2025 Ryder Cup Player Profiles: Team USA

Scottie Scheffler

World Ranking: 1
Data Golf Ranking: 1
Ryder Cup Experience: Two appearances (2021, 2023)
Overall: 2-2-3
Singles: 1-0-1
Foursomes: 0-2-0
Fourball: 1-0-2

It’s very funny to think back to the last Ryder Cup on American soil, and remember a bit of the discourse about who the final pick should be. Steve Stricker opted to take a 25-year-old Scottie Scheffler with his final captain’s pick, even though the Texan had not yet won on the PGA Tour. It would probably be inaccurate to call it truly controversial, as most rational actors saw it as a logical pick. But it is funny to go back and read some of the commentary. Kevin Kisner, the last man left off the squad, declared the process “too political” while also suggesting that he did not give a shit either way. Scheffler responded by going 2-0-1 at Whistling Straits, and then (as you may have heard) went on a generational heater, winning on the PGA Tour 19 times, four of them major championships. He also snagged a gold medal and a pair of Hero World Challenges. He’s finished outside the top 10 in a major just four times. 

There are obviously plenty of statistics I could cite to accentuate Scheffler’s greatness, but what happened to Scheffler in Italy at his next Ryder Cup is far more interesting. It was there we saw him on the wrong end of a historic beatdown, when Zach Johnson panic-paired him with Brooks Koepka and the duo lost, 9 and 7, to Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg. The moment was interesting for a couple reasons: It was the last time we saw Scheffler look even remotely mortal. But it was also evidence that Scheffler is not built like the previous generation of American golf royalty, who seemed to treat repeated Ryder Cup failures with indifference. Scheffler wept on the back of a golf cart while his wife, Meredith, tried to comfort him. With apologies to Kisner, it was refreshing to see what it looks like when someone truly does give a shit. —Kevin Van Valkenburg

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Xander Schauffele

World Ranking: 3
Data Golf Ranking: 9
Ryder Cup Experience: Two appearances (2021, 2023)
Overall: 4-4-0
Singles: 1-1-0
Foursomes: 2-2-0
Fourball: 1-1-0

For the sake of the American squad, it would be nice if the 2024 version of Xander Schauffele showed up at Bethpage, because the 2025 version has been, to put it nicely, aggressively average. Injuries have certainly played a role, but the cold facts speak for themselves. He hasn’t finished in the top five once, and his putting (arguably his greatest weapon) has been the worst of his career. When it comes to Strokes Gained: Total, he’s been slightly worse than Patrick Fishburn, Jesper Svensson, and Sam Ryder. While he’s still an excellent iron player, the rest of his game remains trapped in amber back in 2024, when he won two majors. 

If you’re a fan of pure entertainment, however, any outcome that results in Xander’s father, Stefan, getting in front of a microphone is a win for the content game. Stefan Schauffele has taken a bit of a step back from the spotlight over the past year and says he won’t be attending the contest this year in New York because of how boorish he believes the fans will be. But the Ryder Cup remains one of his favorite topics of discussion. I was chatting with him in Italy when he demanded the PGA of America open its books and suggested the teams play for $2 million awarded to each of the winners, and zero going to the losers. He also called Jay Monahan “a soft egg” in a playful rant about the PGA Tour commissioner’s incompetence. Just a few months ago, in an interview with The Times of London, he claimed American fans at Whistling Straits called Shany Lowry’s wife “a whore” in front of him, then said that Rory McIlroy “behaved disgustingly” in his dust-up with caddie Joe LaCava. “It ruined my appetite for the Ryder Cup,” Stefan Schaffele said. 

Whatever the outcome, please get this man on the phone, on a podcast, or on Sky Sports at some point during the competition. —Kevin Van Valkenburg

J.J. Spaun

World Ranking: 7
Data Golf Ranking: 11
Ryder Cup Experience: Rookie

Calling J.J. Spaun’s 2025 a “breakout year” may be underselling it a little bit. The 35-year-old had five top-three finishes this year, qualifying for the American side with the second-most points this cycle. Spaun was the solo 54-hole leader at The Players and just missed a putt to win on the 72nd hole before losing to Rory McIlroy in a Monday-morning playoff. He rode that mid-March momentum into a career year, peaking with a come-from-behind win at the U.S. Open for his first major championship. He made the cut at the other three majors and showed some clutch putting from distance in a playoff loss to Justin Rose at the FedEx St. Jude in August.

