Eleven out of 12 victorious members of the 2023 Europe team will be gearing up for a vociferous reception when they take on Team USA at the Ryder Cup 2025 at Bethpage Black.
Leading the European challenge will be reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy, whose emotional play-off victory over Justin Rose at Augusta National completed a career Grand Slam.
Europe captain Luke Donald has put his trust in a star-studded group that includes England's sixth-ranked Tommy Fleetwood, who won last month's Tour Championship for his first PGA victory; Scotland's ninth-ranked US Open runner-up Robert MacIntyre, Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard, 14th-ranked Rose and England's Tyrrell Hatton from LIV Golf.
On the home side will be top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, two-time major winners Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau, US Open winner JJ Spaun and fellow Ryder Cup rookie Russell Henley and Harris English.
Captain Keegan Bradley made the “extremely difficult” decision to focus on his captain's duties and not play in the Ryder Cup.
Bradley's strong season – including a victory at the Traveller's Championship and six other top-10 finishes – sparked speculation he would choose himself and become the first US playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
US Ryder Cup team, from top left, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English, Ben Griffin, Russell Henley. Bottom left Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, J. J. Spaun, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young. AP
Teams
USA: Keegan Bradley (captain), Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns,
Europe: Luke Donald (captain), Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Rasmus Hojgaard, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick.
European Ryder Cup players, from top left, Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Rasmus Hojgaard, Viktor Hovland. Bottom left, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose. Sepp Straka. AP
Format
Two-man teams will play four matches of foursomes (alternate shot) and four matches of fourballs (better ball) on Friday and Saturday. For the final session on Sunday, there will be 12 singles matches.
All matches that end in a tie after 18 holes result in a half-point for each team.
Europe hold the Ryder Cup and needs only to win 14 points to retain the trophy. The Americans will need 14 1/2 points to win the Ryder Cup.
Venue
The Ryder Cup will be played at the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Long Island, New York. It is a course that dates to 1936 and is regarded as the strongest taxpayer-owned golf course in the country.
It was refurbished to host the US Open in 2002 (won by Tiger Woods) and in 2009 (won by Lucas Glover). It has twice held a PGA Tour post-season event. And most recently it held the PGA Championship in 2019 (won by Brooks Koepka).
Schedule and how to watch in UAE
The Ryder Cup takes place from Friday, September 26 to Sunday. The tournament begins at 3.10pm UAE time. Sunday's matches begin at 8pm.
The tournament can be seen live on the Starzplay app in the UAE.
Record
The modern Ryder Cup dates to 1979 when continental Europe was added. Before that, golfers from Britain and later Ireland were included. Since then, Europe holds a 12-9-1 advantage.
The US has a 27-15-2 lead since the start of the Ryder Cup in 1927.
Special preparation
Captain Donald has said his European team will be prepared for the noise at Bethpage Black, the public course with the reputation for having among the rowdiest golf fans.
McIlroy said after the BMW PGA Championship that Donald handed players Virtual Reality equipment after a team gathering. It allows players to visualise the course while adjusting the noise – and insults – from outside the ropes.
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Scores
Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
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Know before you go
Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
