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The lead-up to Friday’s opening day matches at golf’s biennial Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black Golf Course outside of New York City has been exceptionally cordial and respectful.
European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and American skipper Keegan Bradley have been (gasp!) downright friendly to each other prior to unveiling Friday’s opening day line-up cards in this often-dramatic golf-a-plalooza event.
“Keegan is someone I’ve always rooted for,” said Englishman Luke Donald.
“I feel lucky that Luke is on the opposite side because we send each other texts and joke around,” said US golf captain Keegan Bradley.
Aw c’mon, gents! It’s time to take the gloves off this Friday. Can you please give us a little more substance to write about?
Europe won the 2023 Ryder Cup event in Rome, Italy with 16 ½ points compared to only 11 ½ for the US squad. The US must score 14 ½ or more points to win the Cup for the home country this weekend.
This year’s event will be played Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Farmington, New York. Friday and Saturday will feature 2-man team matches.
Sunday’s big finale will have every golfer on the course in one-on-one competition.
The US squad (which has a 27-15 historical lead in this event) wants to reclaim the Ryder Cup this weekend on their home turf.
Enter Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy
DeChambeau may become “Captain America” at this year’s Ryder Cup if thousands of New York area golf fans have their way.
The winner of two of the past five US Opens has transformed himself in recent years into a gung-ho American fan favorite much like the late Arnold Palmer and Payne Stewart.
Bryson DeChambeau flashes a smile after confidently smashing thunderous drives down the fairways. He waves and high-fives with golf fans along the gallery ropes between holes.
DeChambeau turned 32 years old two weeks ago. The Grapevine, Texas golfer claimed the 2020 and 2024 US Open trophies on very difficult golf courses like this week’s venue at Bethpage Black.
Interestingly, Bryson DeChambeau is the only golfer on the American squad who plays on the LIV Golf tour. He received a reported $125 million bonus a few years ago to leave the PGA Tour.
That has made DeChambeau a media focus as questions surround how well he will relate to his teammates from the PGA Tour.
Europe’s top Ryder Cup golfer, Rory McIlroy, seems ready to go head-to-head with DeChambeau this week.
You might recall that Rory and Bryson were paired together in the final round at The Masters in April. McIlroy prevailed to win his fourth different major and became a member of golf’s professional career “Grand Slam” club.
Rory McIlroy refused to talk to DeChambeau during the final round at Augusta National Golf Club. His mental coach suggested that Rory needed to focus on every golf shot and avoid becoming friendly with DeChambeau.
Bryson DeChambeau later told the assembled media at The Masters that he understood, but planned to “Chirp in his (McIlroy’s) ear” if they should be paired together in this fall’s Ryder Cup event.
McIlroy took a swipe back at Bryson DeChambeau this week when he said, “The only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people!”
Hey, Rory! Is Bryson already getting under your skin a little bit, mate?
Let’s meet the 2025 European Ryder Cup Team (with career Ryder Cup record)
Rory McIlroy (16-13-4)
I thought McIlroy’s overall record would have been a little better than this. The fiery golfer from Northern Ireland will exhort his teammates to play boldly and turn the tables on the pro-American crowds at Bethpage this week. If McIlroy plays well, the chances will increase for Europe to spring an upset this week.
Justin Rose (14-9-3)
England’s Justin Rose has been a long-time Ryder Cup fixture for the European team. He could be the most consistently steady player on either team. Rose tends to rise to the challenge in the toughest matches.
Tommy Fleetwood (7-3-2)
Fleetwood finally scored his first PGA Tour win last month. The Englishman is usually a very steady player. Putting under pressure tends to be Fleetwood’s weakness.
Jon Rahm (6-3-3)
He (along with Tyrell Hatton) also plays on the LIV Golf league. The former World’s #1 golfer from Spain plays golf with a lot of intensity – much like Rory McIlroy. If he catches fire this week, Rahm’s low scoring could inspire the rest of the team to an upset win.
Tyrell Hatton (5-4-2)
The Englishman, like Jon Rahm, plays with a lot of emotion. Sometimes that works in his favor and sometimes not. Hatton’s golf game is solid from tee to green, but he is easily thrown off stride when he makes a poor shot or if the crowd heckles him.
Victor Hovland (3-4-3)
Hovland is one of the best ball strikers in the world. The Norwegian star’s precision iron shots will make him a preferred partner in the Friday and Saturday team matches. His putting can be average – especially under the pressure of Ryder Cup matches.
