#ryder-cup

#ryder-cup

I feel a bit sorry for Americans. They don't go through enough national sporting despair. OK, they had an invigorating shot of misery last Sunday night losing the Ryder Cup, but that was a rare thing for them. It's rare because they're so dominant in all the team sports they really care about, not least because their biggest team sports certainly NFL and baseball aren't played by anyone else.

13-year-old Irish teenager Milo Lennon has suddenly found himself the owner of one of the great pieces of Irish sporting memorabilia this week after he was presented with the ball from Shane Lowry's iconic and instantly memorable Ryder Cup retaining putt at Bethpage in New York on Sunday.

Tom Watson, a legend of American golf, has apologised to Europe's Ryder Cup contingent for the behaviour of spectators at Bethpage Black while admitting he was ashamed of what played out in the galleries. A dramatic European retention of the trophy, 15-13, was overshadowed by abusive behaviour towards visiting players and their families. Watson's comments come after Rory McIlroy confirmed his wife, Erica, was hit by a beer thrown by a fan.

'That shot,' the man said, 'was poo!' His jeer came during the afternoon matches on the first day of competition at the Ryder Cup, from within a crush of spectators craning their necks to see the 14th hole. The days before the event, friends and colleagues warned me, a golf novice, to expect the kind of taunting and rowdiness that ended up making headlines as the tournament progressed.

Alongside the highs of Team Europe's win at the Ryder Cup was the sour taste left by golf fans shouting abuse and throwing objects at not just the players, but also family members like Rory McIlroy's wife What on earth was happening at the Ryder Cup?

I don't think we should ever accept that in golf, said McIlroy. I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week. Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. It teaches you how to respect people.

play DeChambeau in middle of heated argument between USA and Europe (0:53) Bryson DeChambeau gets into it with Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, while Scottie Scheffler's caddie also gets involved. (0:53) Team USA will have to make a historic comeback to win the 2025 Ryder Cup. The 12-5 deficit to Team Europe is the largest going into the final day since 1979. No team has rallied on Sunday from anything greater than a four-point deficit.

How much money is premier golf, questionable outfits, specialty cocktails, and almost unfathomable traffic worth? At this year's Ryder Cup, I made it my mission to find out. I went to the biennial Europe vs. USA golf tournament on Friday with a media ticket, but everyone else had to buy their way in unless they snagged a corporate invite. Pre-sale tickets for the event went live almost a year ago, starting at $749.51 for entrance on Friday.

The world number one became the first player since 1967 to lose all four matches in the opening four sessions as Europe put themselves on the verge of a historic victory, leading 11.5-4.5 going into the final day. After opening day defeats in the fourballs and foursomes, Scheffler again returned empty-handed on Saturday with another double loss. The 29-year-old, playing with Russell Henley, suffered a one-hole defeat to Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland in the morning foursomes, to make it a 100 per cent loss record from his four outings in that format.

The United States will be favored going into the 45th Ryder Cup, with sportsbooks giving the Americans a slight edge over the talented European team by virtue of the notoriously rowdy Ryder Cup gallery. USA holds -150 odds to Europe's +150, with the tie showing +1200 on the three-way Tournament Winner line, according to ESPN BET lines. The United States maintains those same odds in the two-way To Lift The Trophy market,