Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf. GAINESVILLE, Va. — Robert Trent Jones Golf Club is quiet today — but it won’t be for ...

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The true challenge of hitting the opening tee shot at the Ryder Cup isn't hitting the ball itself. It's managing the emotional crash the lingers after. Here's why. When players ...

I’ll never forget it: It was July 2001, and my dad and I were on the father-daughter golf trip of a lifetime to Monterey, Calif., and we were finally ready to tee off at the area’s crown jewel: Pebble ...

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – The first-tee nerves could be even more intense this week at the Ryder Cup. If only because of the atmosphere. The grandstand surrounding the first hole at Le Golf ...

The first tee at the Ryder Cup has long been a focus of intense scrutiny. For players, the nerves are tested as they hit their opening shots in front of thousands of partisan supporters. The ...

ROME — One of the many subtle brilliances of the Ryder Cup is that the build up lingers for a day longer than it should. Players arrive on site by Monday morning, just as most would for a major ...

Stepping up to take the opening tee shot at the Ryder Cup is one of those moments in golf that stays with you, even for players who’ve seen it all. It’s a different kind of pressure, and plenty of ...