
Here's who is in line for automatic Ryder Cup spot in final week of qualifying
With his playoff loss at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, J.J. Spaun still earned enough points to secure his spot alongside Scottie Scheffler on his first Ryder Cup team. Spaun's spot was all-but certain anyway after his U.S. Open victory in June.
The top 6 after this week's BMW Championship, a 50-man playoff event at Caves Valley in Maryland, will be locked onto the team. Players earn one point per $1,000 earned, with a $20 million purse this week.
Those would-be qualifiers, as of now, are Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Bryson DeChambeau (unable to add to his point total this week) and Harris English.
Here is the rest of the top 15, in order, with only slight movement among the contenders: No. 7 Justin Thomas, No. 8 Collin Morikawa, No. 9 Ben Griffin, No. 10 Keegan Bradley, No. 11 Maverick McNealy, No. 12 Andrew Novak, No. 13 Brian Harman, No. 14 Cameron Young and No. 15 Patrick Cantlay.
Griffin, Novak, Young and Cantlay all posted top-10 finishes in the playoff opener in Memphis.
On the European side, two weeks remain for automatic qualifying.
Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood are now officially secure to join Luke Donald's team once again, joining Rory McIlroy. Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton and Sepp Straka round out the top 6.
Shane Lowry has fallen out of those automatic spots, but he's a virtual lock to be at Bethpage Black. Rasmus Hojgaard, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland round out the top 10, respectively.
Matt Fitzpatrick's streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes ended in Memphis, and he sits at No. 12 in the standings.
Matt Wallace (No. 11), Thomas Detry (No. 13) and Aaron Rai (No. 14) are also in the mix for a spot, with only Detry still alive in the FedExCup playoffs.
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Fox Sports
3 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Europe's Best Teams: Where Barcelona, PSG, Liverpool Rank Among Top 20
UEFA Champions League Europe's Best Teams: Where Barcelona, PSG, Liverpool Rank Among Top 20 Updated Aug. 11, 2025 9:23 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link How do we fill the days until the 2026 World Cup? By keeping up with some of the world's top sides in what will be an action-packed European club season. Three of the continent's Big Five circuits – England's Premier League, Spain's La Liga and Ligue 1 in France – kick off this weekend, with Germany's Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A following on Aug. 22 and 23, respectively. In other countries, domestic league action is already underway. But these are the 20 clubs to watch, loaded with the stars we'll be seeing next summer. Ahead of the European campaigns kicking off, let's count down the teams who'll shine the brightest. 1 Paris Saint-Germain 1st, Ligue 1; Champions League Winners So what if the defending European champions lost decisively to Chelsea in last month's FIFA Club World Cup final? Luis Enrique's PSG is still the team to beat in 2025-26. Luis Enrique returns close to his entire squad from last season's long-awaited triumph, though keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma could leave this month. If he does, the Parisians already have Donnarumma's replacement in French international Lucas Chevalier, who arrived from Lille for $47 million. 2 Liverpool 1st, Premier League; Champions League Rd. of 16 Last year, the Reds ran away with the Premier League title, besting second-place Arsenal by 10 points. Despite the tragic death of forward Diogo Jota, Liverpool has only gotten better this summer. Arne Slot's side has been the big winner of this transfer window, dropping north of $350 million on backup keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, and forwards Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz. No wonder they're the favorites to retain the English title. 3 Barcelona 1st, LaLiga; Champions League SF Baca was just seconds away from reaching the UEFA Champions League final last season under first-year manager Hansi Flick. This season, the Blaugrana are looking to go at least one step further. Who says they can't? Eighteen-year-old Lamine Yamal is on his way to becoming the world's best player — if he isn't already. Fellow Ballon d'Or candidate Raphinha had 34 goals in all competitions in 2024-25, doubling his previous career-best. Robert Lewandowski, who turns 37 on Aug. 21, remains an elite striker. Pedri runs the show behind them. The rest of the regulars return, too, with forward Marcus Rashford the marquee summer addition. ADVERTISEMENT 4 Chelsea 4th, Premier League; Conference League Winners After finishing fourth in the Prem last term, the Blues stunned many by winning the expanded, 32-team Club World Cup in July. Can they harness that momentum and use it to challenge for English and European titles next spring? They've got the firepower. Chelsea already have an emerging superstar in winger Cole Palmer — this season he'll be supported by new recruits like strikers Liam Delap and João Pedro, Pedro's fellow Brazilian attacker Estêvão, and English forward Jamie Gittens. 