MacIntyre: Ryder Cup qualification no consolation for BMW Championship loss
The Scot's hopes of victory in the penultimate FedEx Cup play-off event were eventually extinguished when Scheffler chipped in for an unlikely birdie at the 17th to give himself a two-stroke lead going down the last.
A second-place finish not only moved MacIntyre into the world's top 10 – he is now eighth – for the first time but also left only Rory McIlroy ahead of him in Europe's team standings.
That secured his place at Bethpage next month, with the Northern Irishman and England's Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood already qualified, to play in a second successive Ryder Cup but he was furious walking off the Caves Valley course in Maryland.
Asked what improvements he felt he needed to make the left-hander said: 'I mean, right now, not a clue. Right now I want to go and smash up my golf clubs, to be honest with you. I'm just really p***ed off right now.'
There are two final automatic places for Luke Donald's team remaining heading into the final week of qualification and they are currently occupied by Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry, who moved into the top six on the European list at the expense of Sepp Straka who pulled out of the BMW Championship for personal reasons.
Despite being a LIV golfer Hatton is certain to be selected, as is colleague Jon Rahm, who won the breakaway series' individual title for a second successive year on Sunday.
But Rahm's place in 23rd on the list means one player who would ordinarily expect to be given a captain's pick after finishing in the top-12 is going to miss out.
Straka, Rasmus Hojgaard – set to replace twin Nicolai from Rome two years ago – Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland occupy positions seven to 10.
Matt Wallace, who narrowly missed selection in 2018 and 2023, is 11th but just 19 points ahead of Matt Fitzpatrick, who is making a rare appearance on the DP World Tour at this week's last qualifying event the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry.
The Sheffield golfer missed out on a place on the PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship for the top 30 on the FedEx points list but looks set to receive the backing of Donald who will most likely head to the United States with 11 of his victorious team from two years ago and swapping out one Hojgaard twin for the other.
United States' Keegan Bradley still has a decision to make on whether he will become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1962 when he makes his selections next week.
The world number 13 dropped a place to 11th in the USA team rankings after the BMW Championship, after which the automatic selection of Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau was confirmed as joining Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and JJ Spaun.
Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Bradley and Brian Harman currently make up the top 12 with Andrew Novak, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns hoping the captain will choose not to play and therefore make a spot available for one of them instead.
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The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ryder Cup 2025: USA standings and predicting Keegan Bradley's team after six players confirmed
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 a peculiar situation surrounding the team brings unwanted pressure and a distraction, with captain Keegan Bradley enjoying some of 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 and return to the team after missing out 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 Viktor 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 6 eligible players following the conclusion of the BMW Championship, on 18 August, 2025, have made the team 1. Scottie Scheffler 37180.33 - QUALIFIED 2. JJ Spaun 14851.91 - QUALIFIED 3. Xander Schauffele 13733.52 - QUALIFIED 4. Russell Henley 12276.82 - QUALIFIED 5. Harris English 10880.55 - QUALIFIED 6. Bryson De Chambeau 10774.98 - QUALIFIED -------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Justin Thomas 10467.24 8. Collin Morikawa 1049.44 9. Ben Griffin 9745.76 10. Maverick McNealy 8913.65 11. Keegan Bradley 8435.00 12. Brian Harman 7466.91 13. Andrew Novak 7300.48 14. Cameron Young 7209.64 15. Patrick Cantlay 6716.39 16. Sam Burns 6688.29 17. Wyndham Clark 5216.87 18. Lucas Glover 4803.44 19. Akshay Bhatia 4647.13 20. Chris Gotterup 4570.10 Team USA for the 2025 Ryder Cup Qualified 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 and The Open, pencil him in for four team sessions and his singles match. JJ Spaun Qualified. 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. Another fierce battle with European stalwart Justin Rose saw him narrowly miss out at the St Jude Championship, but his composure down the stretch at TPC Southwind and in the playoff shows he can be trusted. Xander Schauffele Qualified. 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. Russell Henley Qualified. 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. Harris English Qualified. 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. A solo second at Royal Portrush, behind Scheffler again, put him eighth in the world. Even if he slips out of the automatic qualification, he's very likely on the team. Bryson DeChambeau Qualified. 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. The locks 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, but form has since tailed off. A big, big few weeks ahead and a colossal decision to be made. 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. 