Latest news with #Bethpage
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Keegan Bradley faces Ryder Cup dilemma as US Team Captain's form causes awkward situation
United States skipper in form to be a player and not a captain Captain Keegan Bradley is making life tricky for himself and ex-Ryder Cup star Brad Faxon says he's perfect to play at Bethpage. The 38-year-old was selected to be skipper in September as the United States aim to rip back the trophy they lost to Europe in Rome. However, Bradley's form on the course continues to push him towards the awkward situation of being a potential member of the 12-man team. The 38-year-old is producing another top-class showing at The Memorial and sits in a tie for fourth heading into the final round. Bradley has veterans Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker as assistants available to step up to the captain's role and, although he says he won't pick himself, Faxon, who played in 1995 and 1997, says he has to be a contender if he keeps up current form. Rory McIlroy 's putting coach said: 'I've always thought this Keegan Bradley story is remarkable, 38 years old, the youngest captain since Arnold [Palmer] back in 1963. And, you know, he got that call from Seth Waugh last year to be the captain and it surprised him. 'He always says, look, I'm only going to play if I finish in the top six. Well, if he made it into the top 12, he would be picked by any other captain, certainly. "And if Seth had called him not to tell him, hey you're going to be the Ryder Cup captain, if he said, look, would you rather be captain or rather play at Bethpage, he'd say, play all day, wouldn't he? 'So I think Keegan needs to be like: I could be a big part of this team. And Keegan's a guy that he's versatile, he can play either format because he's such a good hitter of the ball. And he can play with any other player. 'There are certain times when you make a pick where that particular player is only good in one format, or only is good with one or two other players. "I think Captain Bradley would be a great player and you could easily say to any of those assistant captains, you can be the captain, let me play. And the PGA America would surely give him that spot.' Bradley is delighted with his work at Muirfield Village and said: 'I feel like I got myself back in the tournament. Proud of the way I played.' Faxon believes Bradley is going to face a tough job at Bethpage whether he is captain or playing due to the strength of Luke Donald' s European side. Speaking on the Smylie Show, he said: 'How does the LIV golfers, how do they be part of the team? You think about Jon Rahm, Tyrell Hatton adding to the European team, the firepower that they have and I think they'll be the deeper of the teams, it looks like.'
Daily Record
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Sergio Garcia sees Ryder Cup hopes hang by a thread after US Open misery
Spaniard is facing a race against form and time to make Bethpage Suffering Sergio Garcia' s Ryder Cup hopes are dangling by an even-thinner thread after his US Open failure. Europe's record points scorer is desperate to get to Bethpage in September for an 11th crack at the United States. But his latest letdown and inability to make it through to next month's US Open at Oakmont is another hugely damaging blow following his PGA Championship frustration. The former Masters champ missed the cut at Augusta in April before admitting moments after final round at Quail Hollow that he wouldn't accept a pick from captain Luke Donald if offered right now due to his poor form. Garcia immediately headed for Dallas to join 85 rivals competing to grab one of seven qualifying spots available from the 36-hole event at Bent Tree Country Club. Despite a strong first-round of 65, his second effort of 71 saw the LIV Golf ace miss out by a shot. That will see a run of 25 consecutive appearances at the tournament ended and now leave his last shot at a Major this term resting on making it through qualifiers for The Open at Royal Portrush. Although Garcia will head to Europe between LIV events to play DP World Tour events, Major performances are going to be key with skipper Luke Donald admitting last week in the build-up to the PGA that he and his staff would be looking closely at the big-four events in terms of picking their side. While talking about various aspects of how the team would be selected for Bethpage from those who do not make the automatic qualifiers, Donald said a number of factors would be taken into consideration and performance in Majors would be a vital component of the process. He said: 'We do have pretty in-depth data, even on the guys on LIV. So we can track, we know exactly how they're playing. "Then obviously the majors are important. I think that's the time when everyone gets together and on good golf courses, you have stacked fields. "And just to see how they're playing in those is another point that we take into consideration quite a lot.' You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
France 24
14-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Straka, Hovland, Aberg seek first major win, Ryder Cup spot