5 Arsenal 2nd, Premier League; Champions League SF The Premier League runner-up in each of the last three seasons, what Mikel Arteta's team is missing at this point are trophies. Still, Arsenal continues to improve. The Gunners knocked then-Champions League holders Real Madrid out of Europe's top club tournament last April, snaring a convincing 5-1 aggregate win. And they've added real quality this summer in the form of defensive midfielder Martín Zubimendi and forwards Viktor Gyökeres and Noni Madueke. 6 Real Madrid 3rd, Premier League; Champions League KO Playoffs The record 15-time European champs are coming off what, by their standards, was a dreadful 2024-25, with no major titles secured. But Los Blancos still boast one of the deepest, most expensive squads on Planet Fútbol. And Kylian Mbappé & Co. are now led by one of the sport's great up-and-coming coaches in former Real Madrid captain Xabi Alonso, who replaced the legendary Carlo Ancelotti in June. 7 Man. City 3rd, Premier League; Champions League KO Playoffs City's unprecedented run of four consecutive Premier League titles came to a halt last season, when Pep Guardiola's side finished third, lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace, and were eliminated from European play before the Champions League's round of 16 even began. This team is too good not to bounce back in a big way this year, though — even without club legend Kevin de Bruyne, whose contract wasn't extended. 8 Inter Milan 2nd, Serie A; Champions League Runners-up Having reached the UEFA Champions League final in two of the last three seasons, nobody should underestimate the Nerazzurri. Inter added Croatian midfielder Petar Sučić, Brazilian winger Luis Henrique and French striker Ange-Yoan Bonny this summer. Besides veteran forward Joaquín Correa, their most significant departure is manager Simone Inzaghi, who was replaced by former Inter defender Cristian Chivu in June. 9 Bayern Munich 1st, Bundesliga; Champions League QF After losing the German title to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023-24, Bayern reclaimed its status as the Bundesliga's standard-bearer last season, finishing as champs for the 12th time in 13 seasons. Things will be different this year without club legend (and new Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder) Thomas Müller, with Leroy Sané leaving, too. But the $81 million arrival of Colombian winger Luis Díaz from Liverpool will help. 10 Atlético Madrid 3rd, LaLiga; Champions League Rd. of 16 Can Atleti end their four-year title drought and beat Barcelona and Real Madrid to La Liga glory this season? Occasionally, Madrid's other team outlasts Spain's double-headed monster. Longtime manager Diego Simeone will be hoping his team is due after a strong summer transfer window which saw $185 million-worth of new talent arrive — including former Villarreal attacker Álex Baena, USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso and Argentine World Cup-winner (and Atlanta United alum) Thiago Almada. 11 Napoli 1st, Serie A Scudetto winners in 2023 and 2025, the Neapolitans are no doubt aiming for similar success in European play this season to celebrate the club's centennial. The arrival of Champions League winner Kevin de Bruyne on a free transfer from Manchester City can't hurt. Neither will forward Noa Lang, who helped PSV reach the knockout stage in each of the last two years. 12 Newcastle 5th, Premier League The Magpies eked into the Champions League places last term only because UEFA granted England's top flight one additional spot. Newcastle fans aren't complaining though, though they will be if and when star forward Alexander Isak leaves for Liverpool on the eve of the new season. 13 Juventus 4th, Serie A; Champions League KO Playoffs Juve got the proven, consistent goalscorer they've long needed when the "Old Lady" inked Canadian striker Jonathan David on a free transfer from Lille following the Concacaf Gold Cup. David replaces Randal Kolo Muani, who returned to PSG upon the completion of his loan, in manager Igor Tudor's lineup. 