00:00The Ryder Cup coming to Long Island this week, and there may be no bigger stage than the iconic Bethpage Black.
00:06And this week, the eyes of the golf world, they turn to a course known for its tough layout, its New York crowd, and its ability to test even the best players in the world.
00:14So to help us break it all down from how the course is setting up to the strategy on that shortened first hole to which team might have the edge here, and even how the weather could impact the competition,
00:26we're joined by New York Post sports columnist, my guy Mark Canizzaro joins me now from Bethpage Black.
00:32Mark, how you doing, sir?
00:33I'm doing great, Dex. Good talking to you. I haven't seen you in too long.
00:36I know. It's been a while. Always good to talk some golf with you. We get to talk about the Ryder Cup.
00:40And I guess the question I think for a lot of people when it comes to the course here at Bethpage Black is, how is the course setting up for this year's Ryder Cup?
00:48You know, as the golf fans around here know, they've had three major championships here.
00:53They had the 2002 U.S. Open, the 2009 U.S. Open, and in 2019, the PGA Championship, which I think you mentioned you were at.
01:00So those course setups were much more difficult than the course is set up now.
01:07You know, U.S. Open is known for having its high, thick, rough, ankle deep.
01:11You miss a fairway, you're just hacking it out.
01:14You know, the PGA was set up similarly. Maybe the rough wasn't quite as high, but it was thick.
01:18Like, Ryder Cup fans don't want to watch guys chopping balls out of the rough sideways just to get back into play.
01:26Ryder Cup fans want birdies.
01:28And Keegan Bradley, who's the U.S. captain, and the home captain gets to set the course up the way he wants it, you know, in theory, as an advantage to his team.
01:40So Keegan's got the rough way down.
01:43I don't think it's going to be a factor at all if you miss a fairway, unless you blow it way, way too far right or left.
01:49So it's going to be a bomber's paradise out here, and it's set up for birdies.
01:52And that's what Keegan Bradley wants, because, you know, there's going to be a massive, vociferous crowd here, obviously, you know, in full throat, rooting for the Americans to take the Ryder Cup home.
02:05And the only thing that excites them even more is birdies, you know, and birdies win holes, and holes make for points.
02:14So that's what it's set up for.
02:17I think it's going to be really exciting, and, you know, it's – listen, these two teams are so evenly matched, and quite frankly, they're all – almost all of them are long hitters.
02:29So, you know, years back, it used to be the Americans were always the longer-hitting team, and the Europeans much more accurate, maybe a little shorter.
02:37That's not necessarily the case.
02:39The Euros are probably a little more accurate off the tee in terms of their, you know, strength, you know, straight.
02:44But they're all big hitters now.
02:46I mean, quite frankly, a lot of the bunkers you saw in 2019, Dexter, you know, off the – you know, the fairway bunkers, they're not even going to come into play for these guys.
02:55They're just blowing them right over that stuff, you know, so it'll be fun.
02:58It'll be fun.
02:59That shows you the evolution of the golfers and game, also, obviously, the evolution of this course here this week.
03:05And, look, more birdies, always good and fun for us as golf fans and the players, too.
03:09Now, when you talk about the players here, there's been a lot of talk about the first hole here at Best Page Black.
03:14How are players going to approach this short and first hole this week?
03:18Because it's going to be a different challenge.
03:20Some players are going to embrace that.
03:21Some players won't.
03:22How are they going to approach that short and first hole, Mark?
03:24Well, it's going to be strategic, Dexter.
03:26Now, Dexter, let me – so what's happened with the first hole, for anybody of our listeners who have been to Best Page Black or played it,
03:34what they did for this Ryder Cup was they moved the tee box – you know, the first hole is a dogleg right.
03:42There's a bunch of trees on the right that kind of protect, you know, you're trying to cut the corner.
03:47So what they've done is they've actually taken the tee box and moved it probably 30 yards to the left,
03:52maybe more, 30 or 40 yards to the left, more toward where the 18th green is.
03:57And they did that mostly for a fan-viewing situation because most of the – they want a huge grandstand behind one,
04:05and they want one behind 18 as well, right?
04:08But most of the matches are not going to get to 18.
04:10I mean, it's rare.
04:11I don't know what the percentage is, but you're not going to see a ton of matches that are getting all the way to the 18th hole.
04:16So what they've done is they've kind of – in moving the first tee over to the left a little bit,
04:23now they've made it so they can have a gigantic grandstand that envelopes 18 green and one tee.
04:30I just actually came back from there.
04:32They had the opening ceremonies over there a little while ago, which is kind of cool to see.
04:36So now what you have, it's made the hole a little bit easier because it's – the dogleg is not quite as pronounced.
04:43It's a little bit shorter because the tee is a little further up.
04:45So it's going to be tantalizing for some guys, and we've been watching guys in the practice rounds,
04:50Bryson, Rory, taking it over those trees and going for the green, trying to reach the green in one,
04:56or at worst, you know, ending up in one of those green side bunkers, which doesn't bother those guys at all.