Statistically, Spaun is an accurate driver who excels as a ball-striker, ranking seventh in SG: Approach in 2025. Despite the two playoff losses to Team Europe stalwarts, he’s proven he’s able to keep up with the best players in the world and shown off some real mental fortitude after a front-nine 40 on Sunday of the U.S. Open. Despite a horrific start, Spaun stayed in the game and birdied the last two holes to rip a major out of Robert MacIntyre’s hands. He’ll need that dog in the fight for three days at Bethpage, and it would behoove him to keep making some bombs on the greens, too. – PJ Clark

Russell Henley

World Ranking: 4
Data Golf Ranking: 6
Ryder Cup Experience: Rookie

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world Keegan Bradley was the biggest snub of the 2023 Ryder Cup. Players like Bradley and Cameron Young deserved serious consideration to tee it up in Rome, but Russell Henley never seemed to receive much consideration despite playing steady, high-level golf throughout 2023. You could make a compelling case that he was the biggest snub in 2023, and you could make the case today that he’s the most underrated player in the world relative to public perception. 

Henley will be the shortest-hitting golfer at distance-demanding Bethpage Black, clocking in at a sub-170 ball speed. What he lacks in speed he makes up for in supreme precision, top-notch iron play, and proficiency on and around the greens. At 36, he enters his first Ryder Cup playing the best and most well-rounded golf of his career. 

Last fall, Henley paired with Scottie Scheffler in three of the four partner-based formats at the Presidents Cup, winning two matches and losing one. If groupings at the Procore Championship are any indication, we could very well see Henley pair with Scheffler once again at Bethpage, which would make for a lethal foursomes team. - Joseph LaMagna

Harris English

World Ranking: 10
Data Golf Ranking: 22
Ryder Cup: One appearance (2021)
Overall: 1-2-0
Singles: 0-1-0
Foursomes: 0-0-0
Fourball: 1-1-0

The adult in the American teamroom, Harris English is playing in his second consecutive home Ryder Cup after missing the trip to Rome in 2023. He’s not playing quite as well leading into Bethpage as he did ahead of Whistling Straits, but he figures to be a steady piece in the American locker room.

While English likely won’t be the main character of the 2025 Ryder Cup, he provides an unflappable presence to a team that has many players (and a captain) who run hot and cold on emotion. On the contrary, English’s gate is as consistent as can be, and he won’t rush a shot or get out ahead of himself in front of a raucous crowd. - Will Knights

Bryson DeChambeau

World Ranking: 21
Data Golf Ranking: 7
Ryder Cup Experience: Two appearances (2018, 2021)
Overall: 2-3-1
Singles: 1-1-0
Foursomes: 0-2-0
Fourball: 1-0-1

The most popular YouTuber in the field, Bryson DeChambeau will make his third appearance in the Ryder Cup. Bryson will be the only LIV Golf member of the U.S. team and is one of the strongest course fits for Bethpage Black because of his immense power. 

So far in his Ryder Cup career it has been a tale of two stories with a dismal 0-3-0 record at Le Golf National in 2018 and a 3-0-1 record at Whistling Straits, where he electrified crowds by driving greens and using his supreme power advantage with regularity. The big question heading into Bethpage will be centered around how Keegan Bradley uses him and which player (or players) on the American squad will team up with the Crusher. Bryson is a natural fit for the fourball sessions because of his ability to overwhelm a golf course, particularly one like Bethpage Black. His unique game, equipment, and personality make foursomes (alternate shot) a more interesting question. Bryson’s particularity with his golf ball, among many other things, would likely create a situation where any pairing would have to adapt to his ball.

