From Sept. 26-28, the 2025 Ryder Cup will take place at Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York. The Ryder Cup is played every two years, alternating between a venue in the United States and one in Europe. This tradition has been in place since the first contest in 1927. The last iteration in 2023 saw Team Europe win at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, beating the USA 16.5 to 11.5. The tournament featured a dominant performance by the European team. This time, the U.S. team will look to bounce back from their defeat with a victory on home soil.
The 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team, under first-time captain Keegan Bradley, consists of six automatically qualified players joined by six captain’s picks. The automatically qualified players include four-time major champion and current world number one Scottie Scheffler, 2025 U.S. Open champion J. J. Spaun, 2017 Tour Champion and Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, along with five-time PGA Tour winners Russell Henley and Harris English. For the captains’ picks, Bradley selected two-time major champions Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa, eight-time PGA Tour winner Patrick Cantlay, as well as Benjamin Griffin, Cameron Young and Sam Burns.
Bradley elected not to use one of his captain’s picks on himself, although he is currently ranked 11th in the world. Despite having a legitimate case to make the squad, Bradley did not choose to pick himself, prioritizing his role as captain and the team’s success over personal playing status. Over the course of the season, other players stepped up and earned their spots on the team, leading Bradley to believe it was best for him to focus solely on captaining. Had he opted differently, he would have been the first Ryder Cup playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 at East Lake.
Team Europe, captained by Luke Donald, aims to regain the cup with a strong, experienced lineup. The squad’s six automatic qualifiers include Grand Slam winner and current world number two Rory McIlroy, current world number six Tommy Fleetwood, 2013 U.S Open champion Justin Rose, along with Rasmus Højgaard, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre. Captain Donald’s six captain’s picks went to two-time major champion Jon Rahm, 2019 Open Championship winner Shane Lowry, plus Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Some of the biggest factors for winning the Ryder Cup include team cohesion, strategic captain’s picks and pairings based on player personalities and skill, effective course management tailored to the specific course and strong team preparation and strategy overall. Players’ ability to adapt to the team format, which includes different match types and the pressure of collective play, is crucial for success. Mistakes on this front contributed to Team USA’s defeat in 2023, as then-captain Zach Johnson’s captain’s picks were questioned by many because they appeared to prioritize friendships over current form, with players like Justin Thomas being selected despite poor recent performance, and the snub of in-form players like Bryson DeChambeau. This problem was not seen in Bradley’s picks.
In terms of its difficulty, Bethpage Black keeps pace with some of the most challenging courses in the world. Bethpage Black’s difficulty stems from its extreme length, narrow fairways, deep and punishing rough and massive bunkers, all set on a hilly, walking-only course designed to challenge the world’s best golfers. The difficulty of the course is summed up in its infamous warning sign that reads, “The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.” The sign reflects its brutal nature, which includes treacherous multi-tiered greens and formidable par-4s.
As of right now, Team USA is the favorite to win the 2025 Ryder Cup, with odds favoring them due to the home advantage and strong performances from top American players during the season. Despite Europe being the defending champions, the U.S. is widely expected to triumph as home course advantage has historically proven as a significant factor in the Ryder Cup.
