We’re less than two months away from the Ryder Cup, and the rosters are starting to take shape. Six players each from the United States and Europe will automatically qualify their way onto the team, with another six selected by each captain.
The final automatic American spots were solidified after last week’s BMW Championship, while the final European spot will be determined after this week’s British Masters. Here’s what we know:
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Locked in
United States: Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele. New: Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English, Russell Henley
As expected, DeChambeau, English and Henley all earned their way onto the U.S. squad without having to worry about a captain's pick. DeChambeau wasn't able to earn points given that he's on the LIV tour, and won't be able to join the rest of the team for a tune-up in September, but he's good to go as an automatic pick. English finished at T12 in the BMW Championship this past weekend, and Henley finished a stroke behind him to come in at T15, so both continue to turn in solid performances.
Europe: Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood. New: Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton.
It wasn't a great weekend for MacIntyre inside the ropes; Scheffler ran him down for the win, and American fans heckled him into frustration. But he did qualify for the European team — not a shock, but still nice to hear — as did Hatton, who finished out his string on the season's LIV tour.
In position to qualify automatically
United States: N/A
The United States has closed out its automatic qualification, which means everyone now is fighting for the attention of captain Keegan Bradley.
Europe: Sepp Straka or Shane Lowry
Straka and Lowry will both make the team, so there's not a whole lot of drama here. Both are in the field for this week's Tour Championship, so that might determine who gets the automatic bid and who gets the pack-your-bags phone call. Both are having strong seasons and will be reliable performers on foreign soil.
In contention for captain's picks
Each captain — Bradley for the U.S., Luke Donald for Europe — will have six picks, and here’s where it gets interesting. Do you select a player who’s performed well in lower-stress events, or a player with a spottier resume but performs big under pressure? Do you go with a talented rookie or a Ryder Cup veteran? Do you go with … yourself? (More on that in a minute.) Here are some of the notable faces who can count on a captain’s pick:
United States: Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Ben Griffin
Morikawa and Thomas have solidified their status on the team. Meanwhile, Griffin, despite a bizarre creatine-overdose hiccup early on Sunday at the BMW, remains in position for a bid of his own. The more interesting questions lurk just outside the top 12, where a trio of reliable performers — Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns — all lurk. Which of those will play their way into the top 12, or into captain Bradley's good graces?
Europe: Ludvig Åberg, Rasmus Højgaard, Viktor Hovland
Europe has an enviable deep bench, with Åberg, Højgaard and Hovland ready to test the mettle of the American squad and the keyboards of the American media. The key for European captain Luke Donald is figuring out how to incorporate players like, say, 14th-ranked Marco Penge of England, who plays well on the European Tour — two wins already this year — but has little to no experience in golf on American soil.
Standings
Unites States
1. Scottie Scheffler
2. J.J. Spaun
3. Xander Schauffele
4. Russell Henley
5. Harris English
6. Bryson DeChambeau
7. Justin Thomas
8. Collin Morikawa
9. Ben Griffin
10. Maverick McNealy
11. Keegan Bradley
12. Brian Harman
Europe
1. Rory McIlroy
2. Robert MacIntyre
3. Tommy Fleetwood
4. Justin Rose
5. Tyrrell Hatton
6. Shane Lowry
7. Sepp Straka
8. Rasmus Højgaard
9. Ludvig Åberg
10. Viktor Hovland
11. Matt Wallace
12. Matt Fitzpatrick
The big question: Will Keegan Bradley pick himself?
The overarching story: Bradley is already one of the most fascinating figures in Ryder Cup history — shunned by then-captain Zach Johnson in 2023 despite dedicating himself to the pursuit of a Ryder Cup spot, he was suddenly elevated into the role of captain for 2025. The Ryder Cup captain is generally a player with his best on-course days behind him, but Bradley has kept his run going, playing himself all the way up to 10th in the U.S. standings. If he were “just” a player, he’d be a no-brainer for the team. But now, he has a choice to make: Will he pick himself as a player, and be a playing captain? Will he leave the spot for someone else? Will he select himself and abdicate the captain role? Each option would be second-guessed no matter what happens at Bethpage in September. It’s just one of many fascinating elements of this year’s Ryder Cup … and we’re still weeks away.
The latest: Bradley finished T17 this past weekend at the BMW, which is right in line with this entire season ... a strong performance, but not strong enough to justify an automatic slam-dunk pick of himself, given all that comes with it. Combine that with the fact that Rory McIlroy revealed this week that he declined a chance to be a playing captain, and, well ... the picture is becoming no more clear. Bradley will tee it up this week at the Tour Championship, where he no doubt will hear fairways full of "U-S-A!" chants ... but will his performance in Atlanta be enough to push him one direction or the other? Chances are: Nope, he's going to have to make this decision all on his own.
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