September 25, 2025 • 12 mins
Brain Manzella, a highly respected PGA teaching professional, analyzes the pairings for Friday morning's opening foursomes at the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
Brian has incredible insight on the pairing of personalities for both the USA and European players.
Brian has incredible insight on the pairing of personalities for both the USA and European players.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
With the Ryder Cup getting ready to launch tomorrow morning.
Brian Manzilla is a PGA teaching professional in New Orleans.
Welcome back, Brian. Good have you on.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Calling you from Colin, India. From around the corner from
Long Island National. We played some golf today in actually
really good conditions. So I don't think they got quite
as much rain out at you know, on the whole island,
but out in Farmingdale where Beth Page is and I think,
you know, the weather is going to be pretty good
(00:32):
for the rest of the matchup.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Okay, but what does it mean that they have they
have had rain for a couple of days. What does
that mean for the Greens.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Well, they're softer than they would be, but they're still
very fast. And at the end of the day, all
these guys are playing the American Tour, which you know,
the regular events. The greens are kind of soft and fast,
So I don't think there's a particular advantage for either team.
I would say hard and fast would favor the Europeans
just because they played more of that type of golf
(01:04):
than we do. So this is a very Americanized best
Page setup, you know, like they cut the rough really
far down and it's just not set up very hard.
A couple of holes and the teas are up, so
they wanted to be at Birdie Fest, and I think
that gives us our best chance. I don't think it's
very it's I think it's actually pretty sound strategy.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
When you say the teas are up, what do you
mean how much yard age has been lopped off?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Well, maybe just two or three holes, But like the
first hole, all of a sudden it brings in I
mean as a hole. You really it's kind of like
that first hole at Valhalla, right if you play modern
tour players far enough up what used to be the
white Tea in Valhalla twenty five years ago. Number one,
those guys are going right over that corner trees, not
going on the green ye, you know, the right kind
of wind. So they're trying to introduce a little bit
(01:51):
of that because at the end of the day, I mean,
even though you know they have guys that you know
are long hitters, we have Bryson who's used to going
of crazy stuff like that, and they're putting them out
in that first force them, which I think is a
brilliant move by Keegan and the team.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Okay, Bryson Deschambeau is with Louisville's Justin Thomas. They are
first off at seven ten tomorrow morning against John Rahm
and Terrell Hatton. Stick with d Chambeau for a moment.
I saw him in practice hitting it over the trees
just like you described. Is this alternate shot so that
Bryson hits the drive and then Justin Thomas hits the
second shot.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah, so you know, I'm sure he's going to hit
off a number one, right, because the one thing about
the match is the way they've gone down the last
twenty years. The forsomes, which is alternate shot for people
don't know, you know the golf terminology, but the ultimate
shot format, first day, alternate shot format is a lot
of it. There's a lot of momentum to that, and
(02:50):
so if you want to go with the momentum idea,
then you put what you think is the momentum team
out first two guys that get the crowd rolled up.
Justin's good at that too, and they they're very complimentary golfers.
So you know, even if somebody you know you're gonna
get a bad shot, that the other guy's got to say,
hey man, anywhere about that I can get this out
(03:11):
of here from there, and that that I think. I
think if they get hot early, they potentially could pull
all the groups behind them a little bit over their head.
It's it's just that, you know, when you got a
home crowd, you remember Louisville. This is going to be
the most Louisville type crowd that we've had at a
(03:33):
Royder Cup since it was in Kentucky. Because there's a
lot of people on Long Island that you know, drive
trucks and and work at you know, delivery places and
Amazon who are just such big golf nuts. They doled
out the big money. So it won't be like, uh,
you know, the the Martiti and and the finger and
(03:54):
sinky Finger in the air crowd we had in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
So it's a blue collar crowd and they're going to
be loud. Obviously, the Europeans or conditioned for that is
John Rahm and Terrell Hatton. The best team that europe
can throw up against d Chambeau and Justin Thomas.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
No, their best team is you know by four as McElroy.
Just think of how Fleetwood's played coming into this. I
mean he's he's either won or almost won the last
four or five turn you've played in. So they didn't
want to sacrifice their best team against who we thought
was our best, you know, foursome team, so they threw
(04:36):
him in the back and we lucked out and put it.
