Team Europe has arrived at Bethpage Black for a couple days of practice ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup, which begins next Friday in New York.
And one video posted to the Ryder Cup Europe account says a lot about what fans can expect on the first hole of each session. Watch below:
That’s right. Rory McIlroy is taking driver right at the green on the par-4 opening hole, which will play more than 40 yards shorter than its scorecard length of 430 yards for the Ryder Cup. The reasoning is because of the grandstands’ buildout, which surrounds the 18th green and first tee.
The grandstands were near the area of the first tee, making it unusable for the tournament, as it has been in past championships hosted at the venue.
McIlroy is one of the longest players in the game, but there are plenty of other bombers who will blast off on the first tee, over the trees and directly at the first green on the dogleg right hole next week. In the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, there was a similar situation on the shores of Lake Michigan, and numerous players hit driver trying to go for the first green, with a few even reaching it, like Bryson DeChambeau doing so in Singles and making eagle.
Will somebody be able to pull off a Bryson this week? Expect plenty to try.
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