The Irish golf star had stood up for himself amid verbal abuse and other inappropriate behavior from some American fans during the Ryder Cup this weekend at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.
After helping Team Europe fend off a massive U.S. rally for a 15-13 victory Sunday, McIlroy had plenty more to say about what he witnessed from fans during the three-day event.
“I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” McIlroy said during his team’s post-tournament press conference. “I think golf should be held to a higher standard than than what was was seen out there this week.
“Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. It teaches you how to respect people. And, you know, sometimes this week we didn’t see that.”
McIlroy went 3-1-1 during the event while enduring boisterous jeers and insults from members of the crowd who were doing their best to disrupt him while he lined up to swing or putt. At one point Saturday a cup of beer appeared to sail out of the crowd and hit the brim of a hat worn by McIlroy’s wife, Erica Stoll, who was walking next to her husband.
The reigning Masters champion didn’t take such treatment quietly, clapping back at times with profanity or gestures of his own.
At one point during foursome play Saturday morning, McIlroy told some boisterous Americans to “shut the f— up.” He then proceeded to send his shot to within three feet of the hole, setting up Tommy Fleetwood‘s putt to clinch the European pair’s win.
Asked Sunday how satisfying that particular set of events was, McIlroy replied, “Very f— satisfying.”
On Monday morning, U.S. golf legend Tom Watson congratulated the European team on their win in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The four-time Ryder Cup player and two-time captain also wrote: “More importantly, I’d like to apologize for the rude and mean-spirited behavior from our American crowd at Bethpage. As a former player, Captain and as an American, I am ashamed of what happened.”
In general, McIlroy said, “we shut them up by our performance and how we played. You know, I chirped back a few times because it got to me a few times. [But] we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise and for the most part I felt like we did that.”
The amount of security and police present at the tournament was increased as the weekend went on, a step McIlroy didn’t think was necessary.
“The police out there and the amount of the security presence was insane,” McIlroy said. “It’s not like — nothing was going to happen. There wasn’t really going to be any sort of physical altercation or anything like that. … There was a lot of language that was unacceptable and abusive behavior, but look, it’s a minority of the crowd. It’s not the majority. The majority of people here are true golf fans and are respectful and [hope] that both teams have the same chance to hit the shots and play a fair contest.”
McIlroy added that he hopes those respectful fans are the ones who show up at the next Ryder Cup, which will be held in his homeland.
“We will be making sure to say to our fans in Ireland in 2027 that what happened here this week is not acceptable.”
That said, McIlroy and his European teammates did appear to take part in a little playful taunting of their own after their win Sunday. President Trump posted a video on Truth Social that showed the group hoisting their trophy and singing, “Are you watching, Donald Trump?”
Trump, who attended the Ryder Cup on Friday, wrote in response: “Yes, I’m watching. Congratulations!”
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER admitted his torrid Ryder Cup was “one of the lowest moments of my career”.
The dominant world No1 arrived at Bethpage expected to lead the USA team by example.
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Scottie Scheffler has said his Ryder Cup horror show is one of the lowest moments of his careerCredit: Sportsfile
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Scheffler became the first American to go 0-4 in the first four sessions in Ryder Cup historyCredit: PA
But in harrowingly similar fashion to his 9&7 defeat with Brooks Koepka to Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland, he started Friday morning with a crushing 5&3 foursomes loss alongside Russell Henley to Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick.
And Scheffler, 29, became the first American to go 0-4 in the first four sessions in Ryder Cup history.
The reigning PGA Championship and Open champion, though, did beat Rory McIlroy in the singles to ensure he did not leave New York pointless.
Scheffler said: “I think it’s hard to put into words how much it hurt to lose all four matches. This week did not go how I anticipated it going for myself and I’m a little bit bummed.
“To have the trust of my captains and team-mates to go out there and play all four matches and lose all four, it’s really hard to put into words how much that stings and hurts.
“It was probably one of the lowest moments of my career, but it turned out to be one of the most special, just because I’ve got great friends in this room and I was really proud to be battling with these guys for three days.”
McIlroy and Scheffler spoke to each other on the course about their mental, physical and emotional exhaustion as both men played in all five sessions.
McIlroy said he was “running on empty” and described their match as a “pillow fight”.
Scheffler added: “Things just did not work out the way I anticipated, it was a difficult week for me personally but I was proud to be able to get a point.
“It’s tough, playing all five matches is a grind. I’m pretty tired.”
Scottie Scheffler suffers major blow ahead of PGA Tour playoff event after $43 million season earnings are revealed
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RYDER CUP 2025 LIVE: FOLLOW ALL THE LATEST FROM BETHPAGE BLACK
Keegan Bradley reveals what he would have done differently having seen how the weekend played out.
He told Sky Sports: “I would have set the course up a little differently – but Europe played better than us and deserved to win. They are a great team.
“In my eyes, Luke Donald is the best European captain of all time.
“I’ve got a real weird relationship with this tournament. A lot of heartbreak. But I still love it, and I love the guys.
“I love being out here again. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to do this again. I will remember this for the rest of my life.”
Tyrrell talks
The man that clinched the half point which secured Europe’s victory, Tyrrell Hatton told Sky Sports: “To be honest, it’s been one of the hardest days I’ve ever experienced on the golf course.
“Going out number 10 of 11 matches, you’re hoping that everything is wrapped up but still want to pride in your individual record.
“The U.S. lads put up an incredible fight — it was to be expected, they’re amazing players. Selfishly, I was hoping it wouldn’t come down to me.
“The last five, six, seven holes were horrible but I’m so happy that we’ve managed to win.”
The Fairytale in New York – report
Europe have WON the Ryder Cup over Team USA on a dramatic day at Bethpage Black.
Luke Donald’s men needed just two points to keep their trophy won in Rome in 2023.
They had completely outplayed their rivals across the first two days in New York.