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. In contention 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 cannot qualify automatically and must now rely on a wildcard pick. A wrist injury at Oakmont 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. 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 Young 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 win at the Wyndham Championship broke his duck on the PGA Tour, to pair with an impressive T4 at the US Open, the 28-year-old could be a smart pick. Maverick McNealy Not far from an automatic qualifier, but McNealy hasn't quite broken the door down. Third at the BMW Championship gives him hope, but a controversial omission awaits if the 29-year-old makes the team, currently tucked inside the top 20 in the world rankings. Outsiders 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. After posting T-46, T-50 and cut at this year's first three majors, T-4 at Royal Portrush propelled him back into consideration, with his powerful game another good fit for Bethpage Black. 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 this year, and T-10 at Royal Portrush, is still probably not enough. Predicted American team for the 2025 Ryder Cup Scottie Scheffler JJ Spaun Xander Schauffele Russell Henley Harris English Bryson DeChambeau Justin Thomas Collin Morikawa Ben Griffin Keegan Bradley Patrick Cantlay Cameron Young
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Griffin 'overdosed' on creatine during championship
American golfer Ben Griffin says he "overdosed" on creatine at the start of the final round of the BMW who is a contender for a Ryder Cup spot, says he accidentally swallowed a "large rock" of the supplement in his water 29-year-old said he was "getting super shaky" and felt like he "had tremors".He putted the par-four first hole and then hit his tee shot on the second hole out of world number 17 was six over par for the first three holes but recovered to card a one-under 69 including seven birdies and finished in a tie for 12th on three under."I don't think I'll be taking too much creatine in the future," he said, adding the amount he'd accidentally taken was "probably not a healthy amount".Griffin, who finished in the top 10 at this year's PGA Championship and US Open, said he usually takes 15mg of creatine helps improve performance, boost recovery and support strength development."I've taken it on the golf course before. It's fine," Griffin said. "I started taking it after my second shot and I accidentally swallowed one of the big rocks in my water bottle." He added: "Luckily, my caddie stepped in and made me chug a whole [bottle of] water and tried to calm down a little bit. I hit the other one in play and then I was fine."I went about my day and got it back to under par. But, yeah, pretty crazy story."Griffin is ninth in the US Ryder Cup rankings and would need to rely on being one of Keegan Bradley's captain's picks to make next month's event in Bethpage Black, New York.
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Gordon Reid: Wheelchair tennis must keep proving value
But, while mixed doubles champions will now get one million dollars (£740,000) between them, the total pot for all wheelchair players is 1.69 million dollars (£1.25m). Gordon Reid, left and Alfie Hewett were beaten in the Wimbledon final (Adam Davy/PA) Reid and Hewett, who have won six titles at Flushing Meadows, with Hewett also winning four singles titles, have been a big driving force in the improvement in wheelchair tennis. And the Scot knows that needs to continue for the players to be rewarded more financially. 'It's been 20 years since we started, so in terms of the age of the slams themselves, we're obviously very fresh, very new,' Reid told the PA news agency. 'As much as we want to obviously see an increase and the gap in the prize money closing, I think we also need to prove that we're adding something, adding value to the tournament. 'Hopefully then those come hand in hand – the opportunities that we get and the prize money. 'So we just have to try to play our part, to entertain as much as we can and hopefully move that direction together.' The US Open is celebrating its 20th anniversary of wheelchair tennis and the British pair want to celebrate by winning their first doubles title there since 2022. They were beaten in the Wimbledon final last month, but know they are heading to a strong surface. 'It will be just trying to produce some of the level of matches that we played for majority of this year, really,' Hewett said about what it will take to win. 'I mean, the final at Wimbledon was the first match we've lost all year in the doubles. 'Obviously it was probably one we wanted to win the most out of all of them as well. 'We've been working on a lot of stuff that in our game that we're going to try and take on to the hard court. 'A lot of it worked pretty well in Australia and absolutely similar conditions.' Reid and Hewett have recently been back at Wimbledon holding a coaching clinic for Play Your Way To Wimbledon – a national competition with regional and county rounds, which sees winners get the chance to play at SW19. 'It's a fantastic event, giving anyone across the country, especially at grassroots level, the chance to play on the grass courts,' Reid added. 'We know how special that is. 'So to get to have that opportunity for so many people is amazing and having all the different inclusive categories is something we love to see.' :: Supported by long time Vodafone ambassadors Alfie Hewett OBE and Gordon Reid OBE, Play Your Way to Wimbledon, powered by Vodafone, aims to make the game more accessible for all and inspire the next generation with the opportunity to compete on Wimbledon's world-famous grass courts.
