Takeaways from 2025 Ryder Cup: How Europe gained an advantage right away

“Unlike in the past, when the Ryder Cup was held, the players had to fly to the event, schedule everything, etc., but I will be able to spend a full year with them as peers. One thing is that I would like to be on the team. I still feel like I am in my prime and I can make this team. It’s an honor to be chosen by my peers, but I’m not as experienced as some of the other captains. I do, however, know the guys very well. I know these guys and see them every week. “

Like most of his preparations for the 2025 Ryder Cup in the United States, Bradley kept to his word when it came to leadership on the U.S. team. He chose Webb Simpson as his right hand man, along with Kevin Kisner and Gary Woodland. This decision sounded good in theory, but was disastrous in practice.

United States Ryder Cup team leadership

Captain

Keegan Bradley

against another who threw spaghetti at the wall. Shane Lowry, speaking before the Ryder Cup, said: “I think it’s fantastic that 11 of the twelve — and Rasmus

[Højgaard] [is the continuity] — were there last time in a decent role.” “… We also have a great deal of continuity in our backroom, including the captains and vice captains as well as the people working in the background. It’s going to be a lot easier for us all to come together and feel like one team. It can be difficult to get everyone together when you’ve been playing an individual sport for the whole year. It’s wonderful that we’ve had continuity from the previous one. “

Europe Ryder Cup team leadership

The U.S. team played its butts off Sunday to make this Ryder Cup a lot closer than it should have been. The Americans nearly pulled off the impossible, but the performance on the final day of the competition only further emphasized the catastrophic failure of their efforts across the first four sessions.

Losing just one match across the 11 that were played Sunday, the U.S. proved it had the players to compete and beat the Europeans. The event also showed that there is a lot of work to be done from the top to ensure that Europe can compete every two years. Europe has won 9 of the 12 Ryder Cups that have been played in this century. It’s possible to start with a single interview. Something needs to change for the red, white and blue, not just to provide a spark for 2027 — the United States always appears focused on what’s next — but an everlasting change that will improve the program in the long term.

Let’s dive into some other takeaways from the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Control the controllables

Ryder Cups are won on the back of the players — make no mistake about it — but players need to be put in the best possible position by their skippers, not only at the golf course but away from it.

Europe Captain Luke Donald revealed the steps he made to improve the hotel for the team Sunday night after the win. It can be something as small as a few very simple things. Let me give you an instance: In our hotel rooms, this week, there was a large crack in the door that allowed light to enter. We brought items that would cover the light. We used shampoos with a nicer smell. “We changed the bedding, because the beds were not very nice, and there was only sheets. We created beds that are much nicer so the guys can sleep and have more energy. These are small things. I will go into very small details. Sometimes, Ryder Cups are decided by pairings and line-up order. Other times, it is as simple as changing the shampoo for a more pleasant scent.Shampoo!

Devil is in the details

Plenty of the day-after discourse centered around Bethpage Black, which is fair as it presented little challenge for either side and turned the Ryder Cup into a pseudo putting contest. European leadership mentioned it was pleasantly surprised with the state of the course, and

Bradley admitted he made a mistake with how it was set up

.

“We tried to set the course up to help our team. He said that it was obvious that the decision wasn’t right. “I believe that if you are the leader of a group, the captain, the coach or whatever — and we discussed this last night — then you will get the praises. You also need to accept the blame when things go wrong.

I made a mistake with the course layout. I should have paid more attention to my instinct. It was not the best way to set up the course. The greens are as soft as any I’ve seen without rain. It can be quite firm here and it never got that way. Bradley sent Henley out first, leaving Scheffler the holes where the driver could be hidden and the iron play shaded on being a bit less important. Bradley chose to have Bryson DeChambeau tee-off on the same holes as Henley. Ultimately, the U.S. got it right in the Saturday foursomes matches, but in a Ryder Cup that was decided by one match and some change, getting it right the second time around is unacceptable when the initial move should have been so obvious to a man of his knowledge and experience.“When we got done Friday night, Teddy and Andy, when I went down to the team room to go cold tub, they were sitting at the table and they had brought up the idea of us switching,” Scheffler said. The more we looked at it, the more convinced we became that it would be a good idea. And I believe it was. The golf course had changed a lot. “Russell hits the fairways a lot, but we felt that a bit more distance off the tee would be important. I don’t hit fairways nearly as much as Russell. This week’s rough wasn’t nearly as harsh as we had anticipated. When you see this in action, it’s a part of team golf. “

Stars must be stars

On Monday morning, I was discussing with a colleague how more European Ryder Cup golfers seem to have bought into the process. While it’s easy to blame modern players and their obsession with individual accolades such as major titles, it may be better to give the credit to those that came before. Current players show a great deal of respect and reverence when they speak about these legends. They can recall all the moments from Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter, and

that

kind of history matters in golf and specifically this competition.

