Hole 6: Battle at Bethpage

The first week of fall always feels different. The air turns crisper, the sun sets a little earlier, and the frantic hustle and bustle of summer quiets down. Life shifts back into rhythm—school, work, routines. People always say there’s a certain “fall feeling,” and it’s true. Even here in San Diego, where it still feels like summer, you can sense that change. Back when I lived in New England, the shift was impossible to miss—the trees on fire with color, the smell of apple and pumpkin everywhere, and the annual reappearance of sweaters, leggings, and Ugg boots.

For golfers, it’s the season of quarter-zips, beanies, and pants. The PGA Tour season might be over, but that doesn’t mean golf is. Here in Southern California, we can play year-round. But this fall carries a different weight. There’s still one prize to be won. It’s a Ryder Cup year.

If you’re new to the Ryder Cup, think of it as golf’s World Cup. A battle every two years between the U.S. and Europe, alternating host courses across the Atlantic. This year, the battle heads to Bethpage Black on Long Island, New York, one of the toughest, if not THE toughest public golf courses in the U.S. There’s even a warning sign when you walk in.

Making a Ryder Cup team is an honor like no other. Players and fans know the lore of Ryder Cups past—the Miracle at Medinah, the Charge at Brookline, even 2023's "hatgate" controversy —and earning a spot adds something lasting to a player's resume and legacy. Six players earn their way through automatic qualification based on points; the rest wait, hoping for that life-changing call to fill one of the additional six captain’s pick roster spots. But the Ryder Cup isn’t about money, rankings, or personal glory. It’s about something bigger—pride of country.

Normally, golf is solitary. It’s you, your caddie, and your thoughts. No teammates to hype you up mid-round, no coach calling plays. Just you against the course, and often against yourself. But in the Ryder Cup, you’re part of something larger: twelve players, in a team competition, carrying the weight of a nation.

And there’s something about this Ryder Cup that feels different. Maybe because it’s in New York, less than an hour from Manhattan. That city’s electric energy seeps into everything.

Earlier this week, the Ryder Cup Instagram account posted a video that hit the feels pretty deep. Captain Keegan Bradley invited New York City firefighter Chris Mascali to speak to the U.S. team. Chris’ father, Joe, was among the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

I didn’t make it 10 seconds into that video before tearing up. Like so many Americans, I’ll never forget where I was that morning. I was a sophomore in high school in San Francisco. For me, it was still very early when the news broke, just after 6 a.m. I remember hearing it on my usual morning radio show while I got ready for school. At first, it felt far away, like something happening in another world. But when I ran and told my dad, the disbelief in his face made it real. And soon it was on every radio station, every TV channel, and in every conversation. My mom was in San Diego for a conference, stranded when every flight in the country was grounded. She eventually found her way home by carpooling in a rental car with a coworker. At school, classes stopped. TVs rolled into classrooms, and we sat together, watching, processing, grieving… just stunned.

It was one of the darkest days in American history. And yet, out of the grief, came unity. We stood together in compassion, in resolve, in love of country. I’m not naïve to think it was perfect. Many communities, Muslim communities in particular, or ones that “looked” similar, faced a lot prejudice and discrimination, but for a time, there was also a deeper sense of solidarity. A refusal to let hate win.

That’s why Chris Mascali’s words to the team landed so heavily. His story is more than personal loss. It’s a reminder of what pride of country really means. In tragedy, we found strength in unity. And while golf is just a game, the Ryder Cup mirrors that spirit. Twelve individuals coming together, carrying the same flag, fighting for the same purpose, the chants of “USA, USA, USA” from the grandstands pulsating through every bone in their body. And the New York crowd will let you hear it.

And to do it just a stone’s throw from New York City—a city like no other in the world, where the impossible feels possible, where dreams become reality, and where the spirit of resilience runs deep—makes this Ryder Cup something truly special.

I can’t wait to tune in to see how it unfolds. If you’ve never watched a Ryder Cup, I encourage you to tune in. It’s a feeling like nothing else, and if you’re already a lover of the game, that feeling will grow exponentially.

Let’s go U.S.A!

Photo: Team USA listening to inspirational words from FDNY Lieutenant Chris Mascali (Rydercup.com)

Team U.S.A and Team Europe at the pre-event gala (Golfweek.com)