14 Dortmund 4th, Bundesliga; Champions League QF The club that helped develop the all-world likes of Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland in recent years has a new batch coming through — one led by midfielder Jobe Bellingham, Jude's younger brother. But most of the vets that took the Black & Yellow to the 2024 Champions League final remain, not least captain Emre Can, playmaker Julian Brandt and Swiss keeper Gregor Kobel. 15 Manchester Utd 15th, Premier League; Europa League Runners-up It's hard to believe that the 20-time English champions finished 15th last season, when they also lost the Europa League final to Premier League rivals Tottenham. But the Red Devils added forwards Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško this window, and they should fare better in Ruben Amorim's first full season at the Old Trafford helm. 16 Monaco 3rd, Ligue 1; Champions League KO Playoffs Plenty of big names — think Mbappé, Thierry Henry and George Weah — have come through the Principality over the years. AS Monaco added a few more this summer in former France World Cup winner Paul Pogba and Barcelona loanee Ansu Fati. Both should help in the Champions League, with Les Rouge et Blancs looking to reach the round of 16 for the first time since 2017. 17 Leverkusen 2nd, Bundesliga; Champions League Rd. of 16 The loss of star attractions Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong (both to Liverpool) and manager Xabi Alonso (to Real Madrid) hurts. Same for Odilon Kossounou and Granit Xhaka, who also left this summer. But stout defender Jarell Quansah, fellow $40 million man (and USMNT star) Malik Tillman, and new boss Eric ten Hag should help keep the club near the top of the Bundesliga. 18 PSV Eindhoven 1st, Eredivisie; Champions League Rd. of 16 As Dutch champs the last two years, PSV has also pushed above its weight in the Champions League, reaching the knockout stages twice and knocking out Italian titans Juventus last season. They lost Tillman, Lang and others this summer, but having USMNT pair Sergiño Dest and Ricardo Pepi back healthy this season could be a coup for coach Peter Bosz. 19 Galatasaray 1st, Süper Lig; Europa League KO Playoffs The Champions League-bound Turkish giants made waves this summer by signing prolific 26-year-old Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen from Napoli for $87 million on a permanent deal, as well as bringing in German winger Leroy Sané for free from Bayern Munich. 20 Marseille 2nd, Ligue 1 The Ligue 1 runner-up to PSG last year and three times overall this decade, Marseille is chasing its first domestic title since 2010. The ambition is there, with L'OM dropping almost $90 million on transfers this summer. Yet two potentially huge contributors came for free: former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and USMNT veteran Tim Weah, who previously won a French title with Lille in 2020-21. Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ ByDougMcIntyre . share


Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
FedEx Cup No. 5 Suddenly Withdraws From BMW Championship, 'Requests Privacy'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Sepp Straka, ranked fifth in the FedEx Cup standings, suddenly announced his withdrawal from the BMW Championship, the second event of the PGA Tour playoffs. The Austrian just finished tied for 17th in the first event of this stage, the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The news was released through the X PGA Tour Communications account. A brief statement from Straka's manager, Butler Melnyk, also released the same channel, requesting privacy for the player. "For personal reasons, Sepp is unable to play this week," Melnyk said. "He intends to compete at the TOUR Championship, but requests privacy at this time as he attends to a family matter at home." Although Straka's absence from the BMW Championship is notable, it will not significantly impact his chances of playing in the TOUR Championship. The final tournament of the regular season features the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup, and Straka should comfortably remain in that group, even without playing this week. Sepp Straka of Austria hits a tee shot on the eighth hole during the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship 2025 at TPC Southwind on August 08, 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee. Sepp Straka of Austria hits a tee shot on the eighth hole during the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship 2025 at TPC Southwind on August 08, 2025 in Memphis, could be affected is his ranking for the European Ryder Cup team. Currently, Straka is ranked sixth, which would qualify him directly, but he could be displaced by Shane Lowry if he has a strong