From a poignant motivational video and an intentionally similar team photo for Europe to some notable practice pairings, a long drive contest and youngs fans being embraced by the players, we take a look at the best moments and highlights from Ryder Cup Tuesday at Bethpage Black.
Team Photos: Europe
Team Europe were the first of the two Ryder Cup sides to have their photocall, lining up on Tuesday morning ahead of their first practice round as a team this week. With a near- identical team to 2023, the European side all stood in exactly the same positions as they did in Rome, with only Rasmus switching places with his twin brother Nicolai to create as near an identical team photo as is possible for the most unchanged European side in Ryder Cup history.
And of course, there were plenty of laughs along the way too.
Notable similarities as Practice Groups hit the course
Not only were there similarities when it came to the 2023 photo call for Team Europe, but also for some of the practice groups too.
And while practice groups don’t guarantee final match-day pairings, they often reveal valuable insights into the captain’s plans and player compatibility. Fans will be watching closely to see which combinations build momentum on the demanding Bethpage layout, and Tuesday’s pairings were certainly.
Hitting the course for the first time this week, Team Europe played all 18 holes. Notably in the same group were Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy, who went 2-0-0 in foursomes in 2023. As did Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm, who also went 2-0-0 in the same format at Marco Simone.
- 9:30 a.m. – Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose
- 9:45 a.m. – Rasmus Højgaard, Viktor Hovland, Robert Macintyre, Sepp Straka
- 10:00 a.m. – Ludvig Åberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Jon Rahm
Having already played the front nine yesterday, the U.S. Team played the back nine, with some very notable similarities. The group of Young, Griffin, DeChambeau and Thomas remained the same, with the only swap coming between J.J. Spaun and Collin Morikawa. Spaun switched from a group with Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Sam Burns to the group of Scottie Scheffler, Russell Henley and Harris English.
- 10:30 am – Scottie Scheffler, Russell Henly, Harris English, Collin Morikawa
- 10:45 am – Cameron Young, Ben Griffin, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas
- 11:00 am – Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Sam Burns
Long drive contest on No. 1
When Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas finished their practice round, they took to the first tee for a little long drive contest.
Youngest fans steal the spotlight
No stranger to the spotlight these days, Tommy Fleetwood’s son Frankie made it to the course on Tuesday too, high-fiving Shane and Rory and taking a turn on the green. He wasn’t the only youngster on the course either, with Lowry, Fleetwood and McIlroy calling some kids inside the ropes to sign their flags, hats, and even a Ryder Cup ball.
Team USA on the mic
The United States Ryder Cup Team was at the mic on Tuesday at Bethpage Black, with Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Patrick Cantlay, JJ Spaun and Justin Thomas all sharing insight as they head into Day 2 of prep for the upcoming matches.
It was a mix of players with veteran experience, Major Championship titles and first-time vibes, answering questions on everything from their teammates to Scheffler’s aura, Schauffele’s newborn son Victor, and JJ Spaun singing “Let It Go.”
Click here to see the full highlights from their Press Conferences
Luke Donald speaks on embracing the crowds
Luke Donald reiterated that he is doing everything possible to get his team prepared, with plenty of questions coming about the VR headsets Donald and his team used to help the players get acclimatised to the New York crowds.
“I think my job as captain is to prepare the guys for every scenario,” he said. “Obviously there’s a bunch of us in our team that have experienced away crowds. Maybe not New York, but we have experienced away crowds before, and we’ve certainly talked about it as a group, what you’ve learned, what you think you might have done well, what you think you might have changed.
“The crowd factor is certainly one aspect that I’ve been looking at, but I’ve been trying to look at this from a very different angle, and that’s just one element of the preparation that’s going into kind of making sure that these guys are ready for — and to be prepared to be at their best because that’s what they’re going to need this week.gain, when we came up with that idea, it was just one idea in a multitude of ideas to get these guys ready. At the beginning of a qualification, you expect there to be a bunch of rookies that have not played a Ryder Cup before.
“Again, this was really aimed at some of those, maybe some that have never played an away Ryder Cup. But we actually in the end have a team that, one, has quite a lot of experience being together, and has played quite a few away Ryder Cups as well.
“I think it was aimed at, again, just trying to give those rookies an experience and a feeling of what that first tee might feel like.”
Team Europe post motivational team video
Taking inspiration from all those who have come before, Luke Donald’s motivational team video features a host of Europe’s most prominent figures from the four previous Ryder Cup victories away from home. ‘Our Time, Our Place’ pays homage to their talisman Seve Ballesteros, ‘the architect’ Tony Jacklin and showcases footage and words from some of the 37 European players who helped turn a once one-sided contest into one of the most fiercely fought battles in sport. Donald is looking to become only the second European Captain to win the Ryder Cup twice after Jacklin, and the message to this year’s team is clear: Our Time, Our Place.
Bethpage Black Unveils Arnold Palmer Way in Tribute to Golf Legend
Most wins by a U.S. Ryder Cup player. Six appearances, six wins. Victorious Playing Captain. And now, etched in Bethpage Black history forever.
Arnold Palmer was synonymous with Ryder Cup success and to honor the golf legend, Bethpage State Park renamed Round Swamp Road – the road that cuts through the middle of the Black Course – to Arnold Palmer Way.
Check out the moment below when Nassau County Department of Public Works staff did the honor: