Bethpage’s Ending Was Never the Whole Story, Full Swing Finale Shows the Rest

We all knew it would end here, both as we experienced it and as we consumed it 7 months later during the final episode of Full Swing Season 4.

The Bethpage Ryder Cup will go down historically as one of the most impactful golf events of this generation. It was impactful for the result, for the fans, for the behavior, for some of the people involved in the event both in front of the mic and away from it; the entire week seemed like golf’s version of Woodstock ’99.

Image: Full Swing Season 4 Episode 4, The Last Stand on Netflix

At the front of it all was Keegan Bradley, a man that let cameras in two years ago when he was heartbroken because he wasn’t picked to be a part of Team USA and this time because he was tasked with leading the charge as some Peer Captain.

RELATED: Full Swing's Season 4 Premiere Gets Right Into Keegan Bradley's Inner Turmoil

Early into this episode, there is a moment where Keegan is delivering a speech to his team four days before the event kicked off. The stands are empty, the golf course is quiet and Keegan has the ear of his 12 Americans.

Image: Keegan Bradley addressed the U.S. Team ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup. Via Full Swing Season 4 Episode 4, The Last Stand on Netflix

He asked the team to remember Rome. I found that very interesting for a few reasons.

First, Rome was where it felt like it all went wrong for the Americans, and where it all went wrong for Keegan. This was the year he didn’t get picked despite playing a level of golf he felt was deserving a spot. This was an American team that a lot thought had the personnel to compete against the Europeans. And Rome pieced together a European squad that was nearly copied and reprinted by Luke Donald; 11 of the 12 at Bethpage Black were a part of that 16.5 to 11.5 rout by the Euros.

If anything, the Americans should be doing their best to forget about Rome. Six of the 12 at Bethpage played for Zach Johnson and a lot of the new faces we have followed this season in Full Swing were so far out of Ryder Cup consideration two years prior that they might as well be playing a different sport.

RELATED: Golf’s Rising Talent Looks Different When the Cameras Stay On

But that was the message. Remember Rome. Play confident. Play cocky. And as we know, that took three full days before developing.

The fan behavior will be the most remembered part of Bethpage. That week will be what likely changes the way Ryder Cups are handled going forward, especially those stateside. You see a lot of that in this episode, and you get the reactions from the European players to the comments and barbs thrown their way.

Image: Full Swing Season 4 Episode 4, The Last Stand on Netflix

But to me, the star of this episode was the potential comeback. There was a chance on Sunday the United States was really going to come all the way back. For all the comments and columns written about Keegan’s captaincy after Bethpage Black, imagine how different all of that would have read if one more match had swung in the Americans' favor?

Of course, that didn’t happen and it ended up going the Euros' way. Those champagne baths after are such a good window into the importance, and fun, of a Ryder Cup when led and played the correct way.

It’s why these glimpses into that world are so important. It puts us next to these superstars for a moment in time that they’ll never forget and we will always have with us to rewatch and recount. It’s why projects like Full Swing play so well to the diehard golf fan and someone just scrolling on Netflix looking for compelling television. And we got it once again.

RELATED: Full Swing Season 4: A Year Like 2025 Is What This Show Was Built For

Editor's Note: Now available on Netflix, Full Swing is produced by Pro Shop’s own Chad Mumm and Mark W. Olsen, alongside PGA TOUR Studios, Vox Media Studios, and Box to Box Films.