By Hank Gola
There are plenty of ways to get into the Ryder Cup without getting into Bethpage Black.
Rockefeller Center’s Center Plaza and Rink will be the hub of Cup-related activity as the site of the Ryder Cup Live Fan Zone, free to the public from September 25–28 and open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be several areas to take in the action on video boards, a putting challenge, and a Ryder Cup Live Bar featuring duel-themed European and American cocktails.
“Ryder Cup Live provides unprecedented opportunities for spectators to take part in the spirit of the Ryder Cup,” says Jeff Price, PGA of America chief commercial and philanthropy officer.
In partnership with Jack Morton, select bars and restaurants across Manhattan and Long Island will host official watch parties, where fans can share in the spirited atmosphere that makes the Ryder Cup special.
Prior to Ryder Cup week at Bethpage, the public can access the Ryder Cup Shops, just inside the main spectator entrance, during a four-day grand opening from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. September 19–22. No ticket is required, and parking is complimentary at 99 Quaker Meeting House Road. The PGA of America is also offering Ryder Cup Live Ultimate Watch Party and At-Home Fan Kits for those who want to bring the action into their living rooms. Details can be found on the Ryder Cup website.
You can’t win them all. St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, N.J., nearly disproved that adage by winning everything short of the national championship in July. Even then, freshman Rory Asselta, the New Jersey Player of the Year, captured individual honors at the PGA National High School Invitational at Pinehurst Resort.
Over the course of the 2025 regular season, the Green Knights won every nine-hole match they played and every one of the nine 18- or 36-hole tournaments they entered, including the NJSIAA Tournament of Campions by 15 shots. What’s more, a St. Joe’s golfer won individual honors in every one of those tournaments, with Rory Asselta winning seven, his older brother Michael one, and senior Liam Maloney the other. Rory and Maloney went 1-2 at the T of C. Coach Kevin Rooney’s squad also included C.J. Antifonario and Justin Peck.
The incredible run ended with a fifth-place finish out of 55 teams at the PGA Nationals, where Rory Asselta shot 65-66-69 to finish 16-under for the 54-hole tournament, one shot ahead of Jake Albert, a senior from Blacksburg (Va.) High who will be playing his golf at Auburn this year.
“That’s pretty dominant. That's crazy,” Asselta says of SJR’s year. “And then down in Pinehurst, it was so much fun representing St. Joseph against all of these great teams from around the country. Being together as a team one last time before Liam goes to college was so much fun. Just even outside of golf, everything that we did, like we had a ton of putting contests, played The Cradle (short course), that was just awesome.”
Asselta has been visiting Pinehurst with his family since he was 7, so he was familiar with the courses (Nos. 5, 6, and 8) used for the tournament.
“I was just coming off of an AJGA event in West Virginia, and I had a bad last day there to lose the tournament,” he says.
The victory earned Asselta exemptions into the 2025 Junior PGA Championships at Purdue University and the 2026 North & South Junior Amateur at Pinehurst. He’s also hoping for a round with Chris Gotterup. They share the same coach, Jason Birnbaum, at Manhattan Woods. Birnbaum sees comparisons but Asselta isn’t looking too far unto the future.
“I think about college a lot but after that, we’ll see what happens,” he says.