And they kept the famous gold trophy during the single’s action on Sunday afternoon.
It wasn’t without drama though, as the US stormed to a comeback.
Rahm reacts
Jon Rahm said: “It’s about as intense a rollercoaster of emotions I’ve ever had. for sure on the golf course, maybe in my life. The intensity out there was incredible. The U.S. team did nothing short of amazing.
“What they almost pulled off was amazing. Luckily we had a big enough lead and we had the right people at the back to get it done. Hard to describe. What an atmosphere it’s been all week, it’s been so tough for us and I couldn’t be prouder of everyone in this team.
“We came together as a team and did what a lot of people thought was impossible in New York. It feels very special. That’s golf, that’s sport. That’s why you play 12 points on Sunday, a lot of things can change.
“Great putts on 18 by Cam and JT, once the echoes of the cheers happen you can hear it on the golf course.”
More from Bradley
While Europe were celebrating on 18, Keegan Bradley told the press conference the rule regarding injury and ‘the envelope’ has to change.
Viktor Hovland’s absence meant Harris English had to sit out and in doing so, their match was tied and put down for a half each.
He said: “The rule has to change.
“I think it’s obvious to everyone in the sports world, everyone in this room.”
Fan discussion
Clearly, the New York fans did their best to try and ruin a fantastic Ryder Cup.
Clearly, the fans in Ireland in two years time are going to be a heck of a lot better behaved too.
Lowry told Sky Sports: “Luke is the greatest captain that has ever lived. He’s the most amazing man in the world.
“He’s done the best job. I don’t know what to say.”
On a home Ryder Cup for him in two years, he added: “It will be a little bit nicer than playing here, I know that!”
RORY MCILROY said he wished the police “let the dogs off the leash” during the “unacceptable” fan behaviour at the Battle of Bethpage.
But he admitted it was “very f***ing satisfying” to stick it back to the abusers by walking away with 3.5 points and, more importantly, the Ryder Cup trophy in Europe’s grasp.
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Rory McIlroy hit back at the Ryder Cup abuseCredit: Getty
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Police had dogs at Bethpage Black to restore orderCredit: PA
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McIlroy also paid tribute to his wife EricaCredit: PA
But while some idiots were ejected for their conduct, McIlroy would have liked to see them have to deal with the K9s.
Speaking in a jubilant winning press conference after a nervy 15-13 European win, he said: “I wish they had let the dogs off the leashes.
“The police out there and the amount of security presence was insane.
“Look, nothing was going to happen. There wasn’t going to be physical altercation [but] there was a lot of language that was unacceptable and abusive behaviour.
“We should ever accept that in golf.
Sky Sports forced to apologise after Rory McIlroy’s foul mouthed outburst towards American hecklers at Ryder Cup
“It was a rough week for all of us. But at the same time, we shut them up by our performance and how we played.
“I chirped back a few times because it got to me a few times, but we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that.”
McIlroy had to deal with shocking heckles about his personal life throughout the weekend – all within earshot of wife Erica.
And he heaped praise on her for showing “class, poise and dignity” after she was verbally and physically assaulted by the horrific New York crowds, including having a beer thrown at her on Saturday.
An emotionally drained McIlroy, who lost his “pillow fight” of a singles match to world No1 Scottie Scheffler, continued: “It should be off-limits, but obviously it wasn’t this week.
“I love her and we’re going to have a good time celebrating tonight.”
As applause broke out among the European players, close pal Lowry then added: “I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy, and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing.
“The way she was out there supporting her husband and supporting her team was unbelievable, and kudos to her for that.”
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RYDER CUP 2025 LIVE: FOLLOW ALL THE LATEST FROM BETHPAGE BLACK
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Europe painted Bethpage Black in blue scores Saturday with exquisite golf that demolished and disheartened the Americans, and proved to be the best response to a New York Ryder Cup crowd that was so hostile extra security was brought in to keep it from getting worse.
When a long, loud and obnoxious day ended, Europe set a record for the largest lead going into Sunday singles under the format that dates to 1979: Europe 11½, USA 4½.
“I didn’t imagine this,” European captain Luke Donald said. “Every time the Americans came at us, we came back. The resiliency and confidence they have is really, truly incredible.”
Rory McIlroy caught the brunt of verbal abuse and at one point turned to the spectators and said, “Shut the (expletive) up.” And then he stuffed his shot to five feet for birdie that closed out the foursomes match for another blue point.
It was like that all day. The louder the crowd, the better Europe played. And barring the greatest comeback — or collapse — in Ryder Cup history, the Europeans will be heading back across the Atlantic Ocean with that precious gold trophy.
“I’m seeing what looks like to be historical putting. They’re making everything,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said. “They’re a great team. They’re great players. They’re a tough team to beat.”
The previous record after the four sessions of team play was 11-5. No team has rallied from more than a four-point deficit on the last day. Europe needs to win only three of the 12 singles matches for the outright win.
Scottie Scheffler also made it into the Ryder Cup record book. The world’s No. 1 player is the first to go 0-4 under the current format.
Nothing summed up the week for the Americans quite like the 10th hole in fourballs. Tommy Fleetwood hit a wedge about two feet under the hole. Scheffler followed with a shot that hit the hole and the base of the pin, then caromed into the rough.
But it was far more than one shot. Europe holed putts everywhere, often getting shouted at by the spectators as they lined up the shots. Nothing stopped them.
The Americans had a lead in only three of the 70 holes played in fourballs Saturday afternoon. U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun hit it tight on the 17th and 18th for birdies as he and fellow San Diego State alum Xander Schauffele squeezed out one of only two U.S. points on the day.
The other belonged to Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young in the opening foursomes match.
The New York fans didn’t turn on the Americans for their performance. They cranked up the noise against Europe, shouting at them in the moments before — but not during — their shots, booing at every turn.
