How the Ryder Cup can save itself

The Walker Cup was the golf event of 2026. A lot of credit belongs to a historic surge by Great Britain & Ireland in front of a partisan crowd, yet the instant-classic ending was facilitated by a framework that perennially makes the competition one of the last bastions of pure sport in high-level golf. Chiefly, intimate atmospheres, prestigious venues and a lack of commercial interests. It’s not an accident that the first two tenets are part of the PGA Tour’s revamped approach to its match-play postseason, but there’s another entity that should take note: the PGA of America.

The organization suffered a black eye at Bethpage Black, outrageous ticket prices the primary storyline heading into last year’s Ryder Cup and a lack of institutional control and accountability during and after tarnishing the event. Moreover, both the American and European sides are guilty of choosing venues that have little to do with the course itself and more of its physical footprint to put up corporate hospitality. The Ryder Cup's power has always stemmed from its communal energy, the way fans from both sides create an atmosphere unlike anything else in golf. That electricity requires authenticity as well as the diehards that live and breathe the game rather than consume it. Lately, the event has pushed that contingent to the side in favor of its own interests.

Perhaps smaller crowds lining greens and fairways at better courses, and doing a better job of policing its spectators, seems too much to ask for an event that has transformed into a behemoth. But letting it continue to be what it has become is only going to make things worse. The Ryder Cup has a long way to go to reestablish what made it special; luckily, the Walker Cup just gave it a solution.

An instant classic Walker Cup, a supermodel spotting in the gallery and the worst golf shot you didn’t see

From a wild Walker Cup to some generous gestures by a pair of Ryder Cup legends, The Grind has the entire week in golf covered.

By Alex Myers

What You Need to Know

Jill Painter Lopez

Charley Hull was late to her practice tee time for the Solheim Cup on Tuesday, but European assistant captain Mel Reid explained the lapse. Hull was actually at Bernardus Golf Club. “I’m responsible for her so I’ll take the responsibility for that,” Reid said. “She just thought her tee time was a little bit later. Trying to drag Charley Hull off the driving range is a feat in any tournament, especially a Solheim Cup.” Reid said she wanted to shut down any other reasons reported about her being late. An official also said Hull was the first one on the shuttle to the course Tuesday morning.

Christopher Powers

Listen closely to these Jon Rahm quotes. The Spaniard is back at the Irish Open this week, an event he last played in back in 2019 at Lahinch when he won it for a second time. We've not seen Rahm in action since LIV Golf Indianapolis, where he finished runner-up and, for all intents and purposes, marked the end of "LIV Golf 1.0." That's a key phrase to remember before listening to some Rahm quotes from Ireland on Tuesday, when he was asked to address his future on the formerly Saudi-backed circuit. 

"There's just a lot of things in place, there's a lot of things that could happen," Rahm said. "It's one of those things, time is going to tell."

That may sound like a non-answer, but it's not when you parse the "things that could happen" portion. As well as his use of "LIV 1.0" when discussing his contract.

A masterclass in saying something without actually saying it. 

Luke Kerr-Dineen

Here's a random one that I found myself thinking about, because my broken brain only thinks about golf.

This morning my Instagram algorithm served me this video showing what a pilot sees when they're landing a plane. Outside of being generally amazing, I found the specifics of the markings leading into the runway strangely fascinating.

All our pilot readers out there can keep me honest, but some quick googling revealed those markings have a name: the Calvert System. It's one vertical centerline with five perpendicular lines that get progressively narrower the closer you get.

I can't help but wonder what these markings would look like on a putter, and whether it would help us all aim better. We got pretty close with this PXG putter, but it's not quite the same.

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