So … it might be time to talk about the U.S. Ryder Cup team. We’ve held off because, just like you, we’re well aware it’s five months away and so much golf will be played between now and then. But we’re also halfway through an eight-month PGA Tour season, and it’s becoming pretty apparent.
The Americans haven’t shown up.
The top guys? Oh, they’re fine. They’re always fine. Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau are four of the best players in the world. Justin Thomas just won a signature event four days ago. But after maybe seven golfers, who are you sure you trust?
So it’s time for our first Ryder Cup projections of the year. You can read my colleague Gabby Herzig’s European team picks here, and now I’ll take my shot, acting as if we’re going to Bethpage in two weeks. The automatic qualifiers are those who rank in the top six at the moment. The challenge is the captain’s picks.
Automatic qualifiers
Scottie Scheffler
The No. 1 player in the world, so there’s no doubt here. The greatest compliment we can give Scheffler is that he, in his own words, “hasn’t had his best stuff” since returning from hand surgery and still finished fourth at the Masters, ninth at Pebble Beach, third at the Genesis and eighth at the RBC Heritage.
Xander Schauffele
Schauffele has been a mainstay on U.S. Cup teams for years, going 3-1 at Whistling Straits in 2021 and winning 10 matches in three Presidents Cups. Rome was very disappointing for Schauffele, but he bounced back with two majors in 2024 to make the massive leap from “most consistent golfer” to one of the best in the world, period. Like Scheffler, Schauffele has also been recovering from an early-season injury, but like Scheffler, he is doing just fine. He still finished T8 at the Masters as he gets back his form.
Collin Morikawa
Here is the golfer playing perhaps the actual best golf these days. No, he isn’t winning (he knows, trust me), but his tee-to-green game has been off the charts this year as he’s finished second at two signature events already. I’d argue he was the best U.S. player last fall in Montreal, and he’s versatile enough to play with whoever U.S. captain Keegan Bradley asks him to. In Montreal, he won with Sahith Theegala, Russell Henley and Sam Burns, three extremely different players.
Bryson DeChambeau
Zach Johnson leaving DeChambeau off the 2023 team was considered controversial in LIV circles, but in reality, it was a defensible decision if we remove hindsight. He was on his way back but still coming off the worst two-year stretch in his career.
Now there’s zero doubt about DeChambeau’s appearance. He won the 2024 U.S. Open and put himself in contention in three of the four majors that year. Then he showed up this month in Augusta and put himself in the Sunday final pairing. He is a more complete golfer than he’s ever been, and quite frankly he’s the type of personality and play style the U.S. noticeably missed in Rome.
Oh, and he hits the ball far. At Bethpage, that’s the name of the game.
Russell Henley
He played well enough to earn a spot on the 2023 Ryder Cup team (he was No. 11 on Data Golf!), but he didn’t inspire excitement or confidence. Now, automatic qualifier or not, Henley will be on this team. I guarantee it.
He played himself onto the Presidents Cup team and went 3-1, but the most important thing was playing like a perfect partner with Scheffler. It’s been tricky to find the right pairing with Scheffler, and while nobody should overreact to three matches, Henley’s accurate, calm play really worked as a complement. Don’t forget Bradley was on that Presidents Cup team. He saw it. Then add in Henley winning a big-boy event at the Arnold Palmer, and that removes all doubt.
Justin Thomas
Two years ago, he was considered a controversial pick. A year ago, he was left off the Presidents Cup team. Now, Justin Thomas is back. He was already a top-10 player according to strokes gained by the start of the year, slowly showing under the surface he was playing like the superstar he is. But Thomas’ thrilling playoff win at Hilton Head was the final step. Plus, it’s Justin Thomas, maybe the modern U.S. player most associated with the Ryder Cup with his 7-4-1 record. His return to form is a huge win for Bradley.
The sure thing
Patrick Cantlay
The iceman. The killer. For all his warts, including a lack of major championship success, Cantlay is the actual best U.S. Cup player in recent memory. He’s the man who silenced the hat-waving crowd in Rome with his winning putt. He’s the guy who dominated in Montreal, holding off multiple wild runs from Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim. He’s 5-2-1 in Ryder Cups and 10-4 in Presidents Cups. He’s the guy for these moments. Cantlay is playing solid but quiet golf in 2025, but still better golf than most of the other big names left.
On the bubble
That’s right. Just one sure thing captain’s pick.
Brooks Koepka
Has Brooks Koepka done anything the past year to earn a spot through his play? He has not. Does the U.S. have enough quality options to just yada yada a 34-year-old, five-time major winner? It also does not.
Koepka missed the cut at the Masters. He’s not playing particularly well on LIV. He’s having the worst driving season of his career. But do you really have the confidence to leave off Brooks Koepka? I just cannot see it. You keep the four-time Ryder Cupper with a 7-6-2 record.
Maverick McNealy
Of all the bubble candidates, McNealy is playing the best by far. After winning the RSM Classic in the fall, he’s put himself in contention consistently. He nearly won the Genesis before Ludvig Åberg snagged it. T3 at Valero Texas Open and another T3 last week in Hilton Head. Also a T9 at Phoenix. What I like about picking McNealy — a former No. 1 amateur in the world — is when he has it, he really has it. Boom or bust. Those tend to be the best match-play golfers, right?
Jordan Spieth
Let’s simplify this. Spieth’s wrist had been injured for much of the past few years. His surgery meant he missed the Presidents Cup, and the hope was he could return in 2025 as a new player. Like Koepka, the bar is different for Spieth, a three-time major winner with 22 Ryder Cup matches. Spieth simply needs to prove he’s a competent golfer again. That’s it. He returned in February, and he’s been more than that. Two top 10s and six top 30s in nine starts, including a T14 at the Masters. Are you confident in Spieth at Ryder Cup like you used to be? No. But as long as he’s playing decent golf, he’s earned his place.
Daniel Berger
When Berger made the 2021 Ryder Cup, he was a top-10 player in the world on Data Golf. Then a back injury meant nearly two years away from golf. If last year was clearly about removing the cobwebs, 2025 has been Berger reminding people he’s still got it. Eight straight starts inside the top 30. Two top fives, including last week in Hilton Head. Plus, he’s got the edge you want.
Akshay Bhatia
It’s really tempting to pick Florida State amateur Luke Clanton to be this year’s Åberg, but it’s still only April, and it’s such a massive leap of faith this early. But if you want youth, Bhatia is a 23-year-old with two PGA Tour wins and a recent T3 at the Players Championship. I’d like to see a lot more from Bhatia between now and September, but he offers similar long-term upside with more proven trust.
Just missed the cut
Luke Clanton: The U.S. will just be waiting for a reason to pick him. He’s so talented, and if he can do anything close to what Åberg did in summer 2023, he’s on the team. But you cannot assume somebody can do that in April.
Keegan Bradley: He said he won’t pick himself unless he automatically qualifies. Honestly? I’d pick him over Bhatia, but it doesn’t seem like Bradley will.
Patrick Reed: Third place at the Masters! Second place in Macau! Seven career Ryder Cup wins! But chemistry has to play a part to some extent, and Reed isn’t so good that he overcomes his lack of popularity.
Brian Harman: You do have to consider him, especially after his win this month at Valero and his T3 in Hilton Head.
Wyndham Clark: We know what he’s capable of, winning a U.S. Open and nearly a Players. But he has not been that player lately.
(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Top photos: James Gilbert, Andy Lyons, Orlando Ramirez / Getty Images)