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

Independent

9 hours ago

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 the peculiar situation surrounding the team brings unwanted pressure and a distraction, with captain Keegan Bradley enjoying 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, yet also thriving since the switch, with the fallout costing him a place 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 Vikto 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 six players qualify automatically for team. Standings accurate as of 24 June
1. Scottie Scheffler 27536.93 - QUALIFIED
2. Xander Schauffele 12472.70
3. JJ Spaun 12271.85
4. Russell Henley 11166.85
5. Bryson De Chambeau 10318.00
6. Justin Thomas 9997.69
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7. Collin Morikawa 9482.01
8. Ben Griffin 8432.91
9. Keegan Bradley 7845.22
10. Harris English 7666.52
11. Maverick McNealy 7126.46
12. Brian Harman 6521.26
13. Andrew Novak 6346.28
14. Patrick Cantlay 6010.83
15. Sam Burns 5508.75
16. Tom Hoge 4392.10
17. Cameron Young 4386.55
18. Daniel Berger 4308.82
19. Tony Finau 4160.51
20. Lucas Glover 4155.63
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, pencil him in for at least three 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.
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.
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. A big, big few months ahead and a colossal decision. 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.
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 won't qualify automatically and he'll need some help in the closing stretch. A wrist injury at Oakmont has 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.
In contention
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 though.
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 have helped launch him back into the world's top 20. Rarely misses a cut and although he'll likely need a captain's pick, he feels like one of the leading contenders to get one.
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
If Tommy Fleetwood is in a tier of his own when discussing the best player yet to win a PGA Tour event, Young certainly isn't far behind. 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 tournament win would remove any selection doubt but he's producing consistently good performances without getting over the line, including a T4 at the US Open, a T4 at the Canadian Open and a T7 at the Truist Championship in the past couple of months.
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 in this year's majors. Glimmers of the old, dominant Koepka at Oakmont, but he needs an imposing performance at The Open.
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. If he can give Bradley an excuse to pick him, he'll be on the team, but chances look slim right now.
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. Clark needs to produce something spectacular to be given the benefit of the doubt. T-46, T-50 and cut at this year's majors. It doesn't look good for a repeat appearance.
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, yet there's still likely a bit of work to be done to secure a wildcard pick.
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.
Predicted American team for the 2025 Ryder Cup
Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schauffele
JJ Spaun
Russell Henley
Bryson DeChambeau
Justin Thomas
Collin Morikawa
Ben Griffin
Keegan Bradley
Patrick Cantlay
Sam Burns
Jordan Spieth
The top of the standings would strike fear into most European teams, yet even Scheffler has some demons to exorcise in this event and this format. Spaun was heroic at Oakmont, but we saw how surprise major winner Brian Harman coped in Rome, the test if fierce and unlike anything else, even a US Open. That said, there is certainly firepower there and you factor in the home advantage and even Bradley, a maverick of sorts in this role, might struggle to resist some of the safer wildcard selections (including himself!). Cantlay's form is alarming, he continues to disappear in the big moments in majors, while Burns shows irresistible potential, only to crumble in the face of adversity. Spieth could be given the benefit of the doubt; his preparation was hampered last time out when his wife gave birth to their first daughter just two weeks before the first foursomes going out. There's more variability in rookies Henley and Griffin, who has probably done enough to earn a wildcard at this stage, making the favourites vulnerable. Wily veterans Finau, Homa or even Brooks Koepka could come under serious consideration. Especially given a lack of exciting potential coming through at this stage: Matt Wolff and Nick Dunlap have both endured tricky spells of form, while Gordon Sargent, ranked No 1 in the amateur world rankings two years ago, has experienced sluggish start to life in the pro ranks.