You know, I think we play oh yeah, more colin English,
which is probably on paper because Marcy has had a
bad year, our weakest team. But you know what, anything
can happen in that format, so we we could probably
you know, get lucky in that team, could get a
half maybe out of out of their their star team.
(04:59):
And if I if, if if if the Kentucky boy
Justin and and d Chambeau go out early and win,
it could be a it could be a really good
maybe three and one start for us, because if it
starts bad. The problem with the Long Island crowd is
I think there's like a one percent chance they turn
(05:20):
on you a little bit, right, you know, and you
start feeling the you know, you start feeling the crowds.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
And yeah, you know that's right.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
It gets as it's going early, it's gonna be curtains.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Ask Russell Wilson how it feels when the New York
fans turn on you, you know, that's just how that goes,
all right. So Scotti Scheffler and Russell Henley. I mean,
obviously we have the number one player in the world.
They go off right after Justin Thomas and Bryce and
d Chambeau up against Ludwig Oberg and Matt Fitzpatrick. Is
that an expected win for Scheffler as well?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Well, everybody thinks, you know, he's obviously the best player
in the world, but he's the best player in the
world at stroke play, okay, And he's real good buddies
with you know, my buddy you know from Louisiana, Sam Burns,
but they've played pretty poorly as a team. He's played
really good with Henley, you know, complimentary games and an
(06:18):
alternate shot, and you would think the best player in
the world with a complimentary player has a real good
chance of winning that match. But let me just tell
you this, Fitzpatrick is a super streaky putter and Oldberg
hot is as good as anybody in golf. So I'm
not giving us an easy win man, for sure, okay.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
And then in that last one, Robert McIntyre and Victor Hoblin,
that's a great pairing there against Shoftley who won here
in Louisville, and Patrick Cantley. Well McIntyre, he can, he
can spar with the crowd sometimes. Is that a good
or a bad thing? If he's a bit of a hothead.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Well, you know, I mean I think he should try it.
My advice to you, sir, if you're listening mister McIntyre, Bobby,
I think you should try him. No, very good, Bobby,
come over here. Haven't been mean. I'm telling you that
(07:20):
classic New Yorkers that don't underestimate them, they're they're in
a different league when it comes to heckling.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
So the important thing is if you were in the
ear of these players from Europe, don't ever engage, don't
acknowledge any of the verbal abuse you're going to receive.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Well, that would be a good strategy if you or
I were the captain and you listen to us. But
they think they're they're good at that, they think they're
good at that, they've never done it here and that
with this crowd. So you know, like I was listening
to the press conference, the press conferences, and the European
reporters were like even going out on a lamb and
saying do you worry about your family safety in the
(08:00):
crowd from the hecklers. I'm like, get out of here now.
There's one thing a heckling an athlete, that's you know,
we're playing for the other country, and there's a whole
other thing messing with anybody's fan. There ain't no way
that that's gonna happen. But they they're sort of like
preemptively trying to calm the crowd down or maybe scare
(08:21):
the PGA into like tossing people like it's the Masters.
It's not the Masters. You can't say mass potatoes at
the Masters. You could say mass potatoes tomorrow if Bryson
hits it on the first green. So then I gotta
throw anybody out for saying that. So the Europeans, I
think if I would have the strategy that you were saying, like,
don't really were all them up because it's all they're
(08:43):
already gonna be riled up. But you know, when they
announced this, I don't know how many years ago. They
do everything in advance, now so so much. You know,
twenty forty nine US opens whatever, Right, if we're all around,
then if we're lucky. But when I found out they
were playing he has said, I Am going to be
on that first t when that first fall, is it?
(09:04):
Because this is this is the ultimate place to play
this match and have a home field advantage, no doubt
about it.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Well that's exciting. And the only wrinkle though, is that
the President of the United States is going to be
president tomorrow. So that changes the security structure somewhat and
maybe does that dampen a little bit of the insanity
coming out of the New York fans.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
We'll have to see I might help, you know what
I mean, Like if they see him, they'll start USA
and all over the place. And and so he's he's
got a little run of popularity on Long Island right now,
so just in case you know the way the election went,
and so I think you know, I mean the thing
about Best Page, I don't know if you've ever been there.
(09:46):
It's it's like the Holland in a lot of ways,
except it's much flatter, even though it has some elevation change.
