Ryder Cup Pod (No. 2)

I went on the NLU podcast this week to discuss — what else? — the 2025 Ryder Cup with Tron, Soly and Jamie Weir. This was our second of a TBD number of pods on Bethpage, which I know some folks get absolutely sick of but could not fascinate me more.

Here’s why.

I was thinking on vacation about how the Ryder Cup is the most fun thing in the world to yell about because you’re basically trying to construct a team for just five games, and you could argue there are 1 million ways that should be done.

There’s nothing really like that in sports. Maybe, what, Olympic basketball? But that always feels less controversial because the 10th, 11th and 12th guys barely play, and if they’re playing poorly, they don’t have to play at all. Not the case with the Ryder Cup. It’s just such a fascinating exercise that everyone (who pays attention) has a legitimate opinion on. There’s no facsimile for it.

Other highlights during this pod.

• Jamie perfectly describing how the European team has developed a … boy’s club.

• TC getting steep on Matti Schmid as a legit 12th option for Europe.

• Soly and I attempting to talk ourselves into Jackson Koivun.

• Soly talking me back into having Cantlay on the team.

• The three Americans on this pod trying (unsuccessfully) to figure out why the event means more to European fans (and players) than it does to Americans.

• Tron saying that if Phil is ever the captain, he would take the winner of the Creator Classic as his 12th man, meaning that Soly could feasibly actually play in one of these someday.

Whole thing was a blast, as it always with these guys when we get together to hoot and holler about a ridiculous three-day event that happens every two years.