How difficult is Bethpage Black, home to the 2025 Ryder Cup, which takes place this week? It’s so hard that it has a little sign in front of it that says, essentially, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter.”
This is so much more intimidating than a giant, threatening billboard out front. It’s like the gunfighter in a Western who feels honor bound to give a passing word of warning to anyone looking for trouble before swiftly eliminating 11 horse thieves in a brief spate of casual ultraviolence. Located on the South Shore of Long Island and known for its narrow fairways, punishing length, and brutal rough, the Black, as we Long Islanders call it, is every bit the perfect venue for an American Ryder Cup team looking to bring back the prize following a fulsome humiliation in Rome two years ago. As a previous host of multiple majors, let’s just say that the galleries at Bethpage have been known to be vociferous. Having grown up roughly 20 miles away, I can say that these are my people: patriotic, vocal, and never ones to shy away from an open exchange of hand signals and ideas.
Heading into this week’s Ryder Cup, my playing partners Megan Schuster, Matt Dollinger, and I have handicapped every participant and their likelihood of achieving national glory. Whom can you really trust in a Ryder Cup? That’s what we set out to determine. We voted on each participant in the field and ranked them from least trustworthy (1) to most (10). Here’s everything you need to know about the 24 players and two captains who will guide us through three days of frenzy at golf’s fulcrum of jingoistic ecstasy. We’ll take them one at a time. —Elizabeth Nelson
Sam Burns, USA: 4.3
Ryder Cup Record: 1-2-0 (Second Appearance)
A Keegan Bradley captain’s pick, Burns is a second-time Ryder Cup participant, known principally for his reputation as perhaps the single-best putter on tour—a skill with obvious importance in the gut-wrenching roundelay of Ryder Cup match-play action. He doesn’t intimidate with length or swagger, but his tendency to close the show with the flatstick makes him an ideal potential partner for his best friend, Scottie Scheffler. He's solid in every facet of his game but not typically a showstopper, so it would be surprising to see Burns assert himself as a main character in the Cup chase. But then again: “Drive for show, putt for dough.” That’s what dreams are made of. —Nelson
Sepp Straka, Europe: 5
Ryder Cup Record: 1-2-0 (Second Appearance)
As wild as wild cards get. To his credit, Straka has won twice on Tour this year. Alas, he’s also missed the cut in three out of four majors. But he’s an incredible ball-striker, and when his putter is hot, he can beat the best. He might not scare anyone on the tee sheet this week, but you have to admire the European’s commitment to continuity. (Although rounding out the roster with human victory cigar Miguel Angel Jiménez to taunt Keegan Bradley would have been incredible.) Here’s hoping we get to see the 6-foot-3, 235-pound “Ox” take on the 5-foot-8 J.J. Spaun in singles. We deserve that much. —Matt Dollinger
Rasmus Højgaard, Europe: 5.3
Ryder Cup Record: First Appearance
This will be the 24-year-old’s Ryder Cup debut, and what a place to make it. Højgaard was Team Europe’s last automatic qualifier, and he’ll be the only rookie on the squad this time around. His twin brother, Nicolai, played for Europe in 2023 and went 0-2-1, including a singles loss to Xander Schauffele, so Rasmus will be trying to get some family revenge. But he’ll also be the only new entry to a team that won by five points two years ago and largely held the U.S. at bay from Friday onward. Deploying Højgaard correctly could be one of captain Luke Donald’s toughest tests this weekend, as he has a high ceiling but also, as Smylie Kaufman put it this week, maybe “the lowest floor of anybody playing in this Ryder Cup.” —Megan Schuster
Harris English, USA: 5.5
Ryder Cup Record: 1-2-0 (Second Appearance)
It’s never great when one of your automatic qualifiers ranks this low in our very official and scientific Trust Index, but it’s hard to feel great about English’s chances against a stacked European side. He’s one of the best putters on Tours and carries an unflappable demeanor, but he’s just not exciting. Maybe that means he'll catch the Europeans off guard, as he has done repeatedly in 2025. He won the Farmers at Torrey Pines in the spring and then finished runner-up at both the PGA Championship and the Open this year. He’s not scaring anyone, but maybe that’s just the opening he needs. —Dollinger
Robert MacIntyre, Europe: 5.7
Ryder Cup Record: 2-0-1 (Second Appearance)