Shane Lowry (2-3-1)
Lowry tends to be a steadying influence for his European teammates. His game soars when he is able to put the ball into the fairway. Ireland’s top golfer struggles at times with his putting under pressure.
Robert MacIntyre (2-0-1)
MacIntyre was a European star in the Rome Ryder Cup two years ago. The Scottish golfer returns to make his second appearance and will face some less-than-friendly American golf fans in the New York area.
Ludvig Aberg (2-2)
Aberg has incredible talent and steadiness for such a young (age 25) golfer. Aberg’s precision iron game means that the Swedish star is likely to see a lot of action in the Friday and Saturday team matches.
Sepp Straka (1-2)
The streaky Sepp Straka won twice this season on the PGA Tour. This Austrian golfer is making his second Ryder Cup appearance.
Matt Fitzpatrick (1-7)
England’s 31-year old Fitzpatrick is making his fourth Ryder Cup appearance. The former US Amateur (2013) and the 2022 US Open champion has lacked consistency at times – especially in his previous Ryder Cup events.
Rasmus Hojgaard – first appearance
This 24-year old Danish golfer has a twin brother (Nicolai) who also plays on the European Tour. Expect the rookie to sit on the Ryder Cup bench for most of the first two days of this event.
2025 Team Europe’s Ryder Cup record: 59-50-19 (54.1%)
And now, let’s meet Team USA!
Justin Thomas (7-4-2)
The 32-year old golfer surprisingly has the most Ryder Cup wins for this year’s US team. Thomas played his way out of a multi-year slump in 2025 and been a consistent top-10 finisher. He plays well to the home crowds and needs to lead by example this weekend.
Patrick Cantlay (5-2-1)
The stoic and slothful Cantlay played well (2-2) in Rome two years ago. Just don’t expect him to appear fired-up by the New York crowds this week.
Collin Morikawa (4-3-1)
Home court advantage means a lot to Morikawa. He went 3-0-1 four years ago when the Ryder Cup was last played in the US.
Xander Schauffele (4-4)
He might become the true “X” factor for this US team. The World’s #3 ranked golfer didn’t win on the PGA Tour this season and may be ready to break out of his slump in this weekend’s Ryder Cup.
Scottie Scheffler (2-2-3)
Expectations are high for World #1 golfer Scheffler (winner of six events this year) to play at a high level in this year’s Ryder Cup in New York. The Texas golfer stays focused on the task at hand and should be hard to beat this week.
Bryson DeChambeau (2-3-1)
The high-energy DeChambeau will be the crowd favorite for Team USA this week. Bryson’s long drives need to find the fairways at Bethpage Black for him to have a successful week.
Sam Burns (1-2)
The former LSU golfer from north Louisiana didn’t have the best year, but he finished strong in the final month of competition. Burns is a terrific putter and may be a highly coveted partner in this year’s Ryder Cup.
Harris English (1-2)
The former University of Georgia standout is making his second Ryder Cup appearance. This steady golfer might be a good fit to match with a fiery partner like DeChambeau.
J.J. Spaun – first appearance
This year’s US Open champion deserves this reward for a great season. The New York crowds will embrace this former journeyman who had his best year in 2025.
Russell Henley – first appearance
The steady Henley quietly rose up the world rankings to his current #4 level. He won Arnie’s golf tournament in March and has been the most consistent player on tour in 2025.
Ben Griffin – first appearance
Griffin won twice on the PGA Tour in 2025. He probably won’t get many chances to play this weekend, but US crowds will embrace this 29-year old Ryder Cup rookie.
Cameron Young – first appearance
The bearded 28-year old grew up in the vicinity and should be a huge New York crowd favorite. Young finally won his first PGA event in 2025 and has played well in majors the past three seasons. He’s ready.
2025 Team USA’s Ryder Cup record: 26-22-8 (54.2%)
And now…SwampSwami’s Ryder Cup prediction!
Interestingly, the overall Ryder Cup winning percentage for this year’s European team (54.1%) is slightly less than the 54.2% winning percentage posted by this year’s golfers for Team USA.
Greater previous Ryder Cup experience could favor the European team in this rather pressurized competition. Team USA has four rookies, but each of those players earned his way onto the American squad this year.
I believe it will be the surprising US rookies (not the veterans) leading the way to victory in this year’s Ryder Cup.
US: 14 ½
Europe: 13 ½