The Ryder Cup gets underway at the end of September and, between now and then, there's plenty of golf to be played to decide the final teams.
Certainly, European captain Luke Donald and US captain Keegan Bradley will already have their picks in mind, with the latter reportedly hosting a Ryder Cup dinner on Tuesday evening that included some familiar names from outside of the PGA Tour.
Back in early October, both captains confirmed that LIV Golfers would be considered for selection at the Bethpage match and, on Tuesday evening at the Truist Championship, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka were reportedly in attendance at the USA's Ryder Cup dinner.
First reported by Golf Channel's Todd Lewis, it was stated that the "current top 20 in the US Ryder Cup standings, as well as members of the 2023 US Ryder Cup Team and the 2024 US Presidents Cup team" were also in attendance.
The dinner was part of a team-building exercise as the Ryder Cup in New York draws closer and closer. Currently, DeChambeau is likely to make the team, given his US Open victory last year, as well as his strong performances in Majors and his ranking of fourth in the US Ryder Cup standings.
As of writing, Koepka is well down the list but has featured in multiple Ryder Cups previously, including the most recent at Marco Simone in 2023.
What's more, the five-time Major winner is still close to his PGA Tour counterparts, although he has only registered two top 10s in seven starts on the LIV Golf League this season.
In terms of other LIV Golf League players present, it was reported that only DeChambeau and Koepka were invited, as the likes of Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson weren't present.
Team USA will have six automatic qualifiers and six captain's picks when it comes to the team event. In terms of LIV players, they are eligible to qualify, but have a slimmer chance than those on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
The reason for this is due to the fact that Ryder Cup points are allocated within Majors, PGA Tour events and DP World Tour contests but not LIV Golf tournaments.
As of 7th May, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, DeChambeau, Russell Henley and Justin Thomas occupy the top six spots.
According to reports, Scheffler wasn't present at the dinner as he takes the week off ahead of the PGA Championship which gets underway on the 15th May.
As well as the World No.1, Billy Horschel, who is 16th in the US Ryder Cup standings, would not have likely been there, with the 38-year-old announcing earlier in the day that he is set to undergo right hip surgery next week.
Like the US side, Team Europe will also be looking at LIV Golfers when it comes to selection, as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who were undefeated as a pair in the 2023 Ryder Cup, currently ply their trade on the circuit.
Along with the Legion XIII GC duo, Sergio Garcia has put his name into the fray with a number of strong results on LIV Golf. The leading points scorer in the Ryder Cup has also reportedly rejoined the DP World Tour, making him eligible for selection.
Below are a list of players who fall in to the top 20 of the US Ryder Cup standings and the 2023 Ryder Cup and 2024 Presidents Cup.
- Keegan Bradley (captain)
- Xander Schauffele
- Collin Morikawa
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Russell Henley
- Justin Thomas
- Maverick McNealy
- Brian Harman
- Andrew Novak
- J.J. Spaun
- Patrick Cantlay
- Harris English
- Tom Hoge
- Daniel Berger
- Lucas Glover
- Wyndham Clark
- Tony Finau
- Michael Kim
- Akshay Bhatia
- Brooks Koepka
- Max Homa
- Jordan Spieth
- Sam Burns
- Rickie Fowler
- Sahith Theegala
