploys what should be one of his best weapons.
Luke Donald said he planned to mix things up from Rome, but I have a hard time seeing the foursomes pairings not being Rahm-Hatton, Hovland-Åberg, McIlroy-Fleetwood and a fourth. I’m interested to see if Donald changes things up on Day 1 or trots out his proven pairings that dominated in Rome to start.
Basic: Hate to harp on the rookies, but managing them will be Keegan’s toughest task given they represent a third of his team. For Donald, it’ll be keeping his boys from getting rattled by the fire-breathing galleries. If his squad can block out the noise and get comfortable early, look out.
And drumroll, please… who will win the 2025 Ryder Cup and why? (And give us a score!)