MacIntyre has only one previous Ryder Cup appearance, but what an appearance it was. He went 2-0-1 in Italy, beating the likes of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in four-ball (alongside Justin Rose) and Wyndham Clark in singles. MacIntyre was the first European player to show up at Bethpage this week, and he’s reportedly been busy working on all aspects of his game in preparation for the tournament. But he’ll face plenty of heat from American crowds—who won’t forget his shushing of fans who heckled him at the BMW Championship—and even from his own teammates. MacIntyre said this week that he and Viktor Hovland have been the butt of many a joke in the European team group chat. —Schuster
Russell Henley, USA: 5.7
Ryder Cup Record: First Appearance
The low-key 15-year pro Henley is making his Ryder Cup debut at 36 years old, a well-deserved mid-career achievement in a year that found him winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and finishing in the top 10 in seven other tournaments. A veteran of the Presidents Cup, Henley has long aspired to serve his country against Europe, and this year he took matters into his own hands by becoming the fourth automatic qualifier. Did you know that Russell Henley is the third-ranked player in the WORLD, behind Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy? That is some rarefied air! Henley has always been a quality ball-striker and ace scrambler around the greens. His weakness has been with the putter, but work with coach Phil Kenyon has yielded significant improvements, meaning that he comes into his first Ryder Cup playing some of the best all-around golf of his life. It wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him teamed with Scheffler—the pairing went 2-1 and 1-1 in foursomes last year at the Presidents Cup, and their respective games do seem to rhyme. —Nelson
Collin Morikawa, USA: 5.7
Ryder Cup Record: 4-3-1 (Third Appearance)
Morikawa is a brilliant golfer, but that hasn’t always translated to match-play formats. Overall, he has a winning career record in match play (13-9-4), and the last time the Ryder Cup was held on American soil, he went 3-0-1. But in the 2023 event, Morikawa finished 1-3-0, with a 5&3 loss in four-balls to McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick, and a 4&3 singles loss to Viktor Hovland. Now, those were losses against quality competition. And he fully deserved to make this team as a captain’s selection. But he’s also had a drop-off in his overall form recently, and looking at the European side, I just have a hard time imagining Morikawa striking fear in the hearts of Justin Rose or Ludvig Aberg or Hovland or … well, most of that squad. I would love to be wrong! —Schuster
J.J. Spaun, USA: 6
Ryder Cup Record: First Appearance
The feel-good story of the 2025 PGA campaign, Spaun is a 35-year-old, 13-year Tour veteran who emerged from seemingly nowhere to card a magnificent win at June’s U.S. Open at Oakmont, capped by a putt for the ages. This was absolutely astonishing on several levels for a solid but middling pro who had lost and regained his tour card and didn’t seem an obvious choice to contend (his odds to win were 150-1). Yet he did, highlighting a career year that also included a runner-up finish at the Players Championship. Another Ryder Cup rookie—how will he respond to the clenching pressure? The kind of wild card that sometimes mints a Ryder Cup legend. Potential fireworks. —Nelson
Ben Griffin, USA: 6.3
Ryder Cup Record: First Appearance
He has the swagger of the coolest mortgage salesman you know (because he is quite literally the coolest mortgage salesman you know). I’m not sure about copying anything Phil Mickelson does unless you’re plugged in a bunker, but hey, maybe the stunner shades will throw the Europeans off. Griffin has been a force to be reckoned with in 2025, coming out of nowhere to make this team. He’s coming off an ugly choke job against Scheffler earlier this month, but maybe he just needed to get it out of his system (at least this is what Keegan Bradley is telling himself). Griffin has two impressive top-10 finishes in majors this year, which suggests that he could thrive in the limelight at Bethpage. Luckily for the U.S., there’s a 0 percent chance he’ll have to face Scottie again. —Dollinger
Jon Rahm, Europe: 6.7
Ryder Cup Record: 6-3-3 (Fourth Appearance)
The most conflicted man in golf has been formidable this year, repeating as the LIV International Champion after finishing in the top 12 of all LIV events. I know, all that sounds silly, but it is a legitimate reflection of his recent good form. He also finished T7 at the U.S. Open and T8 at the PGA Championship playing real golf. He’s also frigging Rahmbo—the hulking, sometimes sulking powerhouse who won the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2023 Masters. He doesn’t have to explain anything to you. Two years ago, he was a key constituent in Europe’s ass-kicking machine, having earned three points in four matches. Again, that’s “Rahmbo” to you. —Nelson
Patrick Cantlay, USA: 6.7
Ryder Cup Record: 5-2-1 (Third Appearance)
Cantlay has been an American stalwart over the past two Ryder Cups, but in 2023, his on-course performance was overshadowed by what he was wearing—or, I guess, not wearing.
