Ryder Cup festivities for the U.S. and European teams and their significant others kicked off last Tuesday with a welcome dinner at Hempstead House, a 50,000-square-foot, Tudor-style mansion just 24 miles from Bethpage Black.
The American players, led by captain Keegan Bradley, stepped out in classic black suits, unconventionally skipping the ties in favor of plain white dress shirts accompanied by white sneakers. The European men, led by captain Luke Donald donned black suits and ties with grey-and-white striped dress shirts and black leather loafers. READ MORE
Eli Manning landed a fade within 5 feet but missed the putt, Bobby Flay cooked up a birdie, John McEnroe and José Andrés mugged for pictures with red, white and blue-clad fans and Catherine Zeta-Jones curtseyed on the tee box as the crowd serenaded her on the eve of her 56th birthday.
Those were some of the scenes last Wednesday at the All-Star Celebrity Matches at the Ryder Cup, a light-hearted, laugh-filled 11-hole event at Bethpage Black pitting U.S. and European stars from the stage, screen, sports and culinary worlds.
Teams of two per side squared off in a modified scramble format on the golf course’s opening and closing stretches. Winning a hole earned a point. A tie was worth a half-point per side.
The U.S. won, 25-19, earning early bragging rights before the pros teed it up on Friday. READ MORE
Actors Will Ferrell and Luke Wilson will star in an upcoming Netflix comedy series set in the world of pro golf, it was revealed last Friday.
The series will feature Ferrell playing a fictional golf legend and Wilson portraying “a pro golfer who rivals Ferrell’s character, having beaten him for the tour championship twice,” according to the official character description.
Netflix has ordered 10 episodes of the series, but there’s no word yet on when it will premiere. Coincidentally, Wilson’s brother, Owen, plays a former pro golfer in the Apple TV+ series “Stick.” READ MORE
Tap-Ins
Rolex has entered a new five-year partnership with Golf Australia, encompassing the men’s and women’s Australian Opens, and an expanded partnership with the PGA of Australia incorporating the Australian WPGA Championship. READ MORE
Pebble Beach Company is the recipient of First Tee’s Lifetime Achievement Award, it was announced last Tuesday. The honor recognizes the company’s commitment to supporting First Tee’s mission of building future leaders through golf. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity