Scottie Scheffler aside, American team for Ryder Cup not stirring up much confidence
When the Americans show up in New York to get their Ryder Cup revenge in September, at least one of them will be holding a major championship trophy in 2025.
Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, made sure of that Sunday with a procession-like back nine at the PGA Championship for the third of what will likely be several major titles before it’s all said and done.
There is no question that Scheffler, as understated as his personality can be, has elevated himself since the last Ryder Cup into a different category of player. He is now a colossus, chasing history more than anyone in the field. And when things ramp up at Bethpage Black this fall, there’s no question that having Scheffler draped in red, white and blue will give Team USA a chance to take the Cup back on home soil.
But halfway through the 2025 major championship season, is anyone else a little concerned about the state of the American team beyond the guy who has collected nine wins since the start of last year?
Despite playing LIV Golf, where he can’t earn Ryder Cup qualifying points, Bryson DeChambeau’s performances in majors over the past year – including a tie for second at the PGA and a tie for fifth at the Masters – will get him on the team. He’ll be fine.
But if you look at the first two majors of the year from a Ryder Cup perspective, it’s more than a little discomforting for Team USA.
Xander Schauffele, who won two majors last year, hasn’t been in good form this year. Neither has Max Homa, who went 3-1-1 in his first Ryder Cup. Justin Thomas’ rebound season on the PGA Tour will get him on the team, but a missed cut at the PGA and a tie for 36th at the Masters is miles from his potential in the two biggest tournaments of the year so far. Collin Morikawa? Didn’t contend at Augusta or Quail Hollow. Jordan Spieth is almost a non-entity these days. Brooks Koepka has been awful in the majors since he won the PGA in 2023. Patrick Cantlay, as usual, has been a no-show in the biggest events.
After that? We’re in Andrew Novak/J.J. Spaun/Maverick McNealy territory. At least Harris English backed up his 12th place Masters finish with a tie for second this weekend. Given the other options, that should be enough to get him a long look from captain Keegan Bradley – who might have to pick himself to be on the team at this point.
In a word: Yikes.
That’s not to suggest we should go ahead and concede the thing to Team Europe. They’ve got some issues, too. A lot can change in four months. And at the end of the day, playing at Bethpage – maybe the most jingoistic venue in American sports – might render everything else moot.
But goodness gracious, how is it this hard to come up with an American team that looks even remotely formidable with two majors down in a Ryder Cup year?
Make no mistake: In the big picture, no country produces more quality golfers than the U.S. Though the Official World Golf Rankings have been skewed and rendered almost irrelevant because there’s no way to fairly account for LIV, there are 15 Americans in the top-30 to 11 Europeans. Likewise, of the last 14 majors, 10 have been won by Americans while just three have been claimed by Europe.
But when you look at who Europe is going to throw out there this fall, you’re talking about Masters champion Rory McIlroy and runner-up Justin Rose. You’re talking about Jon Rahm, who briefly led the PGA on the back nine before falling apart over the last three holes. Despite a poor major record, Sepp Straka has won twice on the Tour this year and Shane Lowry has six top-12 finishes already. Though Europe’s Scandinavian stars have not played up to expectations this season, Ludvig Aberg at least was T-7 at the Masters and the slumping Viktor Hovland managed top-30 finishes in both majors.
Can anyone be super confident going up against that bunch with a U.S. team that, for now, doesn’t have a bunch of guys playing well beyond Scheffler, DeChambeau and Thomas?
At least Bradley knows he’s got the best player in the world on his squad. Scheffler drove that point home this week with a dominant PGA victory. But beyond that? He’s got his work cut out for him.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Scottie Scheffler looks like Team USA's only Ryder Cup hope