result at the BMW Championship. However, this situation would be merely a side note, as Straka is virtually guaranteed to be among the 12 players who will compete under captain Luke Donald, either directly qualifying or as one of six free picks. Straka is finishing one of the best seasons of his career, winning two tournaments, including a Signature Event (The American Express, Truist Championship). He also has four other top-10 finishes. His biggest debt of the year was the major championships, where he posted most of his poorest results. He missed the cut at the Masters, the PGA Championship and the US Open, and finished tied for 52nd at the Open Championship. Straka has been playing on the PGA Tour since 2019 and has won four tournaments. In 2023, he made his Ryder Cup debut representing Europe, contributing one point in three matches to his team's victory. More Golf: FedEx Cup: Jordan Spieth Sees Top-50 Spot Slip Painfully Between Fingers


USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
2025 BMW Championship odds, picks and PGA Tour predictions
The FedExCup Playoffs roll on with this week's 2025 BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. The top 50 players in the FedExCup standings will tee it up with the goal of being one of the 30 golfers advancing to the Tour Championship next week at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The first round begins on Thursday and the tournament, which has no cut, will wrap up on Sunday. Below, we look at BMW Championship odds from BetMGM Sportsbook's odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions. The BMW Championship features a 49-player field with Rory McIlroy back after a week off, but Sepp Straka had to withdraw Monday due to a personal matter. Unsurprisingly, Scottie Scheffler (+225) is the favorite to win, with McIlroy (+700) second and Tommy Fleetwood (+1600) also near the top of the board. The last time this event was played at Caves Valley, Patrick Cantlay (+1800) beat out Bryson DeChambeau in a playoff in 2021. Caves Valley hosted this event in 2021, but has since undergone an extensive renovation project. It's now a par 70 after being played as a par 72, despite the fact that 60 yards were added to the overall length of the course. (7,601 yards) Every green is newly built, as well, so it will present some different challenges for players after the scores were remarkably low 4 years ago; Cantlay was 27-under at the end of the week. BMW Championship – Expert picks Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 6:59 p.m. ET. Aberg has been up and down for most of the year, but he's been trending up as of late. He finished T-8 at the Genesis Scottish Open, T-23 at the Open Championship and T-9 last week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He now comes to a course that's long and requires accuracy now that there's thicker rough, which suits his game. Schauffele didn't have a great week the last time the BMW was at Caves Valley, finishing T-49 with rounds of 75 and 71 on the weekend. However, he's now in desperation mode, needing a good week to make the Tour Championship again. Plus, he's finished T-8, T-7 and T-22 in his last 3 starts worldwide, so he's in fairly good form. BMW Championship picks – Contenders Burns lit it up on 2 of the days at Caves Valley in 2021, shooting 64 in the opening round and 65 on Saturday. He finished alone in eighth place in what was a great week for Burns, getting him into the Tour Championship. He's cooled off after a scintillating May and June, but now that he's headed to Caves Valley, he could get hot again. Bhatia jumped out in front last week with an opening round of 8-under, but he was unable to continue that solid play. Still, he finished 10-under in sixth place, only 6 shots off the lead of Justin Rose and J.J. Spaun. His game is coming together at the right time as he tries to keep things going in the playoffs. Im had a solid week in Memphis, finishing T-17 despite shooting 1-over in the final round. That got him into the next round of the playoffs and he now gets to play a course where he came in third at 23-under in 2021. It won't be quite the birdie fest it was 4 years ago, but Im is positioned to keep his season rolling this week. WATCH: PGA Tour is live on ESPN+! Get ESPN+ BMW Championship picks – Long shots With only 49 players in the field, there aren't many true long shots on the board. However, Harman is a worthy pick at +8000. He tied for 29th here 4 years ago and could have another strong week in Maryland despite not being the longest hitter on tour. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Golfweek: Follow @camdasilva on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.