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The Independent UK

Sport

Jack Rathborn and Luke Baker

Ryder Cup 2025: USA standings and predicting Keegan Bradley’s team for Bethpage Black

Europe USA (Organization) Luke Donald Bethpage Black (Facility) Keegan Bradley Scottie Scheffler Team USA Ryder Cup Team Europe Jon Rahm

Team USA is on a mission to recapture the Ryder Cup in the 2025 edition of the event at Bethpage Black and their chances look promising with the world’s best player Scottie Scheffler leading their charge on the course.

But a peculiar situation surrounding the team brings unwanted pressure and a distraction, with captain Keegan Bradley enjoying some of the best golf of his career, including a stunning win at the Travelers Championship to beat out Ryder Cup stalwart Tommy Fleetwood, cruelly denying him a first PGA Tour win in the process.

The LIV Golf controversy has subsided, with Bryson DeChambeau likely to qualify automatically and return to the team after missing out at Marco Simone in 2023.

A hurtful defeat in Rome, which saw Scheffler brought to tears after a record-breaking nine and seven defeat to Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, should provide plenty of motivation for a raucous home crowd in New York this time around.

Here’s how the stars and stripes could line up, plus current standings, form, and who is in line for one of Bradley’s six wildcard picks to take on a confident Team Europe:

Current Team USA standings for 2025 Ryder Cup

Top 6 eligible players following the conclusion of the BMW Championship, on 17 August, 2025, will make the team

1. Scottie Scheffler 27536.93 - QUALIFIED
2. JJ Spaun 14638.91
3. Xander Schauffele 13570.02
4. Russell Henley 11904.82
5. Bryson De Chambeau 10774.98
6. Harris English 10439.55

--------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Justin Thomas 10347.59
8. Collin Morikawa 9929.77
9. Ben Griffin 9304.76
10. Keegan Bradley 8103.00 11.
11. Maverick McNealy 7553.65
12. Andrew Novak 7230.48
13. Brian Harman 7194.16
14. Cameron Young 6689.64
15. Patrick Cantlay 6570.39

Team USA for the 2025 Ryder Cup

The locks

Scottie Scheffler

Qualified. The best player in the world, but he has demons to exorcise from Rome: 9 and 7 with Brooks Koepka against Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg should light a fire in him for Bethpage Black. A comprehensive win at the PGA Championship and The Open, pencil him in for four team sessions and his singles match.

Xander Schauffele

Holds a 7-6-1 record. Unable to capture the magic of 2024 after claiming two majors and has been hit with injuries. But a world class player with tremendous power and distance to marry with exquisite iron play and finesse around the greens. One of the few versatile players in terms of pairings for the USA, too.

JJ Spaun

Clutch play at Oakmont, a maiden major and the revelation of men's golf this year. A debut at Bethpage Black should provide a different examination, yet the Californian outdueled Bob MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton, which should give him an edge. Another fierce battle with European stalwart Justin Rose saw him narrowly miss out at the St Jude Championship, but his composure down the stretch at TPC Southwind and in the playoff shows he can be trusted.

Russell Henley

Will get in as an automatic selection through the rankings and Bradley got a close-up look at what he can do in the final group of the Travelers Championship, including his chip-in on 18. Henley, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year, is a wizard approaching the green (11th in strokes gained on tour this year) and third on tour for proximity with his approach. A great option in foursomes.

Bryson DeChambeau

Holds a 2-3-1 record. Sorely missed in Rome from an entertainment perspective, his bruising power of the tee should pose a real threat at this menace of a golf course. Still not striking his irons as he would like or how you'd expect given his scientific approach, and he continues to blame his golf ball, a daunting opponent but one the Europeans will fancy toppling if they can weather an early storm.

Justin Thomas

Clinging onto the last automatic place, though in truth both Thomas and Morikawa (currently seventh) will both go. In a much better place after winning the RBC Heritage and T-2 at the Truist, but cut-cut at the PGA Championship and US Open provides a little concern over his ability to rise up on the tougher tracks.

Collin Morikawa

A masterful iron player. Despite the near-misses at the Sentry and Players, finishing second in both, the 28-year-old hasn't contended enough. But with the potential to establish himself as a transcendent player of his generation, Morikawa is a lock to play again this year and build on his experience from Rome.

Bryson DeChambeau will return after sitting out Rome (PA Wire)

Likely in the team

Keegan Bradley

El Capitan. You saw the emotion when let down by ZJ in Full Swing, so to now be in a predicament: He's playing well enough to fully justify a wildcard pick. But as captain, where is the threshold to jeopardise his role as captain? Winning the Travelers Championship has changed everything, but form has since tailed off. A big, big few weeks ahead and a colossal decision to be made. Will he become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963?

