Ryder Cup concerns, Brooke Henderson, LIV broadcasts

Every week, check out the unfiltered views of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in sports, and join the conversation by tweeting us. @golf_com. This week, we discuss Ryder Cup concerns, Brooke Henderson’s Evian Championship win, LIV broadcasts, and more.

1. Elimination from the Ryder Cup Europe henry stenson as its captain in 2023 after Stenson was among the last group of professionals to join LIV Golf. At this point, how worried should the governing bodies of the US and European Ryder Cup teams be that their main event could be watered down? What is the solution?

Dylan Dethier, Senior Writer (@dylan_dethier): I think his biggest concern should be the fact that the players whose careers have been most defined by the Ryder Cup (think Sergio and Poulter) were so willing to quit, and now Stenson was willing to go back on his word and give up. the captaincy as well. Rory and Rahm’s European core remains eligible, and most of their top young pros are, too. But worryingly, the Ryder Cup cache won’t hold up to a bucket of gold bricks. It will be interesting to see if they maintain that line.

Josh Sens, Senior Writer (@joshsens): Losing Stenson, Poulter and the like doesn’t significantly dilute the Ryder Cup, as those players’ Ryder Cup careers were left behind. But the balance feels very precarious. If the biggest and youngest names continue to jump into LIV, the Ryder Cup as we know it will feel radically changed.

James Colgan, Assistant Editor (@jamescolgan26): Okay Dylan! I saw someone ask the other day who was left among the Europeans to captain a Ryder Cup team…and I don’t know the answer! And on the American side, who but Phil will captain them at Bethpage on the 25th? What a hornet’s nest the powers that be have gotten into.

Josh Berhow, Editorial Director (@Josh_Berhow): They should be worried. The Ryder Cup always seemed untouchable to me. When the LIV defections started, I didn’t think those players would be key in the Ryder Cuppers, at least not the ones with several good years in the event. But as LIV picks up steam, I’m starting to think the Ryder Cup could get more of a hit. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future. A watered-down Ryder Cup hurts a bit, but I don’t see the US PGA giving up.

two. Brooke Henderson she won the Evian Championships to claim the second major title of her career, and now, at just 24 years old, she is the first Canadian-born player (male or female) to win multiple major titles. Does this feat alone make her the best player born in Canada? And you’re taking the over/under in 4.5 majors from Henderson?

Thier: oh boy. Kudos to Henderson for righting the ship on Sunday (after an early four-putt!) and doing some really big things down the stretch. Birdies at 14, 15 and 18? Hell yeah. I will resist becoming a prisoner of the moment and take the bass. Four majors for Henderson, when all is said and done. I would gladly be wrong!

senses: It makes her the most successful Canadian player. But she would probably pick Moe Norman or Mike Weir in a theoretical match. I’ll take the under at 4.5 because winning is tough. How long has Rory been stuck in four again?

Pendant: Someone call punters, we need a line wrap! I’ll take the low at 4.5 majors and the high at 3.5.

Berhow: I couldn’t believe he was only 24 when I looked him up today. It was a pretty entertaining win with all the necessary ups and downs, but I think he has a lot more great things to show us. Give me the envelope.

3. NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley confirmed in a interview with him New York Post who recently met with Greg Norman to discuss a role in Norman’s broadcast of the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series. While Barkley has not publicly committed to anything, David Feherty has announced that he will be leaving NBC for LIV, and a golf summary report confirmed that Gary McCord has also been in talks. What would this team do to be interested in the league? Would interest from a newcomer like Barkley help?

Thier: It would increase entertainment value, though not necessarily golfing credibility. Barkley has been a welcome addition to Match broadcasts and can shake up golf’s overly heavy defaults. So yes, Barkley may add to the “exhibit” feel, but it would help spark interest. How many members of the media have better or less predictable quotes?

senses: There isn’t a more entertaining broadcaster in any sport, so yes, Barkley would move the needle. But I think we’re still at the point with LIV where every move still fits with people’s confirmation biases. For LIV supporters, landing at Barkley would seem like an extra boost in mass-market appeal. Anti-LIVers would see it as further proof that LIV is deeply funded but streamlined golf. Each side digging into their heels.

