Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment you've waited for. After months of speculating who would be on each team, who wouldn't be on each team, and if captain Keegan Bradley would tee it up for the U.S. (which he obviously won't), we have finally reached Ryder Cup week.
After the controversy-filled 2023 edition at Marco Simone, Europe will look to defend the Cup at the hostile confines of Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. The U.S., led by Scottie Scheffler, will look to regain the Cup from Rory McIlroy and the Europeans, while hoping to avoid being the first American team since Medinah in 2012 to lose on home soil.
Much like I've done throughout the season, all 24 participants in the Ryder Cup this year are getting ranked. My rankings are a mix of recent form from the players, and their previous Ryder Cup experience, if they have any. I've felt all season that this Ryder Cup is going to be much closer than a lot of people think, and hopefully these rankings shed some light on this reasoning.
24. Collin Morikawa
Of all of Keegan Bradley's picks for the team, Collin Morikawa is the pick that I take the most issue with. Morikawa has notched just one top-10 finish since the U.S. Open, and that came in the Rocket Classic with a less-than-stellar field.
His defenders can point to his career Ryder Cup record of 4-3-1 as a reason to pick him, but bear in mind that three of those wins came in 2021, when he was paired with Dustin Johnson at the peak of his powers. I would (and still will) argue that Morikawa's spot would've been better filled by Bradley himself, Maverick McNealy, or even Jackson Koivun.
23. Rasmus Hojgaard
The one change in Europe's lineup from the 2023 edition (albeit in first name only, as he takes his brother Nicolai's spot), a lot of people will focus on his missed cut at the BMW PGA Championship as cause for concern. This may be a little misleading, as two of his previous three starts resulted in runner-up finishes.
Although he was in the room as an assistant captain in Rome, Hojgaard's lack of Ryder Cup playing experience may send him down the path of a 2016 Matt Fitzpatrick performance, where the rookie is overmatched by the hostile atmosphere of an away Ryder Cup.
22. Sepp Straka
For those who followed my rankings throughout the season, you all are familiar with my affinity for the trailblazer of Austrian golf that is Sepp Straka. However, the last few months have not been kind to him, and I'm a little surprised the analytics department didn't advise Luke Donald to look elsewhere with his captain's picks.
Straka hasn't played since the Tour Championship, where he finished 30th in the 30-man field. Maybe the month-long break is just what the doctor ordered to snap Straka back into his early-season form, but I'm not expecting much from him this week.
21. Shane Lowry
Much like Straka, Shane Lowry benefited from Luke Donald prioritizing consistency between the 2023 and 2025 teams over current form. He's been an okay Ryder Cupper at best, and his inclusion on the team may be more focused around his friendship with Rory McIlroy and locker room presence than his play. Sepp and Shane are very similar players, and I am expecting very similar things from them at Bethpage.
20. Xander Schauffele
I had hoped Xander would make a run through the FedEx Cup and show off his 2024 form once again, but the year from hell continued as Schauffele missed the Tour Championship this season. His partnership with Patrick Cantlay in past Ryder Cups makes it easy to figure out how to use Schauffele this week, but the slip in performance this season worries me for Xander's performance at Bethpage.
19. Justin Thomas
This ranking is maybe a little harsh on Thomas, given his Ryder Cup pedigree. However, this is the first Ryder Cup where Thomas won't be playing with Jordan Spieth, and so there's a massive question mark when it comes to who the best pairing with Thomas will be.
His form since his win at the RBC Heritage has left a lot to be desired, but if anyone can overcome bad play and turn things around to pump up the American crowd, it's JT. Maybe we'll get a repeat of Thomas's beer-chugging expertise this year as well.
18. Justin Rose
This is a pure veteran play, as having Rose on the team for Europe is almost like having another captain in the room. Since his win at the FedEx St. Jude earlier this summer, Rose hasn't been able to showcase that same form. But, the Ryder Cup is often kind to wily veterans of the format, and the 45-year-old Englishman seems to fit that mold, which, in another world, would've included Sergio Garcia as well.
17. Harris English
Harris English's even-keel temperament is the complete antithesis of what Ryder Cups on American soil end up being from an energy standpoint. However, how English has been able to perform this year, the first full season he's had injury-free in a few years, gives me hope that he'll be able to be a net positive for the American team this week.
The forgotten man on the 2021 superteam that was the United States squad that year, English is a good glue guy who has multiple partnership options that can work well.
16. Sam Burns
Sam Burns's elite putter sets him up perfectly to be America's backbreaker, the guy who can steal points and matches with clutch putting like Ian Poulter did over and over again for the Europeans so many times before.
The immediate reaction is to pair Burns with Scottie Scheffler because of their friendship, but Burns, much like English, can mesh with most guys on the team in terms of play style, and the way he's played his last few starts has me feeling higher on Burns than some of his teammates.
15. Matt Fitzpatrick
Positive: Matt Fitzpatrick has maintained his strong form from the summer and is playing some of the best golf of his career right now. Negative: Matt Fitzpatrick is a career 1-7-0 in Ryder Cup play.
This year shouldn't be as abysmal for Fitzy as his previous experience in the Ryder Cup, but his past record is going to cause hesitation from his captains and not give him as many chances to improve his record as he may deserve.
14. Patrick Cantlay
We can only hope Patrick Cantlay does something as interesting as stirring up HatGate in Rome. Very nearly the least deserving FedEx Cup champion in its history, Cantlay has started to flash his form again, but the biggest thing is his performance in team competitions.
In all team competitions where he has represented the United States, Cantlay has a record of 15-6-1, including a 5-2-1 record in Ryder Cups. Patrick Cantlay is a stone-faced killer when it comes to team events, and I don't think this week will be much different.