There’s just not a ton of that on the American side. The US had some great Ryder Cups, like the 1999 Brookline event. However, this is where most of the highlight videos are taken. Tiger Woods won only one Ryder Cup. Phil Mickelson, on the other hand, won it three times out of 12 attempts. [the caddies]The stars of the U.S. haven’t shone in this event, for whatever reason. This week, Scheffler was under scrutiny. The world no. The world No. 1 had lost his first four games before winning against Rory McIlroy on Sunday. To inspire the next generation, and to create a new culture for the team, big-time players must make big-time moves in big-time situations. That has happened for the Europeans time and again … it has not for the Americans.

“To have the trust of my captains and teammates 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,” Scheffler said. “I will reflect and go back to that.” One of the most amazing things was that these guys picked me up last evening. The guys in this team are a special bunch of guys. We have a very special captain and I was proud of being there, fighting alongside these guys. It showed me a lot about my team. I think it shows a lot of what these guys have done to get us to where we are today. I can’t express how much it was fun to watch Bryson hit those putts in front of me after he came back from being 5 Down. Walking down 17 and watching

hole that putt. Walking down 16 hearing the cheers for Cam

. It’s hard to describe how much I needed them this week. They are a special group. “

Tip the hat to Team RoseAt 45 years old, Justin Rose continues defying conventional wisdom. Now we know why. A lovely Englishwoman sat down behind the par-3 fourteenth on the top of the hill, Saturday. She told me that her son Justin was on the European team. She was a very proud mother, in all senses of the word. But what I remember most about her is who she was. She had to deal with two ailing knees and had to walk up the steepest hill to be able to see her son. Mummy rose was as determined as she could be. As tough as nails. Sound like someone else? Sound like someone else?

Moments later, on the big video board, Justin stuck an approach shot tight in his four-ball match with Tommy Fleetwood against Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau.

She gave me a glance and started to chuckle, “He’s showing off for mummy. “Path to Ryder Cup greatness

Fleetwood and Jon Rahm arrived in Paris seven years ago as Ryder Cup rookies; they left Long Island as legends on a path towards European Ryder Cup greatness. Fleetwood has improved his record to 11-4-2, while Rahm’s is now 9-5-3. Both Fleetwood and Rahm have had a 4-0-0 record in foursomes over the past two Ryder Cups. Fleetwood has partnered with McIlroy, while Rahm has teamed up with Tyrrell Hatton. Fleetwood has the highest win rate of all Europeans who have played in at least 10 Ryder Cup games. His.706 is also the best ever. Rahm, at.620.0, is only a few points behind him. Add the

greatest European Golfer of all-time, McIlroy

and it’s clear that Europe has a three headed dog who will stop at no end to defend the cup.
Data Golf
Young announced his return to Bethpage Black in a big way. He set the course record as an amateur and was fresh off his summer scorcher that ended the PGA Tour season. Setting the course record as an amateur and fresh off his summer scorcher to end the PGA Tour season, Young announced his return to Bethpage Black in emphatic fashion.[Justin Thomas]After sitting the first session, he played the final four matches and compiled an impressive 3-1-0 record, including a vital opening-match full point for the U.S. in Sunday singles during which he fended off Rose by the skin of his teeth thanks to a birdie on the par-4 18th.[eron Young]”A lot of reasons,” Young said with rare emotion to the side of the 18th green. This is our biggest event. In my home state on a course I love, there’s no better stage to play. Keegan, the vice captains, and 11 other players on this team were all I worked hard for. There’s a lot of people that have had so much to do with putting on this week, and I was just playing my hardest for all of them.

“Apparently, Ryder Cups fire me up a little bit. J.T. helped me a lot. “

The usual question will now be asked about Young Will he take his Ryder Cup experience and translate it into bigger and better things on the PGA Tour? It’s smart not to jump to conclusions so close to the event… but maybe we shouldn’t bet against it? You shouldn’t jump to conclusions when you’re so far removed from the event, but perhaps we shouldn’t?

Feel and real

You’ve heard of golfers who try to create a “feel” – for example, Jordan Spieth exaggerates his swing during practice. Players like Noren and Rose also go overboard in their preparations before they address the golf ball. The U.S. Ryder Cup team tried to fake everything. From employing a master of ceremonies who later stepped down from her role in shame to having the President of the United States walk alongside DeChambeau to the first tee Friday afternoon, none of it ever felt

real

.

The PGA of America hyped up the rowdiness of the crowd in the build

only to see the New York faithful cross the line of decency time and again

, causing the Ryder Cup to turn into something more than 12 players from Europe playing golf against 12 players from the United States.

Amid all of it, Europe stood united and kept the main thing the main thing: They relied on their brotherhood and their bond, which no one put better than Rose on Sunday night.

“The answer to your question is I don’t know, other than the badge and the boys, honestly,” Rose said. Rose said, “I don’t know, other than the badge and the guys, honestly.” “