“Look, in between shots, say whatever you want to me,” McIlroy said. “That’s totally fine. Give us the respect to let us hit shots, and give us the same chance that the Americans have.”
New York State police spokesman Beau Duffy said two fans were ejected. The PGA of America said it added security to the McIlroy match and the other three. It also posted a message on the large video boards on “Spectator Etiquette.”
“Attendees consuming alcohol should do so in a responsible manner. Overly intoxicated attendees will be removed from the premises.”
Fans booed when the message was displayed.
McIlroy ultimately got the last laugh. He has won all four of his matches and can become the first European to go 5-0 on the road.
Whatever chances the Americans had might have ended on the final hole of the final match. Patrick Cantlay holed a few more big putts to keep them in the game, and a win on the 18th hole would have cut the deficit to five points.
Matt Fitzpatrick hit out of a bunker to two feet. Tyrrell Hatton, a last-minute sub for Viktor Hovland and his sore neck, hit wedge that nicked his teammate’s ball. It was another example of Europe’s superior play.
Cantlay’s shot spun back against the thick collar of the rough, and Sam Burns could only manage a shot to about 20 feet. Both missed. The throaty cheers of “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole” returned, and the few American fans who stuck around that long were on their way home.
It got a little testy inside the ropes, too.
Fleetwood and Rose had a three-up lead on the 15th over Scheffler and DeChambeau. Rose was first to putt from about 15 feet. But he felt DeChambeau’s caddie was in his space as he was lining up his putt and he told him so.
Rose made the putt, and DeChambeau matched him from 12 feet. DeChambeau barked at them going to the 16th tee and soon the caddies were involved.
There was warm handshakes a hole later when Europe won.
“I didn’t feel like that space was being honored,” Rose said. “I made my feelings known — asked him to move, maybe not as politely as I could have done, but in the scenario, it’s coming down the stretch. We both have a lot on our minds and it’s intense out there.
“I said to them, ‘If I should have done it a different way, I apologize.’ But other than that, I had to step up and hit a huge putt with a lot going on.”
Bradley was asked what message he would give to his team to keep hopes alive, and the New England native pointed to the Patriots’ stunning comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017.
“Twenty-eight to three. I was at that Super Bowl,” Bradley said. “I watched it. What a cool thing to have witnessed live in person.”
The way this Ryder Cup has played out, 11½ to 4 ½ feels much bigger.
EUROPE were forced to make a late change to the line-up for Saturday’s foursomes after an injury concern.
Tyrrell Hatton was drafted in as a replacement by captain European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.
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Tyrrell Hatton was drafted into the Saturday afternoon fourballs as a late replacementCredit: PA
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Viktor Hovland suffered a neck injury and was forced to pull outCredit: EPA
The 33-year-old took part in the final game of Saturday afternoon alongside Matt Fitzpatrick.
He replaced Viktor Hovland, who suffered a neck injury.
Hovland played in the morning foursomes on Saturday as Europe extended their lead.
But his withdrawal was announced just minutes before the fourth and final Saturday afternoon tee off.
READ MORE ON THE RYDER CUP
More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.
All square in match one now too as Fitzpatrick and Aberg get one back!
DeChambeau’s approach on the 4th was short and in the bunker and the Americans didn’t recover.
Superb touch from Fitzpatrick meant Aberg doesn’t need to putt and the last remaining red on the board early doors, disappears.
English/Morikawa vs McIlroy/Fleetwood – A/S
What a response from Team Europe!
McIlroy’s approach finds the green, while English’s doesn’t quite. Morikawa can’t convert his chip and Fleetwood DRAINS his 15ft putt!
All square.
From Joshua Jones at Bethpage
Well, this is the dream start for Keegan Bradley.
Young’s chip in following English’s clutch putt – after Rory horseshoed one – sees the Americans 1up in both matches.
Xander and No Hat Pat – now wearing a cap – vs Rahm and Hatton could be blockbuster match play foursomes golf…
Bradley’s morning isn’t quite perfect, though, as he whizzes down the 1st fairway in a buggy – only for the vehicle to get stuck up against a rope. Doh!
Scottie Scheffler will be hoping for a better day today – he hasn’t won any of his last six Ryder Cup matches now – well, it couldn’t get much worse…
Schauffele/Cantlay vs Rahm/Hatton
Cantlay chops out the rough and finds the green, leaving it 14ft from the pin and another look at a birdie for the US.
How can Hatton respond? The answer is SUPERBLY, leaving it no more than 1ft from the hole. That should be conceded, fantastic.
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — No. 1 in the world is 0-2 at this Ryder Cup, and Scottie Scheffler had the worst first day by a top-ranked player since Tiger Woods.
Scheffler lost again in foursomes — and as always in that format at the Ryder Cup, lost badly — in the morning with Russell Henley, then went back out with U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun for a loss in fourballs in the afternoon.
By himself, Scheffler is winning more often than anyone in golf. But his teams were behind nearly throughout both his matches Friday, and with Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau, their two biggest stars, both going 0-2, the Americans trailed Europe 5½ to 2½ overall.
Scheffler finally seemed to find his game late in the afternoon match, with three birdies in the final four holes of the match. But he didn’t have any until the 13th hole as Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka built a comfortable lead, and the European duo went on to a 3-and-2 victory.
“We gave ourselves plenty of opportunities,” Scheffler said. “It really just came down to me not holing enough putts. We put up a good fight at the end.”
He fell to 0-4-2 in his last six Ryder Cup matches, becoming the first No. 1 player in the world to go 0-2 on the opening day since Woods in 2002. Woods also did that in 1999; Ian Woosnam in 1991 is the only other top-ranked player to do it.
Scheffler and Henley were defeated 5 and 3 by Europe’s Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Åberg in the morning, Scheffler’s third blowout loss in three career foursome matches in the Ryder Cup.
