Treason: Justin Thomas says Bethpage Greenskeepers ignored Team USA’s Ryder Cup setup requests

If what Justin Thomas is saying is true, then the Bethpage Black greens crew basically committed treason. There is no polite way to frame it.

Team USA hosted the Ryder Cup on American soil, asked for fast greens to fit their strengths, and the greenskeepers apparently shrugged, ignored the request, and handed Europe the putting surfaces of their dreams.

That is not home-field advantage. That is sabotage.

Justin Thomas went on the No Laying Up Podcast and doubled down on what Jim Furyk hinted at weeks ago. The Americans wanted fast greens. Keegan Bradley specifically asked for fast greens. The greenskeepers insisted they delivered fast greens. Then every single player walked onto the course and immediately realized none of it was true.

According to Justin Thomas, that was the problem.

He explained that Bradley had been crystal clear about wanting fast greens. The team asked for fast greens. The greenskeepers insisted they delivered fast greens.

Thomas said he watched the staff argue that the greens were rolling at a 13 on the Stimpmeter while players were leaving putts short from everywhere on the property. According to him, it was so glaringly off that everyone on Team USA knew something was wrong within minutes.

“It was bizarre. That is not something you expect at a home Ryder Cup.”

He is right. The home team controls the setup. The home team gets the course they want. That is part of the entire point of hosting the event. Yet Team USA showed up and felt blindsided by their own golf course. Jim Furyk had already hinted the greens were nowhere near the reported speeds, and Justin Thomas basically confirmed it.

The greens suddenly played faster on Sunday, which just so happened to be the day Team USA mounted a comeback. Hard to call that a coincidence. Both teams played the same greens and I’m sure the weather conditions also played a major role in the sudden change but at the same time, it’s not crazy to assume that something got lost, ignored, or brushed aside behind the scenes.

To his credit, Justin Thomas was careful to say he is not using it as an excuse for losing, but it is very hard to ignore how strange the situation was. The United States had home-course advantage and never really got to use it.

Between Keegan Bradley misjudging the rough, fans turning the event into a circus, and the greenskeepers apparently doing whatever they wanted, the American “advantage” felt nonexistent.

If Team USA ever plans to fix this rivalry, it might be time to start with the basics. When the U.S. hosts the Ryder Cup, the course should actually look like the setup the U.S. asked for. That should not be complicated.

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