The opening shots of the 2025 Ryder Cup will be played one year from today, as Luke Donald’s European team vies to defend the title against the Americans at Bethpage Black in New York.
Donald was masterful in leading his team at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome last year, with bold selections and data-driven strategies paying off handsomely as the men in blue proved too good for Zach Johnson’s team.
Winning the Ryder Cup on American soil, however, is a very different beast, with memories of a brutal beatdown at Whistling Straits in 2021 that reduced Rory McIlroy to tears still fresh in the memory. Simply put, Donald and his players will have to be near-perfect at Bethpage to keep their hands on the trophy.
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The European team was in a period of transition heading into Rome, with the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia moved on in the wake of their moves to LIV Golf to make way for a new generation headed by standout rookies Ludvig Aberg, Bob MacIntyre and Nicolai Hojgaard.
With the experience of a Ryder Cup under their belts, Donald has a strong pool of options to choose from. But so too does American captain Keegan Bradley, who will have a whole host of major champions at his disposal at Bethpage.
Qualification has begun, and with a year remaining until golf’s biggest tournament, Mirror Sport’s writers have had their say on how the 12-man teams will look.
Rory McIlroy will be a key player for Luke Donald at Bethpage ( Getty Images)
Automatic qualifiers
After many years of doing things slightly differently, both teams have settled on a formula of six automatic qualifiers and six captain’s picks to decide their teams. With the qualification window opening only a few weeks ago, the rankings as things stand are unlikely to be an accurate reflection of how things might look next year when the teams are decided.
So for the purposes of this exercise, we have taken the top six Americans and Europeans respectively from the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to decide the automatic qualifiers. LIV Golf players have been excluded from this part of the process as it is nigh-on impossible for members of the breakaway tour to qualify for the Ryder Cup automatically due to the circuit being unsanctioned and offering no points towards Ryder Cup qualification.
Using this as the criteria, here are the automatic qualifiers for each team…
Europe
Rory McIlroy (NIR)
Ludvig Aberg (SWE)
Viktor Hovland (NOR)
Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
Bob MacIntyre (SCO)
Aaron Rai (ENG)
USA
Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schauffele
Collin Morikawa
Wyndham Clark
Patrick Cantlay
Sahith Theegala
There are few surprises here, with only one rookie for either side. Wolverhampton native Rai has enjoyed a breakout season, claiming his first victory on the PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship, and a consistent period of success has moved him inside the top 20 of the OWGR.
On the American side, Theegala is the only new name, but he has been knocking on the door for the past few years. He has just one win to his name on Tour – the 2023 Fortinet Championship – but he has been highly consistent with lots of top-10s – propelling him to a career-best 11th in the OWGR.
Aaron Rai is on track to make his Ryder Cup debut ( Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Captain’s picks
This is where things get interesting. Our writers have stepped into the shoes of Donald and Bradley and named their six picks for each team. There are several LIV Golf players included, several rookies and some big-name omissions.
Josh Lees (Senior golf writer)
Europe: Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Nicolai Hojgaard
The verdict:As long as off-course politics do not interfere, both Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are shoo-ins to be two of the six picks for Team Europe. Basing off the current OWGR top-six as automatic picks, the same case can be made for Matt Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry too, who have solidified themselves at the heart of the European setup in recent years.
At the other end of the list is where things get a little bit tricker. Justin Rose will be 45 come next September, but an away Ryder Cup calls for experience – especially one in front of a New York crowd – and Rose provides exactly that. The final pick goes to Nicolai Hojgaard, another member of the class of 2023, but if it isn’t broken, then don’t fix it. Honourable mentions go to Nicolai’s twin brother, Rasmus, plus Mathieu Pavon and Sepp Straka, who I expect to be right in the mix come next year.