That Saturday morning, Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir reported: “Understand from several sources that the U.S. team room is fractured, a split led predominantly by Patrick Cantlay. Cantlay believes players should be paid to participate in the Ryder Cup, and is demonstrating his frustration at not being paid by refusing to wear a team cap.” Cantlay also skipped the gala dinner earlier in the week and was even reportedly sitting on a different side of the locker room from the rest of the guys (Xander Schauffele excluded).
Predictably, things devolved from there, with the European crowds taunting Cantlay and waving their hats around, Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava getting into it with Shane Lowry, and McIlroy shouting at people from the Marco Simone parking lot. If this were a ranking about how much I trust Cantlay to rile up the crowds and his competitors this weekend, it’d be 10/10. But if there’s any American division this time around, it’ll be hard not to point our caps at Cantlay again. —Schuster
Tyrrell Hatton, Europe: 6.7
Ryder Cup Record: 5-4-2 (Fourth Appearance)
The English dissident to LIV was an automatic qualifier following a win at the Dubai Desert Classic and T4 at the U.S. Open. He has been known to be temperamental—frustrated—such that if you search “Tyrrell Hatton Madman,” you will get results. I love him—a blast to watch. When he’s firing on all cylinders, he is a birdie-machine nonpareil—a potential victor in match play. Do I trust him? That’s complicated. Captain Luke Donald will need to ride this bucking bronco carefully. But don’t be surprised if Hatton figures in on Sunday. —Nelson
Cam Young, USA: 6.7
Ryder Cup Record: First Appearance
Long before Cam Young finally won on the PGA Tour, which was last month at the Wyndham Championship, we at The Ringer had been effusive about his future prospects. Back in 2023, both Dollinger and I separately picked Young to win the PGA Championship at preposterous +3200 odds, setting off shock waves, at least between the two of us, who have not stopped discussing this coincidence since. This came to nought, as Young, undoubtedly feeling the immense pressure, carded +9 over on the first two days and missed the cut. We never stopped believing, though, and we never will. Now, as one of Keegan Bradley’s captain’s picks, the 28-year-old New Yorker will have his chance to make a home-state splash on one of the sport’s biggest stages. Ranked 20th in the official World Golf Rankings, Young should prove highly useful at Bethpage, where his massive distance off the tee will take at least some of the teeth out of the course. His putting, long a weakness of his game, has been much better this year, and he should be revving with confidence coming off his long-gestating first title in August. He’s already a Ringer legend—the highest of golf’s accolades. Now let’s see whether he can be a Ryder Cup hero, too. —Nelson
Matt Fitzpatrick, Europe: 7.0
Ryder Cup Record: 1-7-0 (Fourth Appearance)
This ranking may seem too generous when you look at Fitzpatrick’s record in Ryder Cups past, and it very well might be! He’s a lowly 1-7-0 in three appearances, and he scored a total of zero points in 2016 and 2021 combined. His performance in Italy was at least a minor step up—one win in four-ball!—and we’re betting big on his recent results in majors and on the PGA Tour. He finished T8 at the PGA Championship in May and T4 at The Open in July. He had five top-10 finishes in 21 events—and he also had a midseason meeting with European captain Luke Donald that helped him reset his priorities and come into the Ryder Cup feeling good. Unfortunately for Fitzpatrick, he gave U.S. fans some bulletin-board material this week that may come back to bite him in New York. —Schuster
Viktor Hovland, Europe: 7.3
Ryder Cup Record: 3-4-3 (Third Appearance)
It’s been a somewhat disappointing year for Hovland, but he seems exactly like the type of golfer to flip the switch for the Ryder Cup. He went 3-1-1 in 2023 and hit one of the biggest shots of the tournament. Will muscle memory kick in? He has only one win this season, but he's got three top-10 finishes since August on the PGA and DP Tours. With a constant smile glued to his face, he might not be that intimidating of an opponent, but he’s got an incredibly high ceiling as an X factor. Taking the 12th-best golfer in the world as a captain’s pick is quite a luxury. —Dollinger
Justin Thomas, USA: 7.3
Ryder Cup Record: 7-4-2 (Fourth Appearance)