Pendant: I think the biggest question about: Chuck is whether it took seven figures to go to LIV or eight. (I think the answer is eight). Adding Chuck *does* help the league’s credibility with the golfing public, but maybe that’s the point? LIV seems more focused on ‘winning’ with Gen Z, but is it worth sacrificing everyone else to do it?

Berhow: One of my biggest problems with LIV Golf is that it will be extremely difficult to get the fans, the media (and the players?) to care who wins. There are 54 holes, it has a strange course and it still seems like an exhibition to me. And adding Sir Charles to that mix seems even more of a display. Maybe that will go away eventually. But it would be an eye-catching hire, which I think LIV would count as a big win.

4. The USGA organized the first US Adaptive Open this week in Pinehurst, NC The 54-hole event featured a field of 96 players (both men and women), each of whom had a disability. The hope, USGA CEO Mike Whan told GOLF, is to raise the profile of disability golf in the United States, starting with its inclusion in the Paralympics. Why was this week an important development for the sport in general?

Thier: Because they took it seriously. (James Colgan told the story beautifully from the site.) The USGA gets a lot of attention, but this was a concrete example of doing something innovative and doing it well. I’m allergic to the phrase “grow the game”, but this certainly moved it forward.

Sens: Exactly. Mishandled, it might have seemed misleading or condescending. It was beautiful and inspiring. But also serious and sustainable.

Pendant: I can’t begin to tell you how many families and players have told me they had no idea handicapped golf *existed* until they started playing. That is an incredible problem and hopefully one that will cease to exist if this event helps bring adapted golf to the Paralympics.

Berhow: James did a great job telling us stories while he was there, and it’s only going to get bigger as he gets more exposure. It’s also great to see it all happen in a place like Pinehurst. Incredible athletes.

5. The 245-yard fifth par 3 at Anstruther, on the fairway of St. Andrews in Scotland, is a nightmare and was once even rated the toughest par 3 by a British golf magazine. (Some of our employees put it to the test.) What is the most difficult hole you have played?

Thier: The first hole at Gamble Sands in central Washington, where I played US Open qualifiers last summer after a few years away from any type of tournament competition. He was playing over 500 yards, which made him a beefy par 4. I hit a weak push off the tee, missed the ball and hit an 8. It was a reminder that he is often more the artist than the canvas. A nervous golfer can make any hole difficult.

senses: The nerves I felt on the first tee of the 1994 Masters were so intense that… Wait. That was not me. But this was in a field called Dinosaur Trail in Drumheller, in western Canada. It cuts through a wild, badland-like landscape, a bit like Wolf Creek in Mesquite, Nevada, but more extreme in places. As I recall, a couple of holes had fairways as wide as sidewalks with steep inclines on both sides. By the time I got to the back nine, I was convinced I was in Candid Camera. This couldn’t be a real course. Someone had to be kidding me.

Pendant: I think I need to play with you more, Sens. Scariest hole of my life? Probably the fifth 100-yard par 3 at my old place of work, Rockville Links. Most hours of the day, the hole is a cupcake, an upturned wedge over a man-made lake, but that all changes at dinnertime. The hole overlooks the clubhouse patio, which is usually packed in the early evening (coincidentally, at the same time the caddies were allowed to sneak out for 9 p.m. twilight). From the tee, I was never more than a wedge away from the end of a poor diner’s life and my looping run.

Berhow: Every hole in Oakmont. Also, during a family vacation a few years ago, I escaped to the Top of the World Golf Club a few hours north of New York City. I don’t remember the hole number, but it’s a par 4 with an almost exact 90 degree turn about 200 yards off the tee. It’s surrounded by trees, so you have to get your tee shot into an extremely small window there or you’ll be forced to hit at a better angle. From there, it’s a downhill shot that isn’t necessarily hard, but getting to Position A is tough. Although maybe that’s not necessarily a difficult hole. It may be more peculiar.

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