On pure skill and talent, Bryson is among the three best players on the United States team. It will be interesting to see if Bradley deploys him as such or if his quirks keep him sidelined for a few of the partner sessions.  - Andy Johnson

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Justin Thomas

World Ranking: 5
Data Golf Ranking: 23
Ryder Cup Experience: Three appearances (2018, 2021, 2023)
Overall: 7-4-2
Singles: 3-0-0
Foursomes: 2-3-0
Fourball: 2-1-2

Is Justin Thomas a great player? It’s a reasonable question to ask as JT completes his 12th professional golf season. He’s currently the fifth-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking and, at age 32, should be playing the best golf of his career. 

Since the start of 2023, however, Thomas’ results have been inconsistent. He won earlier this April in a strong field at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town and has seven other top 10s on the PGA Tour this year. He also has just one top-30 finish in his last 14 major championship appearances. Inconsistency off the tee has been his Achilles’ heel, as he ranks near the bottom of the PGA Tour in Driving Accuracy, a weakness that could prove problematic at Bethpage Black. 

Still, JT has been described as the “heart and soul” of the American roster, boasting a 7-4-2 record in the event. He is a fixture of the American team, one who brings unrivaled passion and flair to the competition. Surely, it’s a high priority for JT to be involved in American team rooms beyond his playing career. The 2025 Ryder Cup is a prime opportunity for Justin Thomas to show where his game stacks up against the world’s best and build the case that he should be a voice of American leadership for decades to come.  - Joseph LaMagna

Collin Morikawa

World Ranking: 8
Data Golf Ranking: 31
Ryder Cup Experience: Two appearances (2021, 2023)
Overall: 4-3-1
Singles: 0-1-1
Foursomes: 2-1-0
Fourball: 2-1-0

Here is a potential piñata for the American side. Morikawa shockingly enters the 2025 Ryder Cup as perhaps the weakest link on the U.S. roster. He’s not won on the PGA Tour in almost two years, and that was in a limited-field fall event in Japan. And that’s his only win since the 2021 Open Championship. The lack of wins over the last four years belied his true form; he consistently contended on Tour and had a statistical profile to back up his great play.

Morikawa’s iron stats remain strong, but there’s almost nothing to hang your hat on since March. The results have been poor, and there’s been nothing close to serious contention. Add in some squabbles with the media, a revolving door of caddies, moodiness, and distress finding his game throughout the summer, especially at the last major, and the projection for Bethpage isn’t great. Perhaps the most interesting question is whether he will change caddies again in between sessions. 

Three of his four career Ryder Cup points came via an electric Dustin Johnson pairing during the Whistling Straits whitewash. Morikawa made the team off a captain’s pick because he was higher on the points list from results earlier in the cycle and his status as a two-time major winner and American veteran. It’s not crazy to suggest he was the weakest choice, but he was almost certainly going to make the team. 

He is not an all-five-sessions guy this year. The trend line is down, especially over the last three months. And yet… here’s a clean slate to do something for three days in New York. - Brendan Porath

Ben Griffin

World Ranking: 13
Data Golf Ranking: 5
Ryder Cup Experience: Rookie

Arguably the biggest wild card for U.S. captain Keegan Bradley is Ryder Cup rookie Ben Griffin. A two-time winner in 2025, Griffin finished the year with 11 top-15 finishes in his last 13 starts and cemented his place at Bethpage.

The breakout player of 2025 undoubtedly has the bona fides to play a role on this team. What remains to be seen is how he will gel with his teammates in both foursomes and fourball matches. Griffin isn’t a PGA Tour fixture and hasn’t participated in any team events to this point in his career. His skill profile isn’t well-suited for Bethpage, and he ranks outside the top 50 in birdie average. Still, his ball-striking can pair well with a big driver. But will the fact that he plays a Maxfli golf ball limit his potential partnerships? - Will Knights

Cameron Young

World Ranking: 20
Data Golf Ranking: 13
Ryder Cup Experience: Rookie

Even in a Ryder Cup full of history-making players, few (if any) can truly hold a candle to Mr. 1,000. After being the highest-ranking player on the American points list to not make the trip to Rome, Cameron Young earned a captain’s pick this year with a heater to close the season. Since the beginning of June, Young had five top-five finishes in 10 starts, including a T-4 at the U.S. Open and a runaway victory at the Wyndham Championship. It was the inverse of his 2023 campaign, flipping a switch late and vocally advocating for his inclusion on this American roster following repeated strong performances.