At the peak of his powers, JT is everything you want in a Ryder Cup player: a fiery competitor who can hit every shot and absolutely savors the opportunity to destroy his opponent and talk shit. Unfortunately, that version of Thomas is mostly theoretical at this point. While he did nab his first win in three years back in April, he was a nonfactor in all four majors this year (including two missed cuts) and finished 69th (not so nice) at the Procore Championship in his Ryder Cup tune-up. I think that JT still strikes some fear in opponents’ hearts on the first tee, but I’m not sure whether he’ll be stuck in the Bethpage rough all day if it persists. His career Ryder Cup record is maybe his best defense of all (OK, and maybe these shoes). —Dollinger
Bryson DeChambeau, USA: 7.5
Ryder Cup Record: 2-3-1 (Third Appearance)
Things I wouldn’t trust Bryson DeChambeau about: science, common sense, U.S. diplomacy, acquiring mass, birthday gifts for Brooks Koepka, hats in general, how to play Augusta National, and maybe how to talk to other humans. Things I would trust Bryson DeChambeau about: the Ryder Cup, how to hit my driver, and moving a very heavy couch. Sure, Bryson is a bit of a distraction, maybe even a captain’s nightmare, as some would put it. But I’m taking my chances on him in this very specific event. He’s as polarizing as they get and being his teammate is as complicated as Bryson breaking down his one-length irons, but the U.S. needs top-tier talent to overcome this loaded European side, and it can’t win without DeChambeau. The U.S. needs Bryson at his best to have a shot, and I’m pret-tay confident he’s going to literally give it everything he’s got. —Dollinger
Shane Lowry, Europe: 7.7
Ryder Cup Record: 2-3-1 (Third Appearance)
A captain’s pick possibly made more for vibes than metrics, Lowry looms large over the psychic energy of the European locker room, with his major championship pedigree and likely unwillingness to tolerate even slightly any of the ritual abuse from the accumulated faithful. One of the great stories of the week will occur if he is partnered with his decades-old friend and countryman McIlroy. Could it be great? Old dogs, new tricks? It’ll be up to Luke Donald. —Nelson
Justin Rose, Europe: 7.7
Ryder Cup Record: 14-9-3 (Seventh Appearance)
Seriously, Rose has been doing this a long, long time. This event will mark his seventh-straight Ryder Cup appearance. His career record is 14-9-3, and there’s hardly been a drop-off in performance as he’s aged. Sure, singles aren’t his best event (he’s 2-3-1, with all three losses coming in the last three tournaments). But the 45-year-old makes up for that in team play—and with his veteran wiles. There is no button Rose is unwilling to push, no crowd he’s afraid to go up against, no fire he’s incapable of lighting. As much as I may loathe him in these contexts, Rose is at his best when he can stare down an enemy, and he’ll have tens of thousands of them in New York this week. I’m expecting fireworks. —Schuster
Xander Schauffele, USA: 7.7
Ryder Cup Record: 4-4-0 (Third Appearance)
This time last year, Schauffele might have been at an 11 on the trust meter. He had just won both The Open and the PGA Championship, while finishing top-10 at the Masters and U.S. Open to boot and adding seven other top-5 finishes that year just to be fancy. It’s easy to forget how dominant Schauffele was in the shadow of Scheffler, but he was downright incredible. Alas, golf is a fickle game, and 2025 has been drastically different, with Schauffele failing to notch even one top-5 finish in 15 starts. Granted, we’re still talking about the third-best player in the world and a two-time Ryder Cup veteran, so maybe he rediscovers some magic at Bethpage. Trust-wise, he falls short of the true alphas, but he’s a formidable foe. —Dollinger
USA Captain Keegan Bradley: 7.7
Ryder Cup Record: 0-0 as Captain, 4-3-0 as Player (Third Appearance)
Well, he passed the first test by not picking himself! So that earned Bradley some national goodwill. But now comes the hard part. As Elizabeth wrote back in August: “Facing a stacked European squad, Bradley has his work cut out for him, even if he himself is not trying to win points between the ropes. Being the captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team is very hard. There are the tactical elements to consider—which players to start and which to bench, whose games best complement each other in a four-ball or alternate-shot format, how to advantageously set up the course when you are the home team—and then there is … everything else.”
