Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black goes easier for pros as home course conditions shift

The Ryder Cup is at Bethpage Black this week with a notable departure from the course's notorious reputation. Unusually short rough and Thursday rain have left greens softer, making the municipal layout play more forgiving for the pros than most players are used to at this venue. To reflect the shift, the course's iconic warning sign has been removed for the Ryder Cup.

American players have said this setup could favor the host team. "This is not the normal Bethpage Black," Harris English said Thursday. "You're going to see a lot more birdies out there than you normally would in the PGA or the U.S. Open."

Bryson DeChambeau noted that in 2019 the course was a beast, with rough far longer than this week. "Rough was a lot longer. This week ... the rough isn't as penalizing. So it's going to be fun to see how this golf course presents itself for us in these types of conditions."

English, making his second Ryder Cup appearance, is embracing home-field comfort but also highlighting the support system that comes with a U.S.-based event. His caddie, Eric Larson, could not join him after being unable to obtain a new travel visa due to a 30-year-old drug conviction. Larson spent more than 10 years in prison. "He's the best guy in the world and means a lot to me," English said. "This is as much about me getting back here as it is about him, and I want him to enjoy every moment. ... Obviously with his story of being in prison, he has seen some dark places. To get here and to see these crowds and to be in this moment is very special for him."

Sepp Straka's path to the U.S.-based team is a reminder of the global nature of the event. He identifies as Austrian and American; his mother is from Georgia, and he's lived in the United States since he was 14. "I don't know that much of the crowd knows who I am," Straka said. "I think that's helpful in that."

Ludvig Åberg and Viktor Hovland have formed one of the event's most talked-about partnerships, with Åberg noting that you never know what to expect when they are paired. "He's a funny guy to have funny conversations with. They can go in any direction that you don't really expect. He's always into sort of the UFO deals and all those things, so it's quite interesting," Åberg said. "I'm not quite down that road just yet. If I hang out with him long enough, I might be."

Hovland's mind-wandering, moment-of-escape from golf, is evident in his comments about life beyond Earth. "I think it's been one of those things that's taken my mind off of golf a little bit," Hovland said. "The more you go into it, you just get more questions. It's one of those things that you don't really find any more answers, but it's very interesting to go in there and kind of challenge some of your beliefs that you currently hold, and you kind of have to expand your mind a little bit."

As teams arrive at Bethpage ahead of Friday's and weekend matches, the sense is that this Ryder Cup will be remembered for both its home-edge and its unusual playing conditions. The public practice rounds on Sept. 25, 2025, have already drawn large crowds, and the course is expected to yield more birdies than in past editions, at least for the week. The result could hinge on which players adapt best to the fairer-than-usual layout and on the comfort level of the Americans on home soil.