This year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black had plenty of storylines even before the first ball was struck. In my preview article, I focused mainly on Ryder Cup history, but now it’s time to dive into what actually led into this event—and it was a strange, controversial, and at times frustrating setup for Team USA.

First, the captain’s pick. The PGA of America chose Keegan Bradley as captain, which to me was just a flat-out weird selection. Bradley is still an active PGA Tour player and very much capable of competing at a high level. On top of that, he hasn’t been part of a Ryder Cup team in over a decade and never served as a vice captain. Compare that with past captains who had decades of Ryder Cup experience, and you start to see why the choice felt questionable at best.

A big reason for the choice seems to trace back to the Netflix series Full Swing. In the Ryder Cup episode, we all watched Zach Johnson—then captain in 2023—choose Justin Thomas over Keegan Bradley as one of his captain’s picks. Bradley was devastated, and the viral moment played heavily into the public conversation. After Team USA got embarrassed in Rome that year by Luke Donald’s European side, the PGA of America seemed to hand Bradley the captaincy almost as a “sweetheart” move for fans. To me, it wasn’t deserved based on experience or resume. That’s a hot take, but I stand by it.

Then there’s the course setup. Bethpage Black is one of the toughest golf courses in the world when it’s set up to its full teeth. But in the Ryder Cup, the home team gets to decide the setup—and Bradley and the PGA of America chose to make it easier. The idea was to favor the U.S. team’s distance advantage. Instead, it backfired. The softened setup turned it into a wedges-and-putting contest, which is the last kind of match you want against a European squad stacked with elite short-game players.

So that’s the context: a controversial captain, a poorly thought-out setup, and the shadow of a lopsided loss in Rome looming large.

The Ryder Cup has always been about momentum, and Europe tends to thrive in the paired formats. The 2025 edition was no different.

On Friday morning, Europe came out swinging in the foursomes, taking three of the four matches:

That gave Europe a 3–1 advantage out of the gate. Honestly, it wasn’t surprising. Europe historically gels better in the team formats, while the U.S. usually leans on talent in the singles.

The afternoon four-ball didn’t help much. Europe edged the session 2.5–1.5, leaving the Americans in a 5.5–2.5 hole after day one. Not insurmountable, but not the start the U.S. wanted.

By Saturday night, things looked grim. Europe extended its lead to 11.5–4.5, and the Americans were searching for answers. The big storyline? Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, was winless. Not because he played particularly poorly, but because he ran into buzzsaws while carrying a heavy workload. It happens in match play, but it was still a gut punch for Team USA.

Sunday singles brought drama before the first match even teed off. Viktor Hovland, who tweaked his neck on Saturday, woke up unable to play. He withdrew, underwent an MRI, and his scheduled match was automatically halved. That left only 11 singles matches.

The rulebook says if a player can’t go, each side gets half a point. But this was different: Europe started Sunday already at 12 points—just two wins away from retaining the Cup. With Hovland’s match halved, bringing it more into range.

Now, had the U.S. gotten steamrolled in singles, nobody would care. But that’s not what happened. The Americans came out firing, winning six of the 11 matches and having real chances in nearly all of them. Suddenly, that free half-point loomed large. If Hovland’s match had been played, and if the U.S. had won it, we’d be looking at a 14.5–13.5 finish—still Europe retaining, but much closer and more dramatic.

It was unprecedented, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the rule gets revisited before 2027.

For Europe, the recipe is simple: keep doing what they’re doing. Luke Donald has been the best Ryder Cup captain in recent memory. The players love him, his decisions have been spot-on, and he’s created a culture of confidence and cohesion. I’d argue it would be a crime not to keep him in charge.

The roster is also in great shape. Veterans like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, and Shane Lowry will still be in form in two years. Young stars like Ludvig Åberg and the Højgaard twins give them even more firepower. The only question mark is Justin Rose, who may age out, but otherwise, Europe could very well run it back with the exact same team at Adare Manor in Ireland.

The U.S. side? That’s another story.

The PGA of America botched this Ryder Cup from start to finish. From choosing Keegan Bradley, to mishandling the Bethpage setup, to failing to control crowds that at times crossed the line into personal attacks on players’ families—it all felt poorly managed and more like a cash grab than the premier golf event it should be.

Course setup was the biggest blunder. Instead of maximizing home-field advantage, the U.S. neutralized it. They turned Bethpage into a short-game contest, which handed Europe the edge. That’s simply inexcusable.

As for the captaincy, Keegan Bradley was just the wrong choice. He hadn’t been part of Ryder Cup leadership, hadn’t played in years, and is still an active competitor. His selection seemed more about Netflix optics than golf strategy. Combine that with the bizarre “playing captain” speculation, and it all distracted from the task at hand.

Honestly, it’s time for a clean house. I don’t think the PGA of America should run this event much longer. Within 5–10 years, I expect major changes in how Team USA is managed.

For all the missteps, the Ryder Cup remains one of the greatest events in sports. Every two years, it delivers drama, energy, and storylines you can’t get anywhere else in golf.

The atmosphere is unmatched. The fiery exchanges on Saturday between Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Ted Scott, Justin Rose, and Tommy Fleetwood were some of the most electric moments I’ve ever seen in golf.

The Sunday singles gave us dream matchups: Rory vs. Scottie, Justin Thomas vs. Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm vs. Xander Schauffele. That’s the kind of head-to-head golf that makes the Ryder Cup so special. In fact, I’d love to see singles pairings structured to guarantee those clashes—maybe by ranking players 1–12 and having them face off accordingly. Imagine getting those heavyweight showdowns every time.

Yes, it’s painful we only get this event every two years. Yes, the Presidents Cup doesn’t come close in terms of drama. But the Ryder Cup? It’s simply the best.

This Ryder Cup will be remembered for its controversy, mismanagement, and what might have been for Team USA. But it will also be remembered for the fire, the matchups, and the reminder of why we love this event so much.

Europe is humming, and the U.S. is searching. Two years from now, we’ll head to Adare Manor in Ireland—and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

This is Grayson Reames for Sweet Tees Golf. Thanks for reading.