Category: Sports

The 2025 Ryder Cup Aftermath

The Fans, the Fans, the Fans; The Pitfalls of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Polices

Rory McIlroy ready to fight the fans after him and his wife were assaulted by fans at the 2025 Ryder Cup. Photo courtesy of totalprosports.com

After everything was said and done, the Europeans were crowned victorious at Bethpage Black. Not only did they retain the Cup, but they also won the matches 15 to 13 points.

The Americans mounted a comeback in Sunday singles matches, but they were climbing a very steep mountain due to their poor play on Friday and Saturday, and in the end, it was not enough to beat the Europeans.

Listening to the pundits on the radio and television, I knew the Monday morning quarterbacking was coming, and the blame game was in full force. I am sure there are many places to look at and assign blame, but the talk of the town has been: the fans.

Sure, the fans were obnoxious, and their behavior was unacceptable, but who is it to blame for this?

The three-letter acronym nobody wants to talk about: DEI

The USGA, the PGA Tour, the PGA of America, and the DPWT, have been on a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion run since Covid and after Covid. They wanted to grow the game while sacrificing the sanctity of the game.

They wanted more people on the golf courses, regardless of whether they knew the game or cared about learning the game. As long as golf course operators were making money, these governing bodies didn’t care about the end result.

Sell lots of beer and hotdogs, forget about dress codes, blast as much music as you want, do not repair divots, don’t know the rules? No problem!

I see this every day at my public course. The DEI policies implemented by these bodies have ruined the game of golf, and for what?

If they want to blame the fans for their lack of decorum at Bethpage Black, they need to start by looking at themselves in the mirror. They created these fans through their DEI initiatives.

By bending the rules in the name of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, they have created an uneducated fan base.  This new influx of fans and players see golf as a Saturday evening barbeque and do not care one bit about the history of the game. To them, it is nothing but a social activity.

When traveling in Germany, I learned that in order to be able to play golf, players need to apply for a permit, and they need to demonstrate their knowledge of the game before getting a permit. Sure, it sounds draconian, but the more I see the buffoonery and tomfoolery in golf courses across America, the more I wish we had such a thing.

I applaud golf course operators who still enforce dress codes, pace of play, and on-course behavior.

Sacrificing the game for a dollar or for a social score is not only pathetic but an insult to those who see golf as a game of honor and respect.

So, next time the PGA of America or the golf pundits want to place the blame on the fans for their behavior, remember, you created that monster.

The 2025 Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup Image courtesy of GhettyImages

The 2025 Ryder Cup is here, and Captain’s Picks are imminent.

I think that of the two captains, Luke Donald will have an easier time making his picks, as he doesn’t need the option of picking himself to make the team. Donald has been free of distractions and has a solid pool to choose from.

Keagan Bradley, on the other hand, has a lot on his plate. He has been in the spotlight since the announcement of his captaincy in 2024. His game has been spot on all season, and the chances of him making the team are high.

The United States team could benefit from Bradley as a player, given its current lineup. Only top-ranked Scotty Scheffler and two-time U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau are reliable standouts. Even recent U.S. Open Champion and Ryder Cup rookie JJ Spaun remains untested under this level of pressure.

Among the automatic qualifiers—Xander Schauffele, Harris English, and Russell Henley—consistency is present, but none have delivered standout performances this season. This puts significant pressure on Bradley for his six picks.

I think the Bradley selection as captain was one out of guilt. He was left out of the prior team by then Captain Zach Johnson after having a great season, and the United States Team got destroyed by the Europeans. But I don’t think the PGA of America thought he was going to have such a great season going into the Ryder Cup, making the chance of Bradley picking himself for the team even more interesting.

Do I think he should pick himself for the team? No. The Captain’s position is very important, and I think he needs to give it 100%. Being a playing captain, I don’t think he can do a good job at either or. Unfortunately, of the people he can pick, he has the best playing record this year, making it a very difficult decision.

The next five possible picks for the United States are going to be tough. With the exception of Ben Griffin and Cameron Young, it is going to be an uphill battle for Bradley to make the right choices.

No matter what decision he makes, he will be criticized just the same, and if they don’t win the cup, even more so.

The United States team is going against a tough and stacked European team. Of the six automatic qualifiers, five have won in 2025, including current Master Champions Rory McIlroy and Tour Championship/FedEx Cup winner Tommy Fleetwood.

Captain Luke Donald has  a better pool to choose from. Despite being a member of LIV Golf, Jon Rahm is almost guaranteed to get a captain’s pick, leaving five more picks. My guess is the following guys will get the phone call: Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg, Sepp Straka, and Viktor Hovland. Leaving that six pick up in the air. I think that pick should go to Marco Penge. Penge has been on a heater with two wins in the DPWT this season and consistent play all around. But we know how political these picks can be, so only Donald knows.

I can’t wait for the announcements and for all the praises and criticisms to begin. One thing is for sure: Bethpage is going to be rowdy.

Another One Bites The Dust Of Wokeness

Caitlin Clark Felt For It

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever WNBA Basketball Team

I do not follow the WNBA, or the NBA, but Caitlin Clark is hard to avoid as she is in every internet search engine in the world.