Two years after being left in tears when Åberg and Viktor Hovland routed Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9 and 7 in Rome in the shortest foursomes match in Ryder Cup history, Scheffler watched Fitzpatrick and Åberg make seven birdies in 15 holes.
Scheffler has trailed by at least four holes in all three of his Ryder Cup foursomes matches.
“We just didn’t hole enough putts early,” Scheffler said. “We had some chances. I think the putts just didn’t fall.”
The afternoon match seemed to swing when one of his didn’t on No. 8.
He and Spaun were 1 down and Scheffler hit his tee shot on the par three to about eight feet. Rahm made his putt from about twice as long and Scheffler missed, turning the Americans’ hopes of evening the match into a 2-up lead for Europe.
Rahm and Straka would never let the U.S. back into it, making five birdies in the final six holes.
“The guys just really turned it on on the back nine, but it really came down to us not taking advantage of the holes early in the match that we needed to,” Scheffler said. “But overall it was a good fight at the end, and we’ll come back out tomorrow.”
Scheffler has won six times this year, four more than anyone else on the PGA Tour, with two major championships. He has played himself back into tournaments after slow starts before, and maybe his performance on the final few holes gives him some momentum going into Saturday.
U.S. captain Keegan Bradley sent Scheffler and Henley out second, after DeChambeau and Justin Thomas. While the leadoff duo was the high-profile match of the morning, the one after might’ve appeared to be the best U.S. team.
Henley is No. 3 in the world ranking, and he and Scheffler went 2-1 together last year in the Presidents Cup in Montreal.
Scheffler pumped his fist after rolling in a birdie putt on No. 2 to quickly tie the match after Fitzpatrick and Åberg had won the opener, but there wouldn’t be much more to celebrate for the Americans. The Europeans ran off three straight birdies to win Nos. 4-6 to build a 3-up lead that ballooned to 5 up, and won it when the U.S. made bogey on No. 15.
“They played great, gave themselves a lot of chances and just was a little sloppy,” Henley said. “Didn’t make the putts I needed to and didn’t really keep the momentum going with the ball-striking on the back nine, either. Hung in there as best I could, but they played great.”
Scheffler also lost 4 and 3 with Sam Burns against Rahm and Tyrell Hatton in his other foursomes match in 2023, when he went 0-2-2. He didn’t play in either match in his Ryder Cup debut in 2021, when he went 2-0-1.
Sept. 26 (UPI) — After the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, President Donald Trump said that more indictments are coming.
As he left the White House to head to the Ryder Cup in New York, he was asked by reporters who would be next on his list.
“It’s not a list, but I think there will be others. They’re corrupt. These were corrupt, radical-left Democrats,” The Hill reported Trump said.
“They weaponized the Justice Department like nobody in history. What they’ve done is terrible. And so I hope — frankly, I hope there are others. Because you can’t let this happen to a country.”
Trump added that the Comey indictment wasn’t about revenge.
“It’s about justice. … It’s also about the fact that you can’t let this go on. They are sick, radical-left people, and they can’t get away with it,” Trump said. “And Comey was one of the people. He wasn’t the biggest. But he was a dirty cop.”
A U.S. District Court of Eastern Virginia grand jury indicted Comey on Thursday with one count each of making a false statement and obstruction. The indictment was based on oral testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020.
The indictment did not elaborate, but the charges seem to stem from when Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, asked Comey if he had allowed his deputy to speak with a reporter about an investigation into Trump.
Comey told Cruz that he didn’t.
Comey, a Republican, said after the indictment that he understood there was a price for standing up to Trump.
“We will not live on our knees,” he said. “And you shouldn’t either.”
Besides Comey, some people Trump has mentioned who should be prosecuted are New York Attorney General Letitia James, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and former President Barack Obama.
Both brothers rose rapidly in the sport, reaching the pinnacle of the game — Nicolai was part of the victorious European Ryder Cup team in 2023.
Unfortunately, he didn’t make Team Europe this year — for the 2025 Ryder Cup, only one change has been made to the lineup.
Nicolai was replaced by twin brother Rasmus after he qualified through the ranking system.
Rasmus turned professional in 2019, making his mark by winning the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open the same year.
In the process, he became the third-youngest winner in European Tour history at just 18 years and 271 days old.
Rasmus has gone on to collect five European Tour wins so far, including notable victories such as the 2020 ISPS Handa UK Championship, 2021 Omega European Masters and 2023 Made in Himmerland in Denmark.
The twin brothers hold the record for being the first siblings to win European Tour events in back-to-back weeks.
Rasmus missed the 2023 Ryder Cup due to injury, but will be keen to make amends at this year’s event.
Luke Donald names captain picks for Ryder Cup with one major change to victorious 2023 team for Bethpage
Who is Rasmus Hojgaard’s girlfriend Julie Sander Danielsen?
Rasmus Hojgaard’s girlfriend is Julie Sander Danielsen, who leads a relatively secretive life away from the public spotlight.
Julie hails from Vejle, Denmark — although she now lives in Aarhus, the country’s second-largest city.
Rasmus and Julie have been seen together on social media and at events dating back as far as 2019.
However specific details of how they met and their ongoing relationship remain private.
Ryder Cup 2025 – all the info
The Ryder Cup is back THIS WEEK as Team Europe hope to defend their crown on American soil
Luke Donald‘s team has travelled to New York ahead of the big start on Friday.
Europe has dominated the prestigious competition in the 21st century, winning eight of the 11 meetings since 2002.
But only two of those wins have come in the United States, with Team USA winning both the 2021 and 2016 competitions.
In fact, Team Europe has only won one of the four Ryder Cups held in the US – 2012 – since their win there in 2004 and Team USA enter as the odds-on bookies’ favourites.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Ryder Cup 2025…
For the uninitiated, the Ryder Cup is not something from which you drink coffee in your rental truck. As a matter of fact, 15 years ago, this golfing classic was proclaimed by the locals to be the biggest sporting event ever in the country of Wales.
