For the Ryder Cup, Bethpage Black might not be the beast it's cracked up to be

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — All that talk about Bethpage Black being a beast — well, maybe not this week.

The setup for this week's Ryder Cup looks more like a regular tour event than a major, with the rough cut down to a manageable 2 inches, some of the tee boxes — including on the par-4 first — moved up and a drenching bout of rain Thursday softening up the course.

Asked what kind of score Bethpage — considered the toughest municipal course in America — might surrender in a regular, four-round, stroke-play tournament this week, Harris English of the U.S. guessed 18- to 20-under par.

“I mean, it can still bite you out there, especially that back nine,” he said. “If you miss a couple drives, you’re having some mid-irons into the greens and you can start missing in some pretty bad places.