Bryson DeChambeau is poised to make his Ryder Cup return in 2025 ( Getty Images)
USA: Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson
The verdict: Similarly to the European selection, LIV duo Koepka and DeChambeau should have no problem earning a call from Keegan Bradley for the trip to Bethpage Black. Elsewhere though, selection a year out looks to be wide open for the Team USA boss. Whilst his end to 2024 was far from convincing, Max Homa deserves his spot after proving to be the only real shining light for the Americans in Rome last year, having won 3.5 points from a possible five in a bleak week for the Americans. I expect even better in front of a home crowd.
Jordan Spieth comes next, despite his recent woes. Whilst he has been far from his best, Spieth has finally had surgery on an ongoing wrist injury, and with this treated, along with his incredible pedigree, I found it hard to leave him out. A similar thought process came with the selection of Justin Thomas. The former world No. 1’s form may not have been what it once was at the turn of the decade, but his previous in this event just about gives him the nod over the likes of Billy Horschel, Tony Finau and Sam Burns.
Aside from Koepka and DeChambeau, talk of any more LIV involvement has been sparse but I’ve opted for Dustin Johnson. Leaning on experience once more, Johnson was the man at the centre of Team USA’s record-breaking win at Whistling Straits three years ago, winning all five of his matches. A slight improvement on his game in 2025 will make him hard to ignore for Bradley.
Sam Frost (Senior sports writer)
Europe: Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Nicolai Hojgaard
The verdict: Although Rahm and Hatton have surely caused Donald lots of stress with their decisions to join LIV Golf and put their Ryder Cup futures in jeopardy, both men are on track to fulfill the eligibility requirements to be selected and they have to be involved. Fitzpatrick, Lowry and Rose are all major champions and their experience will be invaluable amid the hostile atmosphere at Bethpage.
The recipient of the final captain’s pick is less certain. Nicolai Hojgaard impressed in Rome and has since won a big event in the form of the DP World Tour Championship. He gets the nod ahead a slew of hopefuls including twin brother, Rasmus, plus Sepp Straka and Mathieu Pavon. Expect contenders to come from left field, too, given Donald put his faith in the novice Aberg in Rome. Tom McKibbin, Jordan Smith and Ewen Ferguson are names to keep an eye on.
Nick Dunlap is one to watch ahead of next year’s Ryder Cup ( Getty)
USA: Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Billy Horschel, Justin Thomas, Brian Harman, Nick Dunlap
The verdict: For the American side, again only two LIV players merit selection in Koepka and DeChambeau. DeChambeau’s return after missing out on the trip to Rome is a huge boost for the Americans. Thomas’ repeated selections over the years have been criticized, but he will be a force to be reckoned with on home soil.
Horschel should finally get his chance to represent his country in the Ryder Cup after his impressive form of late, capped by a second win at Wentworth, while 2023 Open champion Harman is a gritty competitor who held his own in Italy and should get another chance.
Max Homa, Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth and several other big names will also have their eyes on the spot, but I expect Dunlap to establish himself as one of the top stars on the PGA Tour in 2025 after a two-win rookie season in 2024. Will Zalatoris will be in the frame too, provided his troublesome back injury does not flare up again.
Daniel Blackham (Deputy US Sports Editor)
Europe: Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Nicolai Hojgaard
The verdict: The fact Rahm and Hatton will have to be captain’s picks is simply laughable at this point. Rahm is the best golfer in the world who isn’t named Scottie Scheffler, and Hatton has proved himself time and time again. Unfortunately, they’ll have to hope Donald is feeling generous and gives them a route to competing at Bethpage Black.
Hojgaard is one of the most exciting young players in the world, and picking Rose will give Donald the mix of youth and experience he craved so deeply in Rome.
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USA: Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Billy Horschel, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman
The verdict: Spieth is probably the only controversial name on this list, especially considering he’s due to have surgery in the off-season. Nobody really knows how he’s going to recover, or whether he’ll ever get back to being the same player he was in his prime when he was dominating the field.
Koepka and DeChambeau are certainties at this stage, and Billy Horschel’s strong end to 2024 should give him a real boost going into 2025.
