Breakfast Ball #86: The People's Country Club

In This Week’s Newsletter:

Course Profile: Bethpage Black’s History

Here we go! The first newsletter focused specifically on preparation for the Ryder Cup. This week will focus on the history of Bethpage Black, and what makes it unique. Next week, attention will turn to the specifics of the course - what holes should we look out for? Which players will thrive at Bethpage? How will the U.S. team set up the course?

But for now, let’s learn about one of the world’s best public golf courses.

Course Profile:

Location: Farmingdale, New York

Par 71, 7,465 yards

Course Rating: 78.0 (the score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot)

Course History:

The 1930s were not an easy time for the people of New York. The city was still shuddering from the impact of the great depression which struck when Wall Street crashed in 1929. So much so that it was driving people to drink - many say that the crash was the beginning of the push to repeal the 21st amendment that made the production, consumption, and transport of alcohol illegal.

Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to stimulate the economy by providing work for its residents while also boosting public morale, and decided that public parks and recreational areas could do both. This idea was originally conceived by a man named Robert Moses, who convinced New York Gov. Al Smith in 1920 that highways and parks would be guaranteed vote getters. In the early 1930s, the Bethpage Park Authority, led by Moses, purchased the Lenox Hills Country Club and other adjacent properties to build Bethpage State Park.

The state tasked the park’s superintendent Joseph Burbeck with designing and building three golf courses on the site. He used the country’s economic struggle to his benefit, employing 500 work-relief laborers to complete the build. Famed architect A.W. Tillinghast (Winged Foot, Medinah No. 3, Oakland Hills, Philly Cricket) was hired as a consultant for the project, but his involvement was minimal. Interestingly, the Bethpage site still references Tillinghast as the course’s designer, despite plenty of evidence against this fact.

Bethpage Black was opened on July 2nd, 1936, the fourth course opened on the property after the green, blue, and red editions. The course was adored locally for decades after opening but gained worldwide prominence when it hosted its first major, the 2002 U.S. Open.

It was the first U.S. Open ever staged on a truly public course, fittingly dubbed “The People’s Open.” And it was only right that the people’s champion, Tiger Woods, emerged victorious — the lone player to finish under par, winning by three strokes.

The course subsequently hosted the 2009 U.S. Open, as well as the 2019 PGA Championship. Now, it is set to host the Ryder Cup.

Can You Play It?

Yes! As mentioned many times, Bethpage is a publicly-owned golf course. New York residents have priority access, but there is always walk-up availability on site.

Come back next week to learn more about what makes Bethpage unique — why is it considered one of the toughest tests in golf?

Captain Keegan Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice, Chooses Burns Over Himself

When Keegan Bradley announced his six captain’s picks for the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team, the only surprising omission was himself. Opting to fully embrace his role as captain, Bradley became the youngest U.S. skipper since Arnold Palmer not to include himself — a deeply selfless choice that’s earning praise from across the golf world.

Bradley’s selections strike a balance between experience, form, and new but deserving talent:

• Justin Thomas: A Ryder Cup stalwart with a 7–4–2 overall record and unbeaten singles history. While Thomas was a controversial pick 2 years ago, he has had an admirable return to form in 2025

• Collin Morikawa: This may be one of the more controversial picks. While Morikawa is one of the world’s best iron players, his recent play has been extremely inconsistent. This will be one to watch in Bethpage

• Patrick Cantlay: Not his best season in 2025 — but his consistency and past Ryder Cup performances make him an easy pick

• Ben Griffin: A breakthrough performer this year, Griffin secured two PGA Tour wins, including a victory at the Zurich Classic, a 2-man event

• Cameron Young: The New York native tied the course record at Bethpage Black as an amateur back in 2017. He is a perfect fit for the course and a great pick

• Sam Burns: Finished in T4 and T7 in the last two rounds of the playoffs, giving him the spot. One of the best putters in the world, who will likely be paired up with his buddy Scottie Scheffler

There’s little doubt that Bradley would have been on the team had he not been captain. His choice to stay off the course ensures full focus on leadership, proving that, at this moment, the mission matters more than his own personal desires.

That is something the entire team can get behind, and a decision that will worry the Europeans.

The final U.S. team is as follows: Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Cameron Young, Ben Griffin and Patrick Cantlay.

Luke Donald will pick his team today at 2pm BST/9AM ET, and the six players who will join McIlroy, Fleetwood, Rose, Højgaard, Hatton, and MacIntyre are likely: Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sepp Straka, Jon Rahm, and Shane Lowry. Any combination other than those 6 will be a huge surprise.

UPDATE (September 1st): It has been confirmed. That is the 12 players representing Team Europe.

Other news and results from the golfing world:

• 🇿🇦 Thriston Lawrence won the Omega European Masters in Switzerland by two strokes over Europeans Matt Wallace, Rasmus Højgaard, and Sami Valimaki

  • Matt Wallace was very emotional after the round ended, as his dreams of a Ryder Cup spot have likely died

  • Matt Fitzpatrick finished in solo 5th, likely wrapping up his place on Luke Donald’s team after five straight weeks on the circuit

Coming up on tour this week:

• 🇮🇪 The Irish Open at the K Club will include home favourites Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Padraig Harrington

• 🇪🇺 Luke Donald’s captain’s picks will be announced today!

If you have any feedback for the newsletter or would like to get in touch, I would love to hear from you! Email [email protected] or message us on Twitter/X at @BlueHorizonGolf. Thank you for reading!