The newest edition of the Ryder Cup will find your TV screen Friday through Monday. It will be contested on Long Island on a torture-chamber called Bethpage Black. They played the U.S. Open there in 2009 and it rained so hard and so often that there were rumors Noah was getting another Ark ready. Lucas Glover didn’t win that one. He survived it.
To be clear, this will not be the biggest sporting event in the New York area. Thursday afternoon Mets’ games create more stomach aches and fist pumps.
But it should not be dismissed or greeted by yawns.
U.S. Ryder Cup golf team captain Keegan Bradley, left, and Team Europe captain Luke Donald, right, will face off this week.
(Heather Khalifa / Associated Press)
This every-other-year, alternating-home-course event that matches the best golfers in the United States against the best in Europe, creates as much emotion as you can find in a sport that preaches controlling that.
Recently, British golfer Matt Wallace shed tears on camera after falling just short of qualifying. “I will never give up on the Ryder Cup,” he sobbed.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, one of the best players ever in the sport, made the mistake years ago of calling the Ryder Cup “mostly an exhibition.” He has been apologizing for that ever since.
Spain’s Sergio Garcia, a former Masters champion and an emotional leader of many past European teams, pulled out of a European tournament immediately after he learned he would not be on this year’s Ryder Cup team. He said he needed to get away for a while.
Keegan Bradley was on U.S. teams that lost both the 2012 and 2014 Cups, and he has spoken of the still-unpacked and logoed Ryder Cup backpack that he brought back after 2012. He has vowed to never unpack it until he is part of a winning Ryder Cup team.
If you think that golf and its top players are the living definition of a sports metronome (tick-tock boring), it is not so with the Ryder Cup.
The event keeps sneaking up on people. McIlroy was right, just not up to date. By 2010, the U.S. had started to lose Ryder Cup matches, and that suddenly made them important. U.S. sports fans like a little agony and drama before celebrating winning moments. Losing is not acceptable. From 1959 through 1983, the U.S. had won every Ryder Cup. Then, in 1985, Europe won and held the cup for eight of the next 11 meetings.
Now, it was game on.
Europe’s Rory McIlroy celebrates after winning his singles match against American Sam Burns at the Ryder Cup played at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Guidonia Montecelio, Italy, on Oct. 1, 2023.
(Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press)
The U.S. won in 2008, but this time, for 2010, the Europeans were ready. They even had a special course built, clearly with one thing in mind. It was in Newport, Wales, the club was named Celtic Manor and the course was called the Twenty Ten.
They held a huge pre-celebration dinner and by the time it started, they had sold out the six-day package (three practice rounds and three competition rounds) to 45,000 people at $660 each. That $29.7 million paid nicely for the big party.
Big profits haven’t seemed to be the driving force yet in the Ryder Cup, but like everything else in sports, that is likely to change. This year’s Ryder Cup will be its most extensively televised one to date in the U.S.
Bradley, the guy with a 13-year-old unpacked suitcase, will be the U.S. captain. He has played on two Ryder Cup teams, both defeats, and lost the deciding match to Jamie Donaldson in 2014 in Scotland. The suitcase remains unpacked.
He is still one of the top players in golf, good enough to be a player on this year’s team, but chose not to choose himself and will be a traditional non-playing captain. He was also high enough in the rankings to be considered for a spot on the ’23 U.S. team that lost in Rome. He later said that, when ’23 U.S. captain Zack Johnson passed him over, “It broke my heart.”
Luke Donald of England, who played his golf at Northwestern, was good enough to be No. 1 on the PGA Tour for 56 weeks and was the first golfer to top season money-winning lists on the PGA and European tours in the same year, will be the European captain. He has played on four Ryder Cup teams, all European victories. He was also the captain in Rome.
Donald was a member of that 2010 team in Wales. The U.S. lost by a point and Donald won three of the Europeans 14½.
Celtic Manor was more than just a European win. It was a rub-your-face-in-it win, a remember-who-invented-this-game moment. It was more than winner-take-all. It was winner-celebrate-all-night and-be-smug-about-it-all-next-year.
The setting helps to understand all this.
American Phil Mickelson plays a shot from the rough during the 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort on Oct. 1, 2010, in Newport, Wales.
(Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images)
The Twenty Ten course was surprisingly not a classic European links course. Much was made of that in the run-up. Why give the Americans a golf course type that they were used to — soft, grassy fairways and smooth-rolling greens — when the links courses usually drove them nuts. Then it started to rain and seemed as if it would never stop. Twenty Ten became Twenty Thousand Puddles. It was so bad that the final day of concluding singles match-play was contested on a Monday, a first for a Ryder Cup. The U.S. team was ready, with nicely logoed rain suits. Except they leaked.
Amid one particularly drenching downpour, U.S. star Phil Mickelson spotted a reporter he knew walking the sidelines. He sauntered over, soaked and dripping, eyed the reporter’s rain gear and said, “Wanna trade?”
The next day, the U.S. team got replacement rain gear from the same gift shop that the reporter had purchased his.
Such nuances are the responsibility of team captains. The Europeans, whose rain suits stayed sealed, were led by longtime tour pro Colin Montgomerie, a great player who never won a major and who many feel was the model for the Pillsbury Dough Boy. The U.S. captain was Corey Pavin, who not only won a U.S. Open in 1995 with his famous four-wood to the green on No. 18, but also was a Gutty Little Bruin, a pride of UCLA golf.
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin holds a flag stick during a practice round prior in 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales.
(Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
The match, eventually won by Europe, came down to the final singles pairing on Monday. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, who had won that year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, was matched by Montgomerie against Pavin’s Hunter Mahan, a Texan who had been the No. 2 Ryder Cup qualifier behind Mickelson.
