Ryder Cup has power to divide — or unite — during fraught and fragile time in the US
September 24, 2025
This week’s Ryder Cup is an example of sports as an international score-settler. Could a group of pro golfers give Americans a break from the nonstop news cycles that makes their country feel fraught and fragile? Could it help bring a country together? And if so, how will fans react to two of the most-beloved golfers during a normal week, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood. They’ll be representing the opposition this week, Europe. They’ll be doing it at Bethpage Black outside New York — a workingman’s golf course where fans have a reputation for behaving badly toward people they don’t like.