Recent U.S. history in this tournament is troubling at best, and the hyper-individualism we’ve seen on the roster in the past—and hell, maybe even now—stands in stark contrast to the all-for-one ethos we typically see out of the Europeans. Can Bradley be the one to turn things around? Time will tell! —Schuster
Ludvig Aberg, Europe: 8.3
Ryder Cup Record: 2-2-0 (Second Appearance)
At just 25, Aberg is playing in his second Ryder Cup after debuting in Rome in 2023 and going 2-2. That included perhaps the signature moment of Europe’s dominant week, when he teamed with Viktor Hovland to annihilate the American team of Scheffler and Koepka in foursomes, triumphing 9-8 and literally causing Scheffler to cry. As auspicious Cup debuts go, eliciting salty tears of frustration from the world’s best player is a pretty stout message. Aberg’s year started strong with a win at the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines in February, and an exciting Masters run that fizzled late on Sunday. His play tailed off for a stretch after that, but he was an easy captain’s pick for Luke Donald, with his first-rate ball-striking skills, formidable iron game, and all-around talent in every phase of the game. He should be a European fixture for at least the next decade. —Nelson
Tommy Fleetwood, Europe: 8.3
Ryder Cup Record: 7-3-2 (Fourth Appearance)
The only European player who will be playing a home match at Bethpage. That’s how goddamn likeable this guy is, even to red-white-and-blue Long Islanders. Add in the fact that he finally figured out how to win, and everything about Fleetwood should scare the hell out of the U.S. side. The 34-year-old was already as pure as they get and a Ryder Cup force to be reckoned with. Now that he’s finally notched his first PGA Tour win, he should be playing the freest golf of his career. Simply put, Ryder Cup Tommy Fleetwood feels just about as trustworthy as anyone. —Dollinger
Captain Luke Donald, Europe: 9
Ryder Cup Record: 1-0 as Captain, 10-4-1 as Player (Fifth Appearance)
After leading the Europeans to a dominant victory in 2023, Donald was the obvious choice to return as Captain—he is immensely well-liked, highly experienced (he was a four-time Cup winner as a player and a vice captain before taking over the big chair) and consistently outmaneuvered his American counterpart Zach Johnson in Rome from a strategic perspective. Team chemistry, typically a European strength and not an American one, has rarely been better than it is under Donald’s leadership. Overall morale seems certain to be a factor at Bethpage Black where galleries have a tendency to be a little … outspoken. Nerves will be brittle. It is possible, say, that someone will shout “USA!” during one of the European players’ backswing. Or, that someone will shout “USA!” as one of the European players lines up a crucial putt. By which I mean, this is going to happen constantly. Cooler heads will need to prevail. Donald will need to provide both the right pairings and the right pep talks to keep the train on the tracks. His stature is deservedly sky high at the moment. If he is able to retain the Cup on foreign soil, he will be enshrined as a legend. —Nelson
Rory McIlroy, Europe: 9
Ryder Cup Record: 16-13-4 (Eighth Appearance)
As a supernatural golfing force, I am in constant awe of McIlroy. Every highlight is a humbling reminder that I am a mere mortal and my golf ball will never achieve such glory. But I’m not sure I necessarily trust Rory to show up for a tournament, even after completing his career Grand Slam back in April. You would have thought that Rory’s first major in 11 years would have opened the floodgates, but instead they have remained strangely shut. He did nab his first win since the Masters earlier this month at the Irish Open, so maybe his swagger returns for one of his favorite events. That said, he will likely be the no. 1 target of Bethpage’s notorious hecklers and will need to do his best to not let them rattle him (easier said than done). He’s far and away the European’s best player, but there’s a debate to be had about whether he’s their most reliable. —Dollinger
Scottie Scheffler, USA: 9.7
Ryder Cup Record: 2-2-3 (Third Appearance)
What to say about Scottie that hasn’t already been said? The dude’s a slayer: no. 1 in the world; six wins on tour this season, including his third and fourth major championships (the PGA in May and The Open in July); zero finishes outside the top 25 and only two outside the top 11. No one has a resume like that, nor should they! It’s downright inhuman!
The only knock against Scottie is his Ryder Cup history, which isn’t great. He’s 2-2-3 all time, and both of his wins came in 2021. He scored just a single point in Italy two years ago—but to give him the benefit of the doubt, that tournament came 13 wins, 33 top-10 finishes, and one child ago. Scheffler is operating on an entirely different planet this time around, and no one in the golfing universe can do what he does. Now he just needs to channel his killer instinct into a match play atmosphere—which should be easy to do with the Bethpage crowd behind him. —Schuster
