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Golf Monthly
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Elliott Heath

Could Jordan Spieth ACTUALLY Miss Out On The US Ryder Cup Team?

Jordan Spieth walking with his head down and putter in hand during a PGA Tour event.

Jordan Spieth finds himself in a precarious position after elimination from the FedEx Cup Playoffs, with the Texan's work now completed in terms of making the US Ryder Cup team.

He has now run out of chances to impress Keegan Bradley before the US captain names his six wildcard picks for Bethpage Black, so the question now points to whether he has done enough?

The three-time Major champion has played in each of the last five Ryder Cups but is without a win since April 2022 after struggling with his game and his wrist.

He has dropped to 52nd in the world rankings and languishes down in 28th in the US Ryder Cup standings, so a wildcard pick is certainly not guaranteed right now - especially as many of his rivals will have two more weeks in the FedEx Cup Playoffs to make their case.

"I think if I can make it to the Tour Championship, that means that I've played well in the Playoffs, in big events, and it may come down to if Keegan picks himself or not and opens up a spot," he said at The Open last month.

"It may come down to how other guys are playing that are on the bubble.

Spieth has played in all of the last five Ryder Cups (Image credit: Getty Images)

"I feel like I'm in similar to even a little better position than what Justin was in '23. He was outside the Playoffs altogether, where I think maybe if you go off recency bias, I would have been playing better this last half of this year coming into the end of this year.

"So that gives me hope, but also remember who was on the receiving end of when Justin got picked. They're going off the stats guys and they're going to pick the best 12 guys.

"Do I think I'm that right this second? No. But do I think I can be that by three weeks' time? Yeah."

Spieth finished 40th at The Open, T31st at the Wyndham Championship and T38th at the FedEx St Jude Championship to end his season 54th in the FedEx Cup.

Spieth has failed to qualify for the BMW Championship for the second successive year (Image credit: Getty Images)

So, has Jordan Spieth done enough to be on Team USA? Our writers have their say...

I think Jordan Spieth will make the US Ryder Cup team, but I'm not sure he should.

Let's be honest, he's a shadow of the player he once was, and finishing outside the top 50 in the FedExCup with so many good players on LIV shows just how far he's fallen.

Since his victory at the 2017 Open Championship, he's won twice in eight years, the last coming at the RBC Heritage in April 2022. If he's picked, it'll be because of his past.

That said, his stats this season were actually fairly solid and Keegan Bradley knows that if he catches fire, he'll be very difficult to beat.

In the three Ryder Cups from 2014 to 1018, he had a winning percentage of 50% or more every time.

But, since then, he's played in eight matches and only recorded one victory, with three halves and four losses.

Simply put, he didn't justify his wildcard pick on either occasion, something he'll have to rely on if he's to make a sixth appearance at Bethpage Black.

This question is so tough to answer because Spieth is right on the edge of both camps. Honestly, I think he's a coin flip right now.

You could point to his experience at the Ryder Cup and his obvious chemistry with Justin Thomas, who will likely make the team as one of the first wildcard picks.

Then there is Spieth's outright power off the tee, his putting ability and a handful of really strong results this season - one of which was arguably his T14th at The Masters.

But, on the flip side, Spieth's long game has been famously erratic (if not highly entertaining) in 2025 and he is way down in the Team US standings with no more golf in the US left this month thanks to missing the FedEx Cup top-50.

If the question is 'Should Jordan Spieth make Team USA's Ryder Cup roster?' I would say no because there are far safer bets out there.

But, then again, Spieth's genius arguably makes him the ideal Ryder Cup pick.

You don't know what you're going to get with him, but he can come up clutch in those moments that matter.

Yes, he's a risk, but he could just be the pick that wins Team USA the Ryder Cup and makes Keegan Bradley a hero.

Spieth might seem like an easy pick due to his name and standing in the game, but he actually missed out on the Presidents Cup last year (due to injury) and the US were absolutely fine without him.

He sits in 28th position in the US standings and currently looks unlikely to be picked.

Bradley may want him for his experience and he has had a solid season (four top-10s and just two missed cuts in 19 events) but there are lots of players ahead of him in the rankings.

Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young, Maverick McNealy, Ben Griffin, Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns, Akshay Bhatia, Andrew Novak, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, Lucas Glover and the captain Keegan Bradley are among the names ahead of Spieth in the race for a wildcard pick.

I would have Thomas, Morikawa, McNealy, Cantlay, Burns and Griffin or Bhatia ahead of him right now for the six wildcard spots.

It doesn't look great for Spieth, especially if one of the outsiders ahead of him (like Bhatia, Griffin and McNealy) can get a win over the next couple of weeks or at least post a couple of top-fives. Bradley will be looking for form as the top-half of his roster is already stacked.

I think Spieth will miss out this time.

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