It's a massive piece of property. You can put one
hundred and fifty thousand people up there. So if you're
trying to sneak the president to one of those tents,
you could probably do it, and and almost nobody would
know what's going on. It's not like you know, uh,
you know, Big Spring or something where it's a four
(10:07):
fence golf course and everybody can see every hole. It's
just massive, and there's a few holes on one side
on the club outside of the street, and then like
maybe three through or two through fifteen or something's on
is on the is on the other side of the street.
And and you know, there'll be people that won't even
cross the street. They'll just stay around the opening hole,
(10:29):
in the in the closing holes. So uh, you know,
if you wanted to get the president in and out
with with you know, with with helicopters and all that
kind of stuff, no problem.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Okay, last thing for you, Brian Manzila. What does Europe
need to feel good when the first set is over?
These foursomes tomorrow? Is a two two tie? Good? If
they can hang in that closely?
Speaker 2 (10:51):
No, this is their best this is their best format.
And if they can punch us in the mouth and
and get a little lead, you know whatever, two to
one and one or whatever, they just had a little lead,
it's a super win that you know for us. A
tie in the foursomes is game on, so they have
(11:15):
a lot of pressure on them tomorrow, as well as
the US team. I mean, you know, I've heard a
lot of stories, so you know about first t shots
at the Rada Cup where people were basically saying they
were peeing in their pants and they couldn't see the
golf ball. They had won, you know, major championships before that,
So the pressure is huge. And you know, we have
(11:35):
the same number of new players or maybe I think
we have one or two extra new guys. And listen,
it's everybody loves watching this thing, whether it's live or
you know, on TV or even listening. You know, serious,
because it's unlike any other golf of that every single
(11:55):
person out of one hundred plus thousand people it's going
to be there tomorrow. It's pulling for one and the other.
It's LSU Alabama. If LSU was one and Alabama was two,
and in Europe is the favorite, right in Vegas, they're
the favorite, and we're the home team, and that shapes
up for just a classic sporting event. And I hope
(12:15):
everybody has a good time and I predict a slight
victory for the US.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Very good. Brian Manzela live from New York. Appreciate you
giving me a few minutes. Thanks buddy, anytime, Terry see it.
Brian Manzela. He's a teaching professional PGA teaching professional from
New Orleans and you've got to follow him on social media.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
He shows you
With the Ryder Cup getting ready to launch tomorrow morning.
Brian Manzilla is a PGA teaching professional in New Orleans.
Welcome back, Brian. Good have you on.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Calling you from Colin, India. From around the corner from
Long Island National. We played some golf today in actually
really good conditions. So I don't think they got quite
as much rain out at you know, on the whole island,
but out in Farmingdale where Beth Page is and I think,
you know, the weather is going to be pretty good
(00:32):
for the rest of the matchup.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Okay, but what does it mean that they have they
have had rain for a couple of days. What does
that mean for the Greens.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Well, they're softer than they would be, but they're still
very fast. And at the end of the day, all
these guys are playing the American Tour, which you know,
the regular events. The greens are kind of soft and fast,
So I don't think there's a particular advantage for either team.
I would say hard and fast would favor the Europeans
just because they played more of that type of golf
(01:04):
than we do. So this is a very Americanized best
Page setup, you know, like they cut the rough really
far down and it's just not set up very hard.
A couple of holes and the teas are up, so
they wanted to be at Birdie Fest, and I think
that gives us our best chance. I don't think it's
very it's I think it's actually pretty sound strategy.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
When you say the teas are up, what do you
mean how much yard age has been lopped off?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Well, maybe just two or three holes, But like the
first hole, all of a sudden it brings in I
mean as a hole. You really it's kind of like
that first hole at Valhalla, right if you play modern
tour players far enough up what used to be the
white Tea in Valhalla twenty five years ago. Number one,
those guys are going right over that corner trees, not
going on the green ye, you know, the right kind
of wind. So they're trying to introduce a little bit
(01:51):
of that because at the end of the day, I mean,
even though you know they have guys that you know
are long hitters, we have Bryson who's used to going
of crazy stuff like that, and they're putting them out
in that first force them, which I think is a
brilliant move by Keegan and the team.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Okay, Bryson Deschambeau is with Louisville's Justin Thomas. They are
first off at seven ten tomorrow morning against John Rahm
and Terrell Hatton. Stick with d Chambeau for a moment.
