The 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black - one of America's toughest courses - will soon be upon us and the respective captains, Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley, are going to have some difficult selection decisions to make before announcing their full teams.
The 2025 US Open only saw five players end level par or lower after the second round at Oakmont Country Club, with a few players in and around that number definitely on the radar of the two captains.
Oakmont Country Club is no easy test, but if you can play well there, then you can definitely play well at Bethpage Black. Both are par 70 courses and share similar characteristics, such as thick and punishing rough.
So, which players are causing a stir for Ryder Cup selection at the 2025 US Open?
TEAM USA
There will be some players that are guaranteed a spot on team USA come September, such as Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, but there are definitely some places up for grabs.
And one man who is putting his name forward more than any other at the Major is JJ Spaun. He has endured a turbulent time on the PGA Tour since gaining his card in 2017, however, the 34-year-old has really found some form this year.
He came second at The Players this year, losing to Rory McIlroy in a three-hole playoff and has four top-10s to his name. He is 16th in Strokes Gained: Total on the PGA Tour this year and is fifth in SG: Approach, too.
Spaun led the US Open after the first day but dropped back slightly to second at the halfway stage. If this form continues for the rest of the year and can have a strong finish to the Major, Bradley would be silly to ignore him.
Another playing going well at Oakmont is Ben Griffin. Currently No. 15 in the Official World Golf Ranking, the North Carolina man has won twice on tour already this season.
His victories arrived at the Charles Schwab Challenge and Zurich Classic of New Orleans, highlighting the phenomenal level of skill he has produced this year.
Griffin only gained his card in 2023 and was one of the five players that was level-par or under ahead of Saturday at the 2025 US Open.
Other Players In Contention To Make Team USA
- Maverick McNealy
- Andrew Novak
- Akshay Bhatia
TEAM EUROPE
It is an exciting time to be rooting for Team Europe. Since their success at Marco Simeone Golf and Country Club in 2023, the pool of players for Donald to pick from has only grown larger.
The amount of talent being produced from Europe is quite staggering, and one name who has been impressive this year is Thomas Detry.
The 32-year-old turned professional in 2016 but only gained his PGA Tour card two years ago. He has since been a prominent figure, winning once this year at the WM Phoenix Open.
Born in Belgium, Detry can certainly strike a golf ball, ranking tenth in longest drives on tour this year. He sat T8th after the second round at Oakmont and is definitely one to watch.
Another player going well at the US Open is Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. Residing on the DP World Tour, the Dane is yet to record his maiden victory, although he has won three times on the Challenge Tour.
Even though he has struggled to get over the finishing line this year, he has provided some seriously strong form. He has recorded five top-10s in 2025, with the most significant coming at the Puerto Rico Open on his maiden PGA Tour start, finishing second.
After missing the cut at the PGA Championship last month, Neergaard-Petersen found himself in a strong T12th position following the cut at the US Open, six shots off the leader.
If he can continue this strain of form and maybe pick up a victory or two between now and September, he may just surprise a few people and sneak onto the 12-man roster for the Ryder Cup.
Other Players In Contention To Make Team Europe:
- Niklas Norgaard
- Laurie Canter
- Aaron Rai
- Matt Wallace
- Jordan Smith
- Matthieu Pavon