05:03So – but here's where the strategy comes into play.
05:05I think in the four ball, which is to each player – you know, each player from the team hitting his own ball
05:13and his own shot, you may see one guy play it safe and just put a ball in the middle of the fairway.
05:20And then that second guy, if the first guy is safe, can try to bomb it, try to get close.
05:26The interesting dynamic will come in the foursomes play, which is the alternate shot.
05:30I think that's just going to be a feel situation, you know.
05:34I mean, if Bryson DeChambeau is going to be teeing off one, for example, I'm going to think he's going to go for it
05:41and then, you know, hopefully put his partner in a good spot to just chip on from close to the green
05:47or splash out of a bunker or whatever.
05:49So, it's going to be a very fun strategic back and forth there for both of these teams.
05:55And, I mean, I recommend anybody that has tickets to just post up on that grandstand
06:00and watch the boys tee off on ones, both in the Friday morning session
06:05and in the afternoon when they go off with a four ball.
06:09So, it's a – number one is going to be a very fun, pivotal, early, you know, strategic play, if you will.
06:16Yeah, it's going to be very interesting.
06:18If you want to see that at the first hole, you've got to get there early for those seats
06:21because that's going to be filled up pretty quickly.
06:24You know that there, Mark.
06:25But when you look at this course, which of these teams, U.S. or the Europeans, the Americans or the Europeans,
06:31who has the advantage playing in a course like this?
06:34I don't really – you know, I mean, in theory, as I mentioned before,
06:38the home captain gets to decide how the course is set up.
06:42So, I suppose maybe in theory you could say it favors the U.S. a little bit because of the lower rough.
06:50I mean, the U.S. has been strangled in past Ryder Cups, you know, in 2018 in France
06:56where the fairways were super narrow.
06:57It was a lot of rough.
06:58You know, same thing in Rome two years ago.
07:01So, you know, that was a little bit of a detriment to the U.S.
07:05But as I said before, I mean, all these guys are so long now, you know,
07:08so it's not a pronounced advantage, but I'd say, you know,
07:11it's got to be a little bit of an advantage to the Americans.
07:14And, of course, the biggest advantage to the Americans is going to be the home crowd.
07:18You know, I mean, the home crowd is going to be – I mean, Beth Page is electric for major championships
07:22when people are just rooting for their particular player that they want.
07:27Right.
07:27It's going to be off the rails this week, you know, with the American USA chants and all that.
07:33And I'm sure it'll be a little bit of heckling for Rory, who's kind of, you know,
07:36made himself a bit of a target and a polarizing figure on the European side.
07:40So, yeah, I think more than anything physical on the golf course,
07:44I think the advantage is really more of the crowd.
07:46Yeah, no, the crowd will be definitely pumped up for this one here at Beth Page Black.
07:50And I guess my last thing I have here, Mark, and this kind of goes to a previous job I worked at
07:55as a time when I was a national weather reporter.
07:57But I've got to ask, how is weather going to play a part in this year's Ryder Cup
08:01when you look at the forecast this weekend and how it can play for all the players
08:04and also the course?
08:06How does weather play a factor here at this year's tournament?
08:09You had to get the weather in, didn't you?
08:10Had to.
08:10I had to.
08:11I had to get it in.
08:12It's in your blood, you know?
08:13Yeah, it was for a little bit.
08:15It was for a little bit.
08:17You know, I think what it's going to do – and you don't like to see it
08:21because you want a course to be as hard and fast and fiery.
08:24Right.
08:24It makes for better golf, more exciting golf.
08:26So what it's going to do, and it looks like it's going to be pretty much of a washout tomorrow,
08:31it's going to soften the golf course up.
08:33It's going to make what already is a long golf course longer
08:37because you're not going to get a lot of roll.
08:40And to what we were just talking about, about going for the green on one, for example,
08:45you know, if it's a wet course, you know, the players might be less inclined
08:49to take that chance to take it over those trees and leave it in some soggy place
08:53where maybe it doesn't get over the trees, clear all the trees, or whatever.
08:56So it might take a little bit away from the thrill of holes like number one,
09:01you know, when you want to be going for the green.
09:03So it just lengthens the course, basically, because, you know,
09:08you're going to have some plug lies probably,
09:10and you're not going to get forward roll off of tee shots and whatnot.
09:14Yeah, going to be interesting to see how weather plays a factor,
09:17how the players do here at Best Page Black.
09:19We've got the Ryder Cup, Mark Canazaro, our great sports columnist.
09:23He's going to be all over it.
09:25It's already been a long week leading up here to the Ryder Cup.
09:28Mark, enjoy yourself the Ryder Cup.
09:31I know you want to see if the Americans can come out on top here,
09:33and we will talk soon throughout the competition.
09:36Sounds good, Dex.
09:37Good talking to you.
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