I saw him in practice hitting it over the trees
just like you described. Is this alternate shot so that
Bryson hits the drive and then Justin Thomas hits the
second shot.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah, so you know, I'm sure he's going to hit
off a number one, right, because the one thing about
the match is the way they've gone down the last
twenty years. The forsomes, which is alternate shot for people
don't know, you know the golf terminology, but the ultimate
shot format, first day, alternate shot format is a lot
of it. There's a lot of momentum to that, and
(02:50):
so if you want to go with the momentum idea,
then you put what you think is the momentum team
out first two guys that get the crowd rolled up.
Justin's good at that too, and they they're very complimentary golfers.
So you know, even if somebody you know you're gonna
get a bad shot, that the other guy's got to say,
hey man, anywhere about that I can get this out
(03:11):
of here from there, and that that I think. I
think if they get hot early, they potentially could pull
all the groups behind them a little bit over their head.
It's it's just that, you know, when you got a
home crowd, you remember Louisville. This is going to be
the most Louisville type crowd that we've had at a
(03:33):
Royder Cup since it was in Kentucky. Because there's a
lot of people on Long Island that you know, drive
trucks and and work at you know, delivery places and
Amazon who are just such big golf nuts. They doled
out the big money. So it won't be like, uh,
you know, the the Martiti and and the finger and
(03:54):
sinky Finger in the air crowd we had in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
So it's a blue collar crowd and they're going to
be loud. Obviously, the Europeans or conditioned for that is
John Rahm and Terrell Hatton. The best team that europe
can throw up against d Chambeau and Justin Thomas.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
No, their best team is you know by four as McElroy.
Just think of how Fleetwood's played coming into this. I
mean he's he's either won or almost won the last
four or five turn you've played in. So they didn't
want to sacrifice their best team against who we thought
was our best, you know, foursome team, so they threw
(04:36):
him in the back and we lucked out and put it.
You know, I think we play oh yeah, more colin English,
which is probably on paper because Marcy has had a
bad year, our weakest team. But you know what, anything
can happen in that format, so we we could probably
you know, get lucky in that team, could get a
half maybe out of out of their their star team.
(04:59):
And if I if, if if if the Kentucky boy
Justin and and d Chambeau go out early and win,
it could be a it could be a really good
maybe three and one start for us, because if it
starts bad. The problem with the Long Island crowd is
I think there's like a one percent chance they turn
(05:20):
on you a little bit, right, you know, and you
start feeling the you know, you start feeling the crowds.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
And yeah, you know that's right.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
It gets as it's going early, it's gonna be curtains.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Ask Russell Wilson how it feels when the New York
fans turn on you, you know, that's just how that goes,
all right. So Scotti Scheffler and Russell Henley. I mean,
obviously we have the number one player in the world.
They go off right after Justin Thomas and Bryce and
d Chambeau up against Ludwig Oberg and Matt Fitzpatrick. Is
that an expected win for Scheffler as well?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Well, everybody thinks, you know, he's obviously the best player
in the world, but he's the best player in the
world at stroke play, okay, And he's real good buddies
with you know, my buddy you know from Louisiana, Sam Burns,
but they've played pretty poorly as a team. He's played
really good with Henley, you know, complimentary games and an
(06:18):
alternate shot, and you would think the best player in
the world with a complimentary player has a real good
chance of winning that match. But let me just tell
you this, Fitzpatrick is a super streaky putter and Oldberg
hot is as good as anybody in golf. So I'm
not giving us an easy win man, for sure, okay.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
And then in that last one, Robert McIntyre and Victor Hoblin,
that's a great pairing there against Shoftley who won here
in Louisville, and Patrick Cantley. Well McIntyre, he can, he
can spar with the crowd sometimes. Is that a good
or a bad thing? If he's a bit of a hothead.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Well, you know, I mean I think he should try it.
My advice to you, sir, if you're listening mister McIntyre, Bobby,
I think you should try him. No, very good, Bobby,
come over here. Haven't been mean. I'm telling you that
(07:20):
classic New Yorkers that don't underestimate them, they're they're in
a different league when it comes to heckling.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
So the important thing is if you were in the
ear of these players from Europe, don't ever engage, don't
acknowledge any of the verbal abuse you're going to receive.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Well, that would be a good strategy if you or
I were the captain and you listen to us. But
they think they're they're good at that, they think they're
good at that, they've never done it here and that
with this crowd. So you know, like I was listening
to the press conference, the press conferences, and the European
reporters were like even going out on a lamb and
saying do you worry about your family safety in the
(08:00):
crowd from the hecklers. I'm like, get out of here now.