McDowell took a two-up lead on No. 16, making a sliding, curling 15-foot downhill putt for birdie that left him two up with two holes to play. Then, on the par three 17th — Mahan had to win this hole and the next to keep the U.S. hopes alive — Mahan chunked his second shot, a chip, short of the green. The Euro fans went wild. Mahan walked to McDowell, whose ball rested in easy two-putt, par territory, and shook his hand in concession.
Europe had won, 14½-13½, and the champagne began to flow.
The Celtic Manor clubhouse was on a hill, with a long balcony overlooking the 18th green. Within minutes, the European players were up there, shaking huge bottles of champagne and spraying them all over each other and the thousands of fans below. It went on and on. It was a post-Super Bowl-in- Philadelphia celebration, minus the bent traffic lights; a post-Lakers-win-the-NBA-title-at Staples celebration, minus the burning police cars. It produced photos that dominated every major European newspaper and TV broadcast for the next several days.
Eventually, the U.S. team shuffled into an interview room. There was not a smile to be found. All were there, a unit to the end, sitting at a long table. Quickly, a question went to Mahan about his gagged chip shot. He looked like a man who had just watched his dog get hit by a car. Before he could conjure up much of an answer, two of the three main veterans on the team ran interference. Both Mickelson and Jim Furyk jumped in to answer, saying basically, that none of the people asking the questions could have any idea of the pressure involved in a Ryder Cup situation like that. Of course, none of the people asking the questions had ever aspired to that pressure.
Tiger Woods remained silent.
American Tiger Woods attends a tense news conference after Europe’s 14.5 to 13.5 victory over the U.S. at the 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales.
(Sam Greenwood / Getty Images)
At a press gathering before the event, he had fielded a question from a member of the British press. If there was a moment that set a tone of animosity for the event, it was right there.
Reporter: “You don’t win majors any more, you don’t win regular tournaments. Where is the Ryder Cup on your agenda, now that you are an ordinary golfer?”
Woods, the ordinary golfer: “I hope you are having a good week.”
The captains’ comparisons are fun, but probably not meaningful. Bradley has won a major, the 2011 PGA, and was ranked as high as No. 7 in the world. His Ryder Cup playing record is 4-3-0. Donald never won a major, but was World No. 1. His Ryder Cup record is 10-4-1. He was Ryder Cup captain in 2023 in Paris. He has never been on a losing Ryder Cup team, as a player or captain. Bradley’s Ryder team record is 0-2.
The only playing returnee from 2010 at Celtic Manor — Donald was also on the team — is McIlroy, who once called this whole thing an “exhibition.” That was before he stood on a balcony in Wales, 15 years ago, and looked below to a mass of idolizing golf fans, begging to be sprayed with champagne.
In that moment, the Ryder Cup became a huge deal for McIlroy. The rest of the sports world now follows.
A RYDER CUP star was dumped out of the BMW PGA Championship after three rounds – following a rarely-seen SECOND CUT.
All 12 Team Europe players plus captain Luke Donald teed it up at Wentworth this week in the last big event before they fly to New York to face the USA.
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Robert MacIntyre missed the secondary cut at the BMW PGA ChampionshipCredit: Getty
But DP World Tour chiefs were forced into an unusual rule change.
A whopping 86 made it through the regular cut at the mid-way point after 36 holes on Friday evening – with 26 players tied on two-under-par.
However, a secondary cut can be introduced by the Tournament Director after the third round on Saturday to reduce the field for the final day if more than 84 make it to the weekend.
The secondary cut is designed to ensure the maximum number of players on Sunday is 78.
This was the first time the little-known rule was implemented on the DP World Tour since the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in 2023.
That ensures the leaders can go out at 11.10am on Sunday – allowing enough time for a possible play-off and to stick to TV schedules.
His level-par 72 kept him at -2 and sent him packing alongside Alex Fitzpatrick and Niklas Norgaard among others.
But unlike the regular cut, the 13 golfers ditched after Saturday are still entitled to both ranking points in the Race To Dubai and prize money from Wentworth.
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Tommy Fleetwood, fresh from his maiden PGA Tour win, just scraped through to Sunday on -3 with Rory McIlroy two shots better off.
Justin Rose, Jon Rahm and Shane Lowry are all at -7 with Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick on -10.
But MacIntyre’s European team-mates Viktor Hovland (-12) and Tyrrell Hatton (-13) will be hoping to chase down the leaders Alex Noren and Adrien Saddier on -15.
Ironically, Noren is a vice-captain for Donald at Bethpage Black in two weeks’ time.
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Tommy Fleetwood scraped through to the final round at WentworthCredit: Getty
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Tyrrell Hatton shot a brilliant 64 to get to -13, two off the leadCredit: Getty
Ryder Cup line ups
Here are the players who will be competing in the Ryder Cup…
Tyrrell Hatton has revealed how he got hopelessly drunk – and violently sick! – after qualifying for his fourth Ryder Cup.
Hatton said he went on a “bit of a tear-up” with Jon Rahm – the player he teamed up with in Rome two years ago – when European captain Luke Donald rang to confirm he was definitely on the team.
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Tyrell Hatton has revealed how he celebrated qualifying for the Ryder CupCredit: Getty
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He got hopelessly drunkCredit: Getty
That came as a surprise to the English ace. He feared he would be knocked out of the six automatic spots on the team by some of the European stars in action at last month’s Tour Championship.
He explained: “Luke called me to say the guys weren’t earning points in Atlanta, and I’d actually made the team automatically. That was a very nice phone call to receive, and I was over the moon.
“Jon had just won the LIV individual title, so we had a bit of a tear-up. Yeah, that was a messy night. I don’t ever want to get into that state again to be honest.
“When I actually got back into my hotel room, I fell across the bed sideways, face down and fell asleep in that position.
