Celebrity Golf Brings Laughs and Star Power to Ryder Cup Warm-Up
The U.S. team claimed early bragging rights at Bethpage Black, winning the All-Star Celebrity Matches 25-19 ahead of the Ryder Cup’s official start Friday.
Eli Manning landed a fade within 5 feet but missed the putt. Bobby Flay cooked up a birdie. John McEnroe and José Andrés mugged for pictures with patriotic fans. And Catherine Zeta-Jones curtseyed on the tee box as the crowd serenaded her on the eve of her 56th birthday.
These were just a few highlights from Wednesday’s celebrity showdown at Bethpage Black, where stars from sports, entertainment, and culinary worlds faced off in a light-hearted 11-hole event pitting U.S. celebrities against their European counterparts.
Teams of two squared off in a modified scramble format on the course’s opening and closing stretches. Winning a hole earned a point, while ties were worth a half-point per side.
Manning and “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost led the American charge with 7.5 points. Manning’s former Giants teammate Michael Strahan teamed with country singer Miranda Lambert to contribute 6 points, while musicians Kane Brown and Noah Kahan added another 6.5 points to the U.S. total.
On the European side, Spanish chef and humanitarian José Andrés paired with Finnish hockey legend Teemu Selanne to secure Europe’s only winning match, edging TV chef Flay and tennis great McEnroe 6-5.
But the scoreboard clearly took a backseat to the entertainment value. Fans lined the ropes for glimpses of their favorite celebrities, who seemed more focused on playing to the crowd than perfecting their golf games.
“It’s awesome,” said Brown as he signed autographs and posed for pictures heading to the par-3 17th.
“Peyton would’ve made it!”
That’s what one fan shouted after Manning missed a birdie putt on the 14th hole.
A few groups later, with no birdies yet falling on that same hole, Andrés turned to the gallery and guaranteed one would drop. Though his own putt came up short, Flay delivered by curling in a 15-footer. The Food Network star leaped into the air and celebrated like he’d just won the Masters, drawing roars from the crowd.
With Strahan just off the green, a spectator helpfully yelled: “All you got to do is chip it in.”
Puffing on a cigar, the Pro Football Hall of Famer replied, “That’s what I’m hoping for!” His shot came close, stopping about two feet from the cup.
When Kahan was the only player in his group to land a shot on the green, he playfully pointed to himself and the ball, as if telling the crowd, “look what I did.”
The “Harry Potter” contingent needed some on-screen magic after actors Tom Felton and Oliver Phelps, playing for Europe, sent fans ducking with an errant tee shot. It hit a tree and fell harmlessly. Felton’s subsequent putt rattled around the cup but wouldn’t go in.
Brian Murphy from East Rockaway, New York, didn’t mind the occasional duffed shots or missed putts.
“It’s been refreshing to see people who are so high up on the social ladder just kind of play and shank a ball every now and then,” Murphy said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, my game isn’t that bad.'”