As three of the world's four highest-ranked players without a major victory, they seek a breakthrough win in the showdown at Quail Hollow starting Thursday while Donald studies talent for September's matches against the host Americans at Bethpage Black. "The majors are important," Donald said. "That's the time when everyone gets together on good golf courses and you have stacked fields. Just to see how they're playing in those is another point that we take into consideration quite a lot." Only four European golfers have ever won the PGA Championship: England's Jim Barnes in the 1916 inaugural and 1919, Irishman Padraig Harrington in 2008, Germany's Martin Kaymer in 2010 and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy in 2012 and 2014. Aberg is world number six, Straka is ranked ninth and Hovland is 11th. Only world number two McIlroy and Ireland's 10th-ranked Shane Lowry rate higher among Europeans. Among them, only Straka is in the top six in Cup qualifying points, which after August's British Masters will be used to select half the Europe team, joined by Donald's six captain's picks. Straka won January's PGA American Express tournament and captured last week's Truist Championship for his fourth career PGA Tour title to jump among the Cup points leaders. "The goal all year has been to make that team. Definitely was a little bit behind in the points," Straka said. "Hopefully I can keep playing well and be in the top six there by the end of the year." He expects a tough crowd of US supporters near New York. "I think the fans are going to be coming out in full support for the US and I think it's going to be fun but in a very different way," said Straka. "They're going to make it very challenging and it's going to be tough. Hopefully I can get my game in shape and keep it going through that time." For now, Straka hopes to stay under the radar despite two wins in 2025. "I'm a little bit shy," he said. "I definitely enjoy being under the radar a little more. It makes it maybe a little bit easier to prepare because you don't have all the eyeballs on you." 'Never want to miss it' Aberg, who had not seen Quail Hollow until a May 4 practice round, won his second PGA Tour title at Riviera in February. He was a runner-up at last year's Masters in his major debut. "The experiences I've had over the last two years have definitely helped me," Aberg said. "Ryder Cup in '23 definitely helped me because I was able to hang out with those guys I had really only seen on TV up until that point. "I want to be on the team this year as well... if you've ever been on one team, you never want to miss it again and that's how I feel about Bethpage this year." Hovland, a 27-year-old from Oslo, won the 2023 Tour Championship and PGA playoff crown but had not won since then until March's Valspar Championship. "I'm still not entirely happy with where I'm at," Hovland said. "I'm definitely trending in the right direction, but there's still just some stuff left in there that just doesn't allow me to play to the level I want." Hovland's best finish in 21 major starts was a runner-up effort at the 2023 PGA Championship.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley insists 'no one cares' about LIV rebels despite ongoing feud with PGA
Keegan Bradley says golf's ongoing political dramas will have no influence over his team selection for this year's Ryder Cup match. The US captain arranged a dinner for team hopefuls last week, with LIV rebels Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka both present. The PGA of America, which oversees the US side, has already confirmed that Bradley will have the freedom to pick his strongest players, irrespective of Tour affiliations, but there remains the question of abrasive feelings within the team at a time when merger talks have stalled. Bradley is evidently unconcerned. Speaking at the PGA Championship on Tuesday, he said: 'We invited Brooks and Bryson, and they were in there on points and they played on previous teams. It was great to have them there. 'This Ryder Cup and what comes with this, no one cares about what's going on in this side PGA Tour-LIV. We're trying to put the best team together. It could mean there's one LIV guy, two LIV guys, it doesn't matter. We'll see how this year shakes out. 'It was really great to have them together with all the guys. It's been a while since we've been able to do that.' Bradley added: 'We had that Ryder Cup dinner the other week, but we're working every day, every week for the guys for Bethpage. I know for me as a player, I loved going to these meetings because it started to get real, like this is coming. 'Even getting invited to a meeting like that is special because it means you could make the team. 'For a lot of the guys that are going to be on this team, they know these guys really well, which is a little different than the past, I think. They feel really comfortable.' Bradley's situation around the September match in New York is complicated by the possibility he might qualify by rights as a player. At 22nd in the US standings, it is not inconceivable that he would be one of the best 12 options for the showdown against Europe, though he has parked any thoughts in that direction. He said: 'It's different this year because my main job at the Ryder Cup is to be the captain. Right now I go about every day as the captain. I don't even think about me as a player at this point. 'If I get to the end of the year and I'm in that conversation, I'll change that. For now I have to operate every day as if I'm the captain and make decisions as the captain. I'm not thinking of myself as a player on the team at the moment.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Fiery Long Island SUV crash leaves three dead on Mother's Day
A fiery Long Island car wreck left three dead in an early-morning Mother's Day tragedy. The victims were driving a 2022 Dodge Durango near Bethpage State Park around 1 a.m. Sunday, when they slammed into a tree. Their car burst into flames, killing all three occupants in the head-on collision, Newsday reported. Bethpage Fire Department trucks rushed to the scene and doused the flames within five minutes of the crash, police said. The victims have not been identified, and it remains unclear what led to the wreck. Only one car was involved. An investigation remains ongoing.