“Then I woke up throwing up in that same position.
“Then I fell back asleep, and when I woke up again, I had gotten sick all down my arms, both sides, all down my shirt.
“I get off the bed and walk around to the bathroom, look in the mirror, and I’ve got sick on my face, and in my beard.
“How I set an alarm to make a flight in a few hours’ time, I don’t know.
“But yeah, waking up in a slightly more sober state was horrendous, and having to clean up that mess. I ended up calling my wife, Emily, and saying: ‘I don’t know what to do’.
“I was rushing to make the room somewhat more acceptable before leaving.
Sky Sports commentator slams Ryder Cup star Tyrrell Hatton as a ‘terrible influence’ for snapping a club in anger
“So I ended up stripping the bed, leaving some cash and a note, saying I was really sorry, I was sick in the bed in the night, please throw it in the trash.
“I feel like I did the right thing but I was obviously in a pretty bad state. I do not ever want to feel as bad as I did that next day. Yeah, that was aggressive.”
Hatton, 33, who is one of the star attractions at this week’s BMW PGA Championship, proceeded to give details of just how much he had drunk – admitting the episode was like a remake of the hit film The Hangover.
He added: “I had like six glasses of wine at dinner, and then I had a double gin and tonic.
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Hatton will be in action at the PGA Championship this weekCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
“Drunk that at a very normal rate, and then Jon was deciding what he wanted and he said Disaronno Sours.
“And I was like, perfect, go on them. They go down very easily.
“Then I was starting the chant of basically getting someone to down it, and then every cocktail that then followed was a shot.
“So we then ran out of Disaronno Sour. The guy at the bar made some hazelnut sour which wasn’t great, but we still had a few of them.
“Then there was a margarita and then there was a strawberry vodka thing.
“God, it was aggressive. It was horrible. But I mean, it was funny at the time. Not so much the next day.”
Ryder Cup line ups
Here are the players who will be competing in the Ryder Cup…
ATLANTA — Tommy Fleetwood of England ended a summer of heartache with the richest prize on the PGA Tour, winning the Tour Championship on Sunday for his first tour title to capture the FedEx Cup and its $10-million reward.
Fleetwood got plenty of help at the start when Patrick Cantlay began bogey-double bogey and could never catch up. Scottie Scheffler hit his opening tee shot out-of-bounds and still was a threat until a tee shot into the water ended his hopes on the 15th.
Through it all, Fleetwood held his nerve. He closed with a two-under 68 for a three-shot victory over Cantlay (71) and Russell Henley (69).
“I’ve been a PGA Tour winner for a long time, it’s just always been in my mind,” Fleetwood said. “A lot of close calls, but I’ve always enjoyed the challenge.”
His first PGA Tour victory came with two trophies — the FedEx Cup and the “Calamity Jane” replica putter for the Tour Championship.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley was within one shot of the lead on the front nine but wound up with a 70 to tie for seventh. He said he was “dead tired,” and now has to decide whether to use one of his six captain’s picks on himself. He announces his picks Wednesday.
“The only thing I care about is on Sunday of the Ryder Cup, that we win the Ryder Cup. Then I’ll know I made the right decision,” he said. “Until then, I won’t know. It’s going to be pretty wild.”
But this day, this moment, belonged to Fleetwood, enormously popular around the world for coping with so many close calls with a refreshing perspective and joy for those who beat him.
An eight-time winner around the world, no stranger to big stages at the Ryder Cup or his silver medal at the Olympics last summer, Fleetwood was constantly reminded about his failure to win on golf’s strongest circuit.
He saw a one-shot lead turn into a one-shot loss at the Travelers when he took three putts from the front of the green and Bradley made birdie. Fleetwood let a two-shot lead with three holes left get away from him at the FedEx St. Jude Championship to start the postseason.
For all the hurt, he never lost hope.
“Tomorrow might be my time, it might not,” he said Saturday evening before his third try going into the final round with no one in front of him. “But I’ll still have a great time doing it.”
It was his time, and he had a blast.
Thousands of fans surrounded the 18th green at East Lake to watch the 34-year-old from England, all of them chanting, “Tommy! Tommy! Tommy!” Justin Rose, who rallied past him to win two weeks ago, and Shane Lowry stuck around to share in his big moment.
Fleetwood removed his cap when he tapped in for par, looked to the cloudy sky and let those long locks flow as he let out a yell.
Finally, Fleetwood.
“This wasn’t the most comfortable I’ve been,” Fleetwood said with a smile. “I feel like I’ve had a great attitude throughout it all. … I’m so happy I got it done.”
He started the final round tied for the lead with Cantlay, the FedEx Cup champion from 2021 searching for his first win in three years. Cantlay made bogey on the first, three-putted for double bogey on the second and suddenly was four behind.
Cantlay never went away, however, and a two-shot swing on the 10th — Fleetwood made bogey from the left rough, Cantlay made a five-foot birdie — narrowed the gap to one shot. The next three holes were pivotal.
Cantlay failed to get on the green from a bunker on the par-three 11th and made bogey. Fleetwood birdied the next two holes with wedges to the six-foot range, and Cantlay could only match one of them.
The last big hurdle was the 218-yard 15th to a peninsula green, where Fleetwood went in the water Saturday and made double bogey. This time he managed a bogey and didn’t miss a step the rest of the way in finishing at 18-under 262.
Cantlay was two back with three to play when he missed the 16th fairway and made bogey.
“It’s always good to have a chance on Sunday and to be right there. I’ve been there plenty of times, and any time you get in that spot, it’s a real pleasure,” he said.
Henley went 13 straight holes without a birdie and couldn’t put any serious pressure on him.
Scheffler’s start was even more shocking. His tee shot went left and disappeared under a fence, out-of-bounds. Then, he got up-and-down from 201 yards to salvage a bogey. He ran off three birdies in four holes to finish the turn, making a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-three ninth.
