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With less than a year to go before the 45th instalment of the Ryder Cup, to be held at Bethpage Black, in Long Island, New York next September, the race is on for players to play their way onto the teams ahead of the bi-annual clash.
Europe regained the cup with a resounding 16.5-11.5 victory over the USA at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in September 2023. The victorious captain for Europe, Luke Donald will return for a second spell as captain, whilst taking up the reigns for the hosts, will be a surprise pick as Keegan Bradley comes in to try and regain the coveted trophy for the US team.
Qualifying is open for both sides and with an impasse still in place with regards to qualification for players on the LIV Golf Tour, there are fewer chances for the likes of Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau to qualify, so with chances at a premium, tournaments that do count between now and the cut-off are more important then ever.
Editor Andy Moore takes a look at the stories around both teams and predicts who he thinks will be on both teams for Bethpage Black.
Team Europe
We start with a look at Team Europe and there has been a slight tweak to the qualifying format for Luke Donald’s side with now 1 singular points table offering 6 automatic spots. The remainder of the picks will be wildcards for the Englishman as he looks to matchup against his US counterparts.
The current Top 6 players for Team Europe are:
1.) Rory McIlroy 2.) Rasmus Hojgaard 3.) Tyrrell Hatton 4.) Matt Wallace 5.) Paul Waring 6.) Niklas Norgaard
Plenty of Choice?
The European captain will be hoping that many of his trusted lieutenants from his victorious 2023 side will do enough to qualify automatically, giving him the freedom to really construct his ideal team with his 6 wildcard picks. Rory McIlroy will no doubt qualify outright unless a significant injury hits the Northern Irishman, whilst the recent form of LIV Golf star Tyrrell Hatton will be a major boost for Donald if he can qualify outright with the minimum events he will have to accumulate points.
Sitting just outside the top six currently, the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry will be important for Donald as he looks to build a side capable of winning on American soil. The form of Matt Fitzpatrick is a concern, as is the complete breakdown of Viktor Hovland’s game with Donald hoping that these two can regain the form that has seen them as vital components in previous matches.
Then there is the LIV conundrum that will see Jon Rahm in particular look to secure a place outright through the limited tournaments he will have on offer. Whilst there is no doubt that the Spanish star will be on the team for 2025, Donald will be hoping, like Hatton, he can do enough to make it through automatically. Another name that will be under consideration for Bethpage from the LIV side of the game, will be Sergio Garcia, Europe’s leading scorer who has made it clear, with taking up his DPWT membership, that he is keen to play himself onto the team, and 2024 form suggests he would be a huge boost to the side.
New stars coming through will be keen to play consistently over the next few months. The Scandinavian contingent of Ludvig Aberg, Niklas Norgaard and the Hojgaard twins will be keen to be on the team, as will recent Abu Dhabi HSBC Champion, the Englishman Paul Waring who finds himself in the top 6 currently.
Our Predicted European Line-up for Bethpage Black
- Rory Mcilroy 2. Tyrrell Hatton 3. Tommy Fleetwood 4. Shane Lowry 5. Ludvig Aberg 6. Jon Rahm 7. Rasmus Hojgaard 8. Matt Fitzpatrick 9. Bob Mcintyre 10. Sergio Garcia 11. Aaron Rai 12. Niklas Norgaard.
Other Possibles – Nicolai Hojgaard, Viktor Hovland, Paul Waring, Matt Wallace, Justin Rose, Adrian Meronk.
Team USA
The tried and tested formula for the USA in terms of picks has not changed with 6 automatic qualifiers and 6 wildcard picks for captain Keegan Bradley, a surprise pick to lead the side considering he could quite conceivably make the side himself, giving them a conundrum should he do so.
With recent murmmerings around the USA side being paid to play in the Ryder Cup, the vibe already has a negative look from the outside and so building the strongest side possible will be important for Bradley, where he will also need to take a good look at building a harmonious side, capable of taking it to the Europeans on home soil.
The Current Top 6 for Team USA are:
1.) Xander Schauffele 2.) Scottie Scheffler 3.) Bryson Dechambeau 4.) Collin Morikawa 5.) Brian Harman 6.) Billy Horschel.
Out of Form Old Guard?
There are plenty of names to throw in the mix for Team USA and with Bradley having six picks, he has the opportunity to break up what has been described as the boys club that many see as untouchable, however poor they are playing. The likes of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler need a good run of tournaments with 2024 flattering to deceive for most of them.
Other 2023 Team USA stars, the likes of Max Homa, Brian Harman and Sam Burns will also need to regain/retain some of the 2023 form that earned them a place on the side in Italy. Harman has been solid whilst both Homa and Burns have blown hot and cold. Patrick Cantlay has been consistent and likely to be on the side whether automatically or as a pick.
The LIV Golf contingent will need to accumulate points in the Majors to give themselves a chance to qualify automatically but there is little doubt that both Bryson Dechambeau and Brooks Kopeka won’t be in Bethpage. The jury remains out on others that could be in the mix. Dustin Johnson is one that blows hot and cold on LIV, can he give Bradley a headache with an upturn in form.
Patrick Reed is another that will be under consideration. A recent win on the Asian Tour will have raised eyebrows but he will need more to convince Bradley that ‘Captain America’ deserves a place on the side. He may not be universally popular but was Reed’s omission in 2023 a glaring mistake.
Elsewhere, can Billy Horschel and Cameron Young finally get onto a team and will Wyndham Clark be relevant again going into 2025. Then there is the captain himself. Will Bradley being captain galvanise him to make the side outright when he was cruelly omitted last time out or will his eye on the captaincy, see him fall short.
Our Predicted Team USA Line-up for Bethpage Black
- Xander Schauffele 2. Scottie Scheffler 3. Bryson Dechambeau 4. Brooks Koepka 5. Billy Horschel 6. Max Homa 7. Sahith Theegala 8. Brian Harman 9. Collin Morikawa 10. Cameron Young 11. Wyndham Clark 12. Patrick Cantlay
Other Possibles – Dustin Johnson, Akshay Bhatia, Russell Henley, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed.
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