A native New Yorker, Young became the first-ever amateur to win the New York State Open with a 2017 win at Bethpage Black. At age 20, he shot a then-course record 64 in the final round, a mark that stood until Brooks Koepka’s 63 on Thursday of the 2019 PGA Championship. As a bomber, he’s an obvious course fit – ranking 18th in Driving Distance and 30th in SG: Off-the-Tee this season – but now he can putt, too. Young had an elite season on the greens, ranking sixth in SG: Putting, a new career high. He won’t bring much in the way of outward emotion, but maybe his match play experience as the “Legend Killer” of TGL will aid him in his Ryder Cup debut. He did once beat Rory McIlroy at the WGC Match Play, after all… - PJ Clark

Patrick Cantlay

World Ranking: 22
Data Golf Ranking: 16
Ryder Cup Experience: Two appearances (2021, 2023)
Overall: 5-2-1
Singles: 2-0-0
Foursomes: 2-2-0
Fourball: 1-0-1

Is it No-Hat Pat or the Pat-in-the-Hat? The deadpan, unemotional Patrick Cantlay became the center of controversy in Rome with the reports of his hat protest, fan heckling, and caddie confrontation with Rory McIlroy that resulted from the mini-drama. Whether he was protesting for more pay or not, Cantlay himself remained uninvolved. 

He also remains a match-play killer for the American side in both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. He’s never lost a Sunday singles match in either competition and has won almost 70 percent of his points in Ryder Cups. There are the records on paper, and then there are the shots and putts in real time. His performance in recent matches during their most pressurized points has pushed him to the status where, if you had to choose someone from the U.S. side with it all on the line late in a match, he would likely be first. 

Money seems to be a clear motivating factor for Cantlay, whether it’s rumors of him asking for more for Ryder Cup participation or Wyndham Clark creating a side bet for a little bit of extra motivation in Rome. But his performance in matches speaks for itself, and while it was a winless season, he finished strong and in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Total, far from a crash. For pace-of-play and other reasons, Cantlay may not be a fan favorite many weeks of the year. But he’s precisely who you want on your side for a match play event. There won’t be JT rah-rah antics, but more of that deadpan serial killer vibe and a record to stand on. He’s a blast to root for in these cups. - Brendan Porath

Sam Burns

World Ranking: 23
Data Golf Ranking: 10
Ryder Cup Experience: One appearance (2023)
Overall: 1-2-0
Singles: 0-1-0
Foursomes: 0-1-0
Fourballs: 1-0-0

Tommy Fleetwood earned his first career PGA Tour win at the Tour Championship after a summer of gut-wrenching close calls. Cameron Young similarly etched his first win in August while holding the title for most active runner-up finishes without a win on the PGA Tour. Time and time again, players contending late in tournaments have proven to be one of the strongest indicators of future success. The best way to win is to consistently put yourself in the mix. 

Though Sam Burns already has five PGA Tour victories to his name, his winless 2025 season has seen its share of close calls. Back in June, Burns lost in an emotional roller coaster of a playoff at the RBC Canadian Open, missing a short-range putt to take home the tournament. One week later, he held the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, only to struggle to a T-7 finish amidst the wet conditions on Sunday.

The former LSU standout has played consistently solid golf dating back to April, in no small part due to a nuclear-hot putter. Burns leads the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting for the season and has a strong claim to the title of best putter in the world. If you needed a player to step up and drill a 12-footer to extend a match at Bethpage, you’d be hard-pressed to find better options than Sam Burns. The key question is whether or not his ball-striking can be solid enough to match his stellar putting. - Joseph LaMagna