But he missed a five-foot birdie on the 10th, and his hopes ended with a five-iron that went into the water on the 15th for double bogey. He closed with a 68.
There’s no doubting the best this year. Scheffler won five times, including two majors. He finished the season with 21 consecutive rounds in the 60s, and he has gone five straight months finishing no worse than fifth. He was trying to become the first back-to-back FedEx Cup champion.
“I battled all week to give myself a chance. I wasn’t as sharp as I would have hoped to have,” Scheffler said. “I had a good first round, but outside of that didn’t really play my best the first few days. Still gave myself a shot. Just needed a few better swings.”
Cameron Young also lingered for much of the final round and shot 66 to tie for fourth with Scheffler and Corey Conners (62), strengthening his bid to make his first Ryder Cup team before home fans in New York.
1 of 10 | President Donald Trump speaks during an executive order signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. The order will formally re-establish the Presidential Fitness Test, creating school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education. Photo by Eric Lee/UPI | License Photo
July 31 (UPI) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday alongside his professional athlete friends to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test in schools.
The order advises the council to create school-based programs that reward achievements in physical education. It will also reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test, first created in 1966 and was administered in public middle and high schools. The test was replaced in 2013 with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, which touted living an active and healthy lifestyle.
Other sports issues in the president’s second term have been to demand the NFL’s Washington Commanders to change their name back to the Redskins and to issue an executive order banning transgender women in women’s sports.
Former President Barack Obama killed the test in 2012 and replaced it with an assessment called the FitnessGram focused on improving individual health.
“President Trump wants every young American to have the opportunity to emphasize healthy, active lifestyles — creating a culture of strength and excellence for years to come,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN in a statement.
FIRE-BREATHING US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley may just have given himself the chance to finally unlock the suitcase that has remained off for limits nearly 11 years.
After experiencing a second successive Ryder Cup defeat at Gleneagles in 2014, Bradley vowed never to unpack his case until he finished on a winning USA team.
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Keegan Bradley won the Travelers Championship on SundayCredit: Reuters
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After losing the Ryder Cup in 2014, Bradley vowed never to unpack his case until he finished on a winning USA teamCredit: Getty
That looked increasingly unlikely as the man from Vermont failed to play his way back onto the team, was controversially snubbed for a wild card in 2023, and was then installed as US captain a year ago.
But exactly a year to the day after he was asked if he wanted to take on the Ryder Cup captaincy, he clinched a victory that handed him a whole new dilemma.
But after his dramatic win in the Travelers Championship, he admitted he would have to take a “pretty hard look” at whether he should be on his own team.
That propelled him to a career high seventh in the world rankings, and catapulted him from 17th to ninth on the Ryder Cup qualifying list.
Only the top six qualify automatically. But the question now is whether Bradley, 39, can afford NOT to pick himself, unless his form falls off a cliff between now and September 26, when the battle with Europe begins at Bethpage Black in New York.
No-one can doubt Bradley’s passion for the Ryder Cup. Or anything else.
Bradley is set to become the Ryder Cup’s first player-captain in 62 yearsCredit: Reuters
He has become famous for the sort of frenzied celebrations that followed his latest win – letting out a massive roar, screaming a few obscenities at the adoring New England crowds and chest bumping caddie Scott Vail.
When he calmed down, a sheepish-looking Bradley confessed: “I kind of lost it again there, didn’t I? I might be in trouble with my mom for using some bad words.”
Keegan Bradley set for Ryder Cup job that hasn’t existed for 62 years after stunning PGA Travellers Championship win
It would not be the first time.
Despite being known for his fiery nature, Bradley shocked plenty of people with his outburst in the USA’s President Cup team room, shortly after holing the winning putt in their victory over the Internationals last year.
He roared: “I’ve been doubted my whole f***ing life, That’s when I do my best work. We are gonna go to Bethpage to kick their f***ing ass.”
Bradley later claimed he was surprised that comment was broadcast on Netflix’s Full Swing series. Really?
They did not hold back from showing the stunned reaction of the entire Bradley family when he missed out on a wild card pick from Zach Johnson two years ago, with the out of form Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler picked ahead of him.
Maybe the memory of how the Scottish crowd taunted Bradley over his exaggerated pre-shot routine – a dozen or more club twirls, and backing away from his ball a few times before pulling the trigger – counted against him.
And his volatile on-course antics, which once saw him in a World Match Play face-off with Migel Angel Jimenez that had to be defused by a rules official, has also raised a few eyebrows.
Off the course, Bradley is a completely different animal – a devoted family man who dotes on wife Jillian and their two sons.
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Bradley has formed a close friendship with basketball legend Michael JordanCredit: Getty
Bradley was their original brand ambassador when the range of Jordan golf shoes was launched, and he still wears them now. Do not be surprised if golf nut Jordan is one of the US cheerleaders at Bethpage Black in September.
Bradley, 39, insists he will not surrender the US captaincy, “under any circumstances”.
But he admitted the possibility of doubling up – and leaning more heavily on vice-captains Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Kinsner and Jim Furyk to look after the off course stuff – is now a real possibility.
He said: “This changes the story a little bit. I never would have thought about playing if I hadn’t won. This definitely opens the door to play.
“I don’t know if I’m going to do it or not, but I certainly have to take a pretty hard look at what’s best for the team and we’ll see.
“I never really planned on playing. I really wanted to just be the captain. I really felt strongly about that. I want to serve the guys. They asked me to do a job. I want to do it to the best of my abilities.
“Now, with the amazing vice captains that I have, and I have a better perspective of playing in the Presidents Cup and being around a lot of the guys, I feel a lot more comfortable if I went that route.”
“It’s still only June, so we’ve still got a long ways to go. This definitely changes things a little bit, and we’ll all get together and figure out the best way to do this.”
