The 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black was one of the most heated editions in the competition’s history, and Ben Griffin had a front-row seat for it all.
Griffin was chosen as one of Keegan Bradley’s six captain’s picks after a strong season on the PGA Tour. Many expected him to play a bigger role for Team USA than he did.
In the end, the 29-year-old only appeared in two matches, which surprised many given how well he had been playing that year.
He split those two matches, but his win in Sunday singles helped spark a late surge from Team USA. He edged out Rasmus Hojgaard 1 up as the Americans closed the gap on Europe.
Griffin spoke about how poorly some European players were treated by fans during the week and said he apologised to Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood during Friday four-ball matches.
Ben Griffin reflects on U.S. Ryder Cup loss at Bethpage Black
The two-time PGA Tour winner was full of energy ahead of the matchup with Europe at Bethpage. Playing alongside Bryson DeChambeau in the four-ball, he didn’t quite hit the level he was hoping for.
Griffin spoke about what it meant to be part of Team USA at Bethpage in September. “Yeah, incredible,” he said. “It’s really cool to be inside those locker rooms and just see how much support there is from not only previous players but captains and people just involved with the game.
“I felt like every time I was having dinner or in a locker room I was just surrounded by some of the greats around this sport and they’re invaluable experiences.
“It’s so cool as a rookie to be able to experience this for the first time. I hear guys talk about how they don’t want to miss another Ryder Cup and it makes a lot of sense after getting to experience my first one. It’s so cool. The camaraderie, it’s one week of the year really other than maybe Zurich where it’s really one week of the year where you have multiple players and you all have a common goal and you’re trying to achieve it together. So you’re giving advice, you’re helping each other, you’re trying to understand each other’s games.”
“When we compete on Tour, yeah, we have a common goal of trying to win a tournament but no one’s going to give anyone advice, you’re on your own and you’re trying to win it yourself. So it’s really cool to have just so much support for a week from not only teammates, but captains, family, wives and then also the fans. It’s indescribable.”
Keegan Bradley missed the chance to use Ben Griffin more at the Ryder Cup
Bradley made a number of errors during his time as US Ryder Cup captain. One of the most noticeable was pairing Collin Morikawa and Harris English together in the foursomes on both Friday and Saturday, a decision that didn’t pay off.
He also gave Russell Henley control over tee shots on odd-numbered holes, which raised a few eyebrows.
But something that hasn’t been talked about as much is how little he used Griffin in those first two days. He played just one out of four sessions, despite coming in with solid form.
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With the team struggling early on, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see him get another shot either later in the day or even during Saturday’s sessions.
If Bradley had shown a bit more confidence in Griffin, things might have played out differently at Bethpage Black.
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