We are now in the midst of the Major season and although the attention is rightly on the biggest prizes in the game, attention is slowly starting to turn towards the Ryder Cup that will be held at Bethpage Black in September.
Prospective players from both the American and European teams are jostling for position as they aim to cement themselves on each team’s 12 man roster.
With plenty of twists and turns to take place before captains Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley make their selections, let’s take an early look at the betting.
Despite strong European start to the season, America are still the favourites
For those that support the European Tour it’s been a fantastic start to the PGA season. Throughout the year there have been winners galore as the likes of Sepp Straka, Thomas Detry, Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg have all been able to win on the PGA Tour this season. Then there is of course Rory McIlroy.
The man from Northern Ireland has long been Europe’s talisman at the Ryder Cup but rarely has he entered into a Ryder Cup in such great form. The winner of the AT&T Championship, Players Championship and of course the Masters, McIlroy finally took his place alongside the legends of the game by completing the career Grand Slam.
However, despite the brilliant position that European golf finds itself in, it is the American’s who lead the betting and they are odds on to win the cup they lost so heavily back in 2023.
Many may believe that the Americans shouldn’t be as short as they are in the betting but there are few harder things to do in the game than win a Ryder Cup on foreign soil.
The last time that the feat was achieved by either team was back in 2012 when the European team produced one of the best comebacks in Ryder Cup history when beating the Americans at Medinah.
Last time the Ryder Cup was held on American soil was in 2021 at Whistling Straits and the Americans were simply too strong. With tens of thousands set to be behind the Americans and a passionate New York crowd set to provide a boisterous and noisy backdrop, make no mistake, the Europeans have it all to do.
How are the teams shaping up?
With the Ryder Cup now just a little over four months away, let’s take a look at how each team is shaping up.
USA
If the Ryder Cup were to be taking place next week, this is how the U.S. team would look.
The top six are automatically selected whilst the remaining six spots will be chosen by Captain Keegan Bradley.
Leading the way for the Americans will be the duo of Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele but both have plenty of work to do if they are to head to New York in the best of form.
After winning eight times on the PGA Tour last season, so far 2025 has been one of frustration for Scheffler who is still to get off the mark when it comes to winning this year.
As is usually his way, Scheffler has been consistent and through the first eight tournaments of the season with five top ten efforts, but Scheffler only deals with wins and won’t be satisfied by that.
For the first time in a long time, Scheffler has been overshadowed by the exploits of Rory McIlroy and he will want to make sure that heading into Bethpage Black he is the man with the target on his back.
After winning two majors last year, Xander Schauffele is also looking to win his first title of 2025. Having been replaced at number two in the world rankings by McIlroy, it’s been a slow start to the season for the diminutive Californian.
A nagging rib injury has ensured that Schauffele has only made five starts this year but he has only been able to achieve one top ten effort.
If America is going to win back the Ryder Cup they need Schauffele back to his very best.
With the rest of the team being made up of Bryson DeChambeau, Russell Henley, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa, the Americans look to be loaded once again, but there are several big names in danger of missing out.
Jordan Spieth who for so long was considered to be the future of the American team is in real danger of missing out as is Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay and Brooks Koepka. A case could be made for all four players to be included but none of these players have been posting up positive results.
Going back to 2021 and the feeling was that the Americans could dominate the Ryder Cup for years to come, but times have changed and this year’s event could be pretty equal. America needs their best players to start finding their feet, and finding them quickly, otherwise they could be really up against it and in danger of not winning in front of their own fans for the first time since 2012.
Europe
After a brilliant start to 2025 season for European players, captain Luke Donald would have been delighted with how key members of his squad are playing.
The European team for this year’s competition is likely to pick itself.
The guarantees will be McIlroy, Tyrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Aberg and it’s hard to imagine that Viktor Hovland and Rob MacIntyre will miss out. That just leaves three spots open for Donald to make his selections.
Rasmus Hojgaard is likely to be one of those picks. Having finished second to Rory McIlroy in the 2024 Race to Dubai, Hojgaard is enjoying his first full season on the PGA Tour and is playing solidly. He may return to the DP World Tour to beef up his credentials further.
One man in real danger of missing out is Matt Fitzpatrick. Having partnered McIlroy at the 2023 event, Fitzpatrick’s drop off has been alarming and the Englishman has a real battle on his hands to earn selection.
Ranked all the way down at 79 in the world rankings, he is yet to post a single top twenty effort this term and there doesn’t seem to be any signs of that changing.
In an environment where the best players with the most experience are needed, one man to keep an eye on could be Sergio Garcia.
The Spainaird now plies his trade on the LIV Tour but has been performing excellently this season. Already a winner down in Hong Kong, it is no secret that Donald and Garcia are close. With Donald able to select those who play on the LIV Tour for his squad, few would be surprised if Europe’s all time leading point scorer was selected for yet another Ryder Cup team.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
