Ryder Cup 2025 - Bethpage Black

I predict that Either McIlory or Fleetwood will sink the winning putt

^ It can't be Fleetwood as his match is the second out and we need 3 points for the win.

Prediction: McIlroy for the tie, Rahm for the outright win.

TBF it could still actually be Tommy, as matches in front of him can finish early. It is tough to predict, I see some close contests in the top half with the potential for a few tied matches. You can expect one or 2 matches were a large lead opens up which could happen for either team, you always feel sorry for whoever is on the receiving end of a hammering.

I once had a 9 & 7 win & I was really trying to finish the match on the 10th hole which is the earliest possible.

I am making no predictions whatsoever on the basis any prediction I make would be hopelessly wrong. I am useless at predictions.

Depending on the fitness of Viktor Hovland the 'envelope rule' might come into effect.

Explained here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cj6xd95ld24o

^ The gamesman in me says that he's unfit. And Europe will then just need 2 points to retain the Ryder Cup (say it quitely)

The lastest news is that Hoveland is unfit and that he won't be playing.
So Hoveland and the man in the envelope Harris English will have to miss the singles.

Half a point a piece. 2 points needed to draw the contest.

And breathe Europe FINALLY did it 15-13 a crazy comeback by USA think we all had 9 cat lives this evening

I thought last night that counter front loading the Europe order was a mistake and a reckless gamble that stunk of impatience and I stand by that now. Thank goodness it didn't finish 14-14 or the American fans in the crowd would have then been saying they had only been denied by the envelope rule.

Europe got away with it somewhat.
That being said a lot of the defeats were narrow but it got way too nervy.

When there's been a large lead going into Sunday, the trailing team captain has no choice but to front load & I can't ever remember not countering it. To be fair, Donald didn't go all in, holding back Lowry & Hatton proved decisive.
As it unfolded with hindsight I could see that a reverse logic of putting the worse players out first & the best last, it could potentially deliver an outcome that made it a more comfortable Europe victory & maybe a greater margin of victory, we will never know, I doubt any captain would ever employ such a leftfield plan.
I know what Donald would say, that he trusts all 12 players to do their job & all are capable of winning matches.
What I saw was a lack on energy from some of our players, many looked spent.

On the USA team, they just played better on the whole. Captain Bradley hinted that he would've set the course up differently, & I thought that on day one. They made a mockery of the famous Bethpage Black warning sign, turning an extremely difficult course into a much tamer challenge. Wide fairways & the rough cut wat too short. It wasn't played to it's maximum length in an attempt to maxumize the US PLayers superior wedge play & negated Europe's mid/long iron play superiority.

The outcome was what we all wanted, but that was a tough watch.

With a 7 point lead I would have been tempted to spread the big hitters a bit more evenly across the line up but that is only my view and I could of course have been proven hopelessly wrong had Donald done that and Europe lost.

In the end it really was a tough watch but job done in the end. I need several stiff drinks after all that.