Keegan Bradley’s declaration to ‘kick Team Europe’s a–‘ at Bethpage said, losing in their backyard hadn’t ever crossed Team USA’s mind. More so, when those words appeared in bold on the walls of the locker room. But if anyone could hand Americans a sting in their home course, it was this Luke Donald’s class.

Camaraderie and experience on their side, Team Europe was poised to bring competitive validation to a tournament that had made home wins an unsaid rule. But when that turned into a reality, ‘what went wrong’ became the primary quest for those on the losing side. NBC Sports analyst Johnson Wagner was one among them. 

“Wednesday, before we had the rains on Thursday, the greens were firm. They were bouncing. They were fast. We didn’t have much rain on Thursday for them to stay soft all week long. I am convinced somebody was out there, putting water on the greens,” he said on the Fried Egg Golf channel. 

“I’m convinced that Europe went out and flooded them every night. Maybe they hand-watered every green. I’ve played Bethpage 15–25 times, and I’ve never seen those greens behave that way.”

Team Europe’s 15-13 win on Sunday marked the first away win for either side since 2012. Team USA had lost at the Medinah Country Club back then, despite a comfortable lead of 10-6 by the end of Day 2. But 2025 came nowhere close, entering the singles matches trailing 11.5 – 4.5. The blame is all being placed on the course.

That is one advantage the home team enjoys in the Ryder Cup, apart from the roaring crowd. Back in 1957, Dai Reese had stopped the fairways and greens from being watered, making them firmer and faster. The British won that year. In 2018, Team Europe analysed that their opponents had more long hitters while theirs featured straight. The course was set in accordance: graduated rough and spectators placed far from the fairway; it was a winning formula.

Keegan Bradley held the cards this time.

Bethpage Black is brutal, and it is no secret. The narrow fairways and the thick rough demand accuracy, testing tee-to-green. It is the kind that the US Open uses to punish misses. But Captain Bradley tried to optimise it to Team USA’s advantage.

He went for wider fairways and short rough (2 inches), making it ideal for long hitters like Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young. But also capitalizing on it were Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, who just slid through the first four rounds. It became a putting game in no time. But what added to their problem was the rains and the watering, as Wagner mentioned.

It indeed did rain heavily on Thursday, and no, it wasn’t the Europeans at play when the greens remained soft in the following days. Instead, the course was watered thoroughly to ensure it remained in shape, leading up to the event.

The soft greens took away the thrill of the up and down, slowing the ball. Accuracy mattered less and less.

The rain and Bradley’s choice of course just weren’t the right match for Team USA, and the captain admitted his regrets as much. “I definitely made a mistake on the course setup. I should have listened a little bit more to my intuition. For whatever reason, that wasn’t the right way to set the course up,” he said following the loss. “The greens were as soft as I’ve ever seen greens without it raining. Especially here, it can get pretty firm, and they never firmed up.”

On the other hand, Europe’s captain, Luke Donald, rather than relying on altering the course through placing pins on softer greens, focused on course management and player strengths, which was the ultimate deciding factor. Keith Pelley also added on this topic, “While he was worrying about that, ours was creating a plan that was methodically thought out and looked like he’s executed it flawlessly,” he said. 

By prioritizing data-driven adjustments, Team US neutralized the playing field of Bethpage Black being a tough course, giving away their advantage.