2025 Ryder Cup Roster Moment of Truth

The week has come for the resolution of what became story 1B of the PGA Tour playoffs. Is Keegan Bradley really going to pick himself to play in the Ryder Cup while also captaining the USA side? Despite a social media post from POTUS, the final event of the regular season did little to provide clarity. A 64-63 in the middle two rounds of the event pushed Keegan’s playing candidacy to a fever pitch Saturday night and Sunday morning. He finished one shot behind Cameron Young and tied with Sam Burns. Those were the scores, but nothing done this weekend should be a decisive final data point. The picture we’re left with seems to be 7) Justin Thomas, 8) Collin Morikawa, and 9) Patrick Cantlay locked into spots.

Ben Griffin is ninth in points and has been framed as a lock in recent weeks. That should probably be the case. But if Bradley picks himself, he’s leaving off Burns or Young, or maybe even Griffin, and becomes a victim of the experience and Boys Club gatekeeper. This is the state of play, with picks to be announced Wednesday morning. Bradley said it’s the biggest decision of his life (which feels a bit too much) and some agonizing, shock-inducing calls are to come. We’ve done the over-analysis see-saw based on gut feelings, small samples, and quick quotes, but it feels like Bradley is going to pick himself and play. Two more days and one more Fried Egg newsletter to analyze it before the second-guessing! One thing is sure, Bradley’s contention to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis Sunday night that, “The right decision is that we win on Sunday,” is not how this works. The result in a month does not dictate the correct process or choice now.

The Captain Trap

Luke Donald has far less agita on his side of the selection process. His only issue may be subbing one Hojgaard twin for another and taking the same exact roster he had in Rome. Rasmus Hojgaard, who may have been a captain’s pick anyway, qualified on points in the sixth spot. He’s done little this year to suggest an auto-spot on points (seriously, look at the resume and marvel at how he got a coveted sixth spot), but he finished high in last year’s Race to Dubai and is locked in now. That leaves the likes of his brother Nico Hojgaard, Harry Hall, and anyone else with slim hopes as the six captain’s choices seem likely to be repeats from 2023: Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Sepp Straka. Perhaps the last name is vulnerable based on recent form, but that seems highly unlikely. Europe is good to go for a proper away-game challenge.