Patrick Cantlay

An absolute gun for the US in team events, most notably forming a formidable partnership alongside fellow 'best current player not to win a major' Xander Schauffele over multiple Ryder and Presidents Cups, it's hard to envisage Cantlay not being at Bethpage. However, he'll likely need a captain's pick because while partner in crime Schauffele ended his major drought by bagging two of them last year, the formerly prolific Cantlay doesn't have a tournament win of any description since August 2022. Has gone off the boil in majors this season, missing the cut at both the US Open and US PGA, and did become the villain du jour at the 2023 Ryder Cup when he refused to wear a hat, reportedly as a protest at not being paid to compete. The controversy ended up overshadowing the US team somewhat as they suffered a chastening defeat, while his caddy Joe LaCava first baited the European fans by waving a hat and celebrating wildly when his player made a crucial putt and then had a heated confrontation with Rory McIlroy in the car park. If he is in New York, Captain Bradley will surely implore Cantlay to keep his focus to on-course matters, where he has traditionally been very impressive.

Harris English

English's first Ryder Cup match, in the Friday fourballs back in 2021, saw him and Tony Finau impressively down European big-hitters Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry 4&3, but losses in Saturday's fourballs and Sunday's singles left English and Finau as the US's lowest scorers that week. Not selected two years ago, English looks a good bet to get the call in 2025 after a win at the Farmers Insurance Open in January (his first PGA Tour triumph in four years), a T12 at the Masters and a T2 at the US PGA behind the uncatchable Scottie Scheffler. A solo second at Royal Portrush, behind Scheffler again, put him eighth in the world. Even if he slips out of the automatic qualification, he’s very likely on the team.

In contention

Jordan Spieth

File him in the "we'll do everything we can to take him" category. He can take confidence in how much faith Thomas was given before Rome and expect similar treatment here. He cannot qualify automatically and must now rely on a wildcard pick. A wrist injury at Oakmont further muddied the waters, but Spieth is charismatic and could lift the home crowd to feverish levels. Bradley will need to be brave to resist picking him.

Ben Griffin

The most likely rookie wildcard pick? Griffin has a tidy game and won the Charles Schwab this year. Two top-10 finishes at the PGA Championship and US Open show he belongs at the very top; he's in the driver's seat to grab one of the wildcard picks. The limited matchplay experience, beyond the Aruba Cup, representing the PGA Tour Canada in 2018, is one concern.

Patrick Cantlay celebrates at the 2023 Ryder Cup (PA)

Sam Burns

A Sunday to forget at Oakmont as he frittered away a number of strokes to lose control of what was at one point a dominant US Open bid. Paired with Scheffler, a good friend of his, in Rome, in a bid to bring the best out of the world No 1, but it didn't work. An elite putter, Burns' US Open performance ought to earn him a pick if he can replicate this form in the closing weeks.

Cameron Young

Young narrowly missed out on a Ryder Cup debut in Rome two years ago despite vice-captain Fred Couples running his mouth on the radio a month before and declaring that "Cam Young will be in Italy". In with a real chance of that wrong being righted at Bethpage and his prodigious driving, both in terms of length and shot shape, makes him a perfect fit for the course. A win at the Wyndham Championship broke his duck on the PGA Tour, to pair with an impressive T4 at the US Open, the 28-year-old could be a smart pick.

Wyndham Clark

Battling some demons in 2025: From throwing his club in a petulant act that put a volunteer in danger to smashing up an Oakmont locker. After posting T-46, T-50 and cut at this year's first three majors, T-4 at Royal Portrush propelled him back into consideration, with his powerful game another good fit for Bethpage Black.

Outsiders

Brooks Koepka

Endured a tough Ryder Cup last time out, including that heavy 9 and 7 loss to Hovland and Aberg. Cut-Cut-T-12-Cut in this year’s majors. Glimmers of the old, dominant Koepka at Oakmont, but really disappointing at Royal Portrush.

Max Homa

Has fallen off a cliff since 2023, desperately searching for something after splitting with his caddy. A tremendous record lining up for the USA, one of the most liked players on tour. But his chances look slim right now.

Brian Harman

Carried a little by Max Homa in Rome and unable to carry over his outstanding play from Hoylake. A win at the Valero Texas Open this year, and T-10 at Royal Portrush, is still probably not enough.

Tony Finau

The likeable veteran is a two-time Ryder Cup player with a middling 3-3-0 record but missed out in Rome. A six-time PGA Tour winner, he hasn't lifted a trophy since April 2023 and although he's found some consistency this season, he's still struggling to truly challenge at the top of the leaderboard. Often looks shaky over short putts which is sub-optimal for matchplay and will need a captain's pick to go to Bethpage. Without a win or a big performance at a big event in the run-up, it looks unlikely.

Rickie Fowler

A feelgood career renaissance saw Fowler earn a place on the 2023 team for a first Ryder Cup appearance since 2018. It didn't go well... Beaten alongside Collin Morikawa in Friday morning's foursomes, he wasn't seen again until Sunday's singles when he lost to Tommy Fleetwood and he has once again struggled for form since that 0-2 record, dropping outside the world's top 100. Barring something ludicrous happening, he won't be going to Bethpage.