While doing research, I found out the WNBA was a failed financial endeavor prior to Clark’s arrival into the league.

Clark’s professional debut, after a successful and record-breaking college career, was a lifeline the WNBA was desperately in need. Unfortunately, the Black dominated league, has been too stupid to ride the high, instead going the low route and using Clark’s God given color of her skin, to trash her every step of the way.

The only games that have sold out throughout the season were games were Clark’s team, the Indiana Fever, were scheduled to play. It is obvious, Clark is the ticket and everyone else is going along for the ride. Again, the WNBA has failed miserably to take advantage of this, once in a lifetime, phenom.

Clark was recently named Time’s Athlete Of The Year. I guess if you believe in that type of banality, you will find it a kind of a big deal, to me is nothing that matters much. Having said that, to the general public it is a significant accomplishment and one that has a huge reach.

In her interview with Time she was quoted with the following: “I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a White person, there is privilege,” Clark told Time. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. 

Well, I am not one to apologize for who I am or my accomplishments, so to read Clark’s statement apologizing for her so-called “White Privilege” was a big disappointment. Not only did I believe it was beneath her to say such a thing, but it was a slap in the face to her fans.

In 2023, Statista.com reported that 63.8% of WNBA players were Black, with only 19.1% percent accounting for White players. If you ask me, the percentage disparity between Black and White players is problematic to say the least.

How Black WNBA players can claim there is a race problem in the WNBA is beyond me.

“WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson said Clark being White was a “huge thing” when it came to Clark’s popularity. Angel Reese even said there had been “a lot of racism” from Iowa and Indiana Fever fans. Connecticut Sun player DiJonai Carrington, who poked Clark in the eye during a Connecticut playoff win over the Fever, previously criticized Clark for not doing more to call out racism.”

Are they serious? This is an absolutely ridiculous collection of statements that do not hold water. That would mean the WNBA has been a racist organization against Blacks the whole time, despite the fact Black players dominate the league. This is laughable to say the least.

Sadly, Clark fell for the oldest liberal trick in the book and now she has lost all credibility; or has she?

Only time will tell if this will affect the already failed WNBA. Clark was their savior, but they turned her into their own racist punching bag.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/caitlin-clark-admits-feeling-privilege-white-person-says-wnba-built-on-black-players

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1375205/wnba-players-ethnicity

McIlroy’s Nightmare Continues

Whoop! Whoop!

Rory is “Fighting Something” Photo courtesy of msn.com

Rory McIlroy is definitely fighting something: A weak state of mind.

I am all for technology and taking advantage of every piece of information available. But to allow technology to dictate how I am supposed to play or live my life, that is a whole different thing.

It seems Rory McIlroy is doing that. Golf.com is quoting him saying after his first round at the 2023 PGA Championship, “I’m fighting something.”

“I thought I got a great night’s sleep last night, and I look at my WHOOP, and I was 22% recovery, and my skin temperature was 3.5 degrees higher than what it’s been, I’m fighting something.”

Say what? My WHOOP? Oh brother! Calling McIlroy a basket case is an understatement.

Honestly? I do not know what to make of Rory McIlroy. But if you thought for a minute I would give him a pass, you are highly mistaken. McIlroy made his own cozy bed, running his mouth about things he did not know anything about, and disrespecting lots of people in the process.

Sleep well on that bed Rory. Whoop! Whoop!

A Man Without Conviction

Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy Photo courtesy of golfdigestme.com

There is no doubt, Rory McIlroy is one of the best professional golfers in the world. His accomplishments are well documented and he can be a very entertaining golfer when his game is on.

Unfortunately, this is not what McIlroy has been remembered for as of late.

Since the creation of LIV Golf, McIlroy chose to be the de-facto leader of the PGA Tour. Taking on LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson, and the great Greg Norman, he decided to interject on something he obviously did not have much knowledge of.

For over a year, press conference, after press conference, McIlroy has sounded like PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan’s loudspeaker, unlike Jon Rahm who decided to concentrate on his game and stayed above the pettiness of it all.

Nobody can deny the fact, LIV Golf has changed the face of professional golf and has forced the PGA Tour to be transparent. McIlroy is making more money because Phil Mickelson and LIV Golf shined a light on the PGA Tour’s alleged financial shenanigans.

As a result of McIlroy’s lack of attention, and self appointed leadership role, his own game has suffered and it seems his mental health has taken a hit. His performance at the 2023 Masters was dismal and he chose to disappear for over four weeks, missing his second PGA Tour “Elevated Event” of the season.

According to him, he needed a mental health break from golf. I have to admit, I needed a mental health break from all his nonsense.

This evening, I watched his interview with Golf Channel’s Kyra Dixon and I have to say, he sounded like a man without conviction. His weak answers were telling and it showed me he is not ready to return to the “Big Time” yet.

McIlroy looked more like a lost teenager than a professional golfer on a mission.

My unsolicited advice? Rory McIlroy needs to pay more attention to his own professional career and leave the adults in the room deal with the nuisances of the Tour.

Has he learned his lesson? Only time will tell.