13. Russell Henley
The only reason Russell Henley is this low is because he is a Ryder Cup rookie, so I want to temper expectations for him in his debut. However, Henley's skill set with the short clubs set him up to be a perfect companion for a Scottie Scheffler or Bryson DeChambeau in foursomes, and the rookie could end up with a strong record come the end of the week just based on his team play on Friday and Saturday.
12. Viktor Hovland
The Norwegian is looking to build off of a strong 2023 Ryder Cup that saw him and Ludvig Aberg trounce Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9&7 in Saturday foursomes. Hovland's 2025 as a whole was not his best, but in recent weeks, his play has started to return to his 2023 levels.
The Hovland-Aberg pairing will most likely be reunited this week, and they could be catalysts for a European upset if they are able to replicate their success in Rome.
11. J.J. Spaun
The Americans have been missing a true villain on their team since Patrick Reed exiled himself in 2018, but J.J. Spaun could be that new guy for the U.S. The way he was able to tough out the U.S. Open this year, and continue his strong play all throughout the summer, fills me with hope that Spaun will be able to build off of a favorable home crowd this week, and maybe establish himself as a main character in U.S. Ryder Cup lore.
10. Ludvig Aberg
I discussed Aberg briefly when talking about Viktor Hovland, but the Swede is on a run of six straight top-25 finishes, the longest such streak he's had since last April. I was disappointed in Aberg's play this season, but his recent form makes me a bit more confident in my expectations for him in New York this week. He can mash it off the tee and play the style of golf that the Americans are going to set the course up to favor. If anyone in Europe will benefit greatly from that, it's Aberg.
9. Bryson DeChambeau
Exhibition matches like the Ryder Cup maintain their relevance because of outsized characters like Bryson DeChambeau. While he may not be able to replicate driving the first green like he did at Whistling Straits, putter raised to lead the legions of American fans behind him to the promised land, he will find a way to get the crowd involved early and often. DeChambeau is golf's greatest showman, and a Ryder Cup in front of a boisterous New York crowd is the best stage he could possibly ask for.
8. Robert MacIntyre
Yes, Robert MacIntyre is coming off of a missed cut at the BMW PGA, but I'm not worried about his play coming into Ryder Cup week. I think MacIntyre can be a secret weapon for the European team, much like his 2.5-point performance in Rome two years ago. He's a strong all-around player, he knows how to play American golf, and he's not going to shy away from the big moment. Don't sleep on Big Shot Bob this week.
7. Tyrrell Hatton
The natural successor to Ian Poulter in Ryder Cup lineups, Hatton and his fiery temper going up against the raucous New York crowd is going to be fun to watch (and could lead to a fist fight on the course).
Hatton's form hasn't been the best of late, but a T5 at the BMW PGA may be the kick that he needed to get his juices flowing and wake up for the Ryder Cup. His energy works great in a team atmosphere, and he'll be able to pump up and feed off the rest of the European team around him.
6. Cameron Young
One of the hottest Americans coming into the week, Young is going to be able to grip it and rip it all around Bethpage this week. The course setup will be perfect for him, and honestly, the most fun pairing (maybe not the best, strategy-wise) would be to send Young and Bryson out together and let the big hitters eat all over. Young's putter becoming a weapon at the right time sets him up perfectly to be a Euro-killer this weekend.
5. Ben Griffin
My favorite of the American rookies, I was devastated when Ben Griffin couldn't force the playoff with Scottie Scheffler at the Procore. However, Griffin's continued form and constant presence at the top of leaderboards shows that he's not scared of the big moments, and while we don't have a good grasp on how he handles match play, I think Griffin's skill alone is strong enough to make him a player to watch this week.
4. Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm has officially taken the Sergio Garcia role on Europe's Ryder Cup teams of super-skilled Spaniard that is going to get picked for the team as long as he's healthy. A 6-3-3 lifetime record, Rahm is a perfect 4-0-0 in foursomes, and also holds the honor of defeating Tiger Woods in Woods's last Ryder Cup match in 2018. Rahm's floor makes him a dangerous opponent for any American this week, and he'll end up being one of Europe's top performers this week.
3. Tommy Fleetwood
Finally a PGA Tour winner, Tommy Fleetwood is perhaps most famously remembered in Ryder Cup terms for his run with Francesco Molinari in 2018, where the pair went 4-0-0 together. Fleetwood has been a strong Ryder Cup player his whole career, already amassing eight points in three Ryder Cups.
Not having to hear chirps from the New York crowd about being a serial choke artist anymore, now that his name has been etched on a trophy, should let Tommy unleash his skill on Bethpage Black.
2. Rory McIlroy
The leader of the European team, McIlroy is closing in on 20 career Ryder Cup points as he climbs the all-time ranks of European Ryder Cuppers. His playoff win at the Irish Open shows that Rory's fire is finally back after completing the career Grand Slam, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
Any major event Rory plays at is going to feel like playing with house money, and as long as he sets his alarm correctly this week, the eight-time Ryder Cupper is going to put in another strong performance this weekend.
1. Scottie Scheffler
You know how Tiger Woods somewhat famously doesn't have that great of a Ryder Cup record (13-21-3, only won the 1999 Ryder Cup), despite being the greatest golfer of all time? I'm worried Scottie Scheffler may have a bit of that stink on him.
Regardless, he's by far the best player in the competition this week. Maybe he just plays better in fully individual formats. Granted, he did play well at the Presidents Cup last year, and maybe keeping him with Russell Henley will bring similar results, and my worries are for naught. Just bring the Cup home, Scottie. That's all I ask.