There's one thing a heckling an athlete, that's you know,
we're playing for the other country, and there's a whole
other thing messing with anybody's fan. There ain't no way
that that's gonna happen. But they they're sort of like
preemptively trying to calm the crowd down or maybe scare
(08:21):
the PGA into like tossing people like it's the Masters.
It's not the Masters. You can't say mass potatoes at
the Masters. You could say mass potatoes tomorrow if Bryson
hits it on the first green. So then I gotta
throw anybody out for saying that. So the Europeans, I
think if I would have the strategy that you were saying, like,
don't really were all them up because it's all they're
(08:43):
already gonna be riled up. But you know, when they
announced this, I don't know how many years ago. They
do everything in advance, now so so much. You know,
twenty forty nine US opens whatever, Right, if we're all around,
then if we're lucky. But when I found out they
were playing he has said, I Am going to be
on that first t when that first fall, is it?
(09:04):
Because this is this is the ultimate place to play
this match and have a home field advantage, no doubt
about it.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Well that's exciting. And the only wrinkle though, is that
the President of the United States is going to be
president tomorrow. So that changes the security structure somewhat and
maybe does that dampen a little bit of the insanity
coming out of the New York fans.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
We'll have to see I might help, you know what
I mean, Like if they see him, they'll start USA
and all over the place. And and so he's he's
got a little run of popularity on Long Island right now,
so just in case you know the way the election went,
and so I think you know, I mean the thing
about Best Page, I don't know if you've ever been there.
(09:46):
It's it's like the Holland in a lot of ways,
except it's much flatter, even though it has some elevation change.
It's a massive piece of property. You can put one
hundred and fifty thousand people up there. So if you're
trying to sneak the president to one of those tents,
you could probably do it, and and almost nobody would
know what's going on. It's not like you know, uh,
you know, Big Spring or something where it's a four
(10:07):
fence golf course and everybody can see every hole. It's
just massive, and there's a few holes on one side
on the club outside of the street, and then like
maybe three through or two through fifteen or something's on
is on the is on the other side of the street.
And and you know, there'll be people that won't even
cross the street. They'll just stay around the opening hole,
(10:29):
in the in the closing holes. So uh, you know,
if you wanted to get the president in and out
with with you know, with with helicopters and all that
kind of stuff, no problem.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Okay, last thing for you, Brian Manzila. What does Europe
need to feel good when the first set is over?
These foursomes tomorrow? Is a two two tie? Good? If
they can hang in that closely?
Speaker 2 (10:51):
No, this is their best this is their best format.
And if they can punch us in the mouth and
and get a little lead, you know whatever, two to
one and one or whatever, they just had a little lead,
it's a super win that you know for us. A
tie in the foursomes is game on, so they have
(11:15):
a lot of pressure on them tomorrow, as well as
the US team. I mean, you know, I've heard a
lot of stories, so you know about first t shots
at the Rada Cup where people were basically saying they
were peeing in their pants and they couldn't see the
golf ball. They had won, you know, major championships before that,
So the pressure is huge. And you know, we have
(11:35):
the same number of new players or maybe I think
we have one or two extra new guys. And listen,
it's everybody loves watching this thing, whether it's live or
you know, on TV or even listening. You know, serious,
because it's unlike any other golf of that every single
(11:55):
person out of one hundred plus thousand people it's going
to be there tomorrow. It's pulling for one and the other.
It's LSU Alabama. If LSU was one and Alabama was two,
and in Europe is the favorite, right in Vegas, they're
the favorite, and we're the home team, and that shapes
up for just a classic sporting event. And I hope
(12:15):
everybody has a good time and I predict a slight
victory for the US.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Very good. Brian Manzela live from New York. Appreciate you
giving me a few minutes. Thanks buddy, anytime, Terry see it.
Brian Manzela. He's a teaching professional PGA teaching professional from
New Orleans and you've got to follow him on social media.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
He shows you
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.