Ryder Cup breakdown: Ranking all 24 players at Bethpage

After what seemed like the world's longest buildup to a golf tournament, the 2025 Ryder Cup is finally upon us at Bethpage Black just outside New York City.

Luke Donald returns to captain the European team as it looks to retain the cup and become the first visitors to win since 2012. Outside of a swap of the Hojgaard twins, Donald is essentially bringing the same group that won in Rome.

Keegan Bradley was an inspired - albeit odd - choice to captain the Americans, but after deciding not to play, he's fully thrown himself into leading the home squad.

Here's how the golfers taking part in this year's event rank from 1 to 24, with no surprise who's leading the way.

24. Rasmus Hojgaard

In quite a twist, Hojgaard is on the team largely because he didn't play well enough to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The Dane missed the postseason by 17 slots on the rankings list, so he headed to Europe and posted two runner-up finishes and a 13th-place result across three August events. That late surge secured an automatic spot for Hojgaard, who steps in for his twin brother Nicolai as the only player change from the 2023 winning European team.

23. Matt Fitzpatrick

An absolutely dismal 1-7 record in the Ryder Cup hasn't exactly distinguished Fitzpatrick as a force to be reckoned with in team play. However, starting with an eighth-place showing at the PGA Championship, Fitzpatrick has finished inside the top 10 in eight of his last 13 events. He's heading into Bethpage trending in the right direction.

22. Sepp Straka

If Fitzpatrick is trending, Straka is doing the opposite. Since a third-place result at The Memorial in early June, Straka has just one top-15 showing. The Europeans will be hoping he regains his early-season form that saw him win twice before the calendar hit June.

21. Ben Griffin

The Ryder Cup rookie gets his place after a career season in which he was consistently in contention. Griffin could form quite the pairing with DeChambeau. That duo would be a dream for social media with both players active on multiple channels.

20. Shane Lowry

Rory McIlroy's bodyguard returns as arguably the most energetic member of the European team. Lowry's Ryder Cup play didn't exactly dazzle in his previous two appearances, and his most memorable moment in Italy might have been pulling McIlroy into the car as he got in a shouting match with multiple American caddies.

19. Collin Morikawa

The Arnold Palmer Invitational is a staple on the PGA TOUR schedule, traditionally marking the start of March. It's also the last time Morikawa had a top-five finish. This season was by far the worst of the two-time major champion's career, raising legitimate questions about whether the U.S. team would even pick him. Maybe his elite iron ability returns and he becomes a star at Bethpage, but we've seen nothing to suggest that's about to happen.

18. Sam Burns

Burns is among the best putters in the world and has just the perfect amount of attitude that could infuriate the Europeans. Will he team with his good friend Scottie Scheffler, or will captain Bradley utilize him in a different pairing?

17. Robert MacIntyre

MacIntyre was thought to be somewhat of a liability at the last Ryder Cup, but he formed a solid team with Justin Rose to deliver crucial points. He has greatly improved as a golfer since then, scoring wins in Canada and Scotland. MacIntyre's fiery style could make him a target for the raucous New York crowds, something he'll have to monitor throughout.

16. Harris English

English was one of the only Americans with a losing record in the 19-9 romp at the 2021 Ryder Cup, but was a lock for this squad thanks to solid play. Although English doesn't have the highest ceiling, he's as steady as they come - that should be a weapon in foursomes play.

15. Justin Rose

One of the lasting memories at the 2023 Ryder Cup was Rose pouring in putt after putt to break the Americans. The elder statesman is back, and he's in fine form after winning in Memphis in the playoffs. Rose continues to age like fine wine and is exactly the type of experienced veteran who decides Ryder Cups.

14. Russell Henley

Henley's likely the shortest player on the American team - not exactly a great skill set to have at beefy, brawny Bethpage. However, he has the type of game that wears down opponents, as evidenced by his 3-1-0 mark in his U.S. debut at last year's Presidents Cup.

13. J.J. Spaun

Spaun's career renaissance has earned him his first appearance for the Americans at this year's Ryder Cup. He's not the longest player, but his ability to beat down flagsticks with his iron play can make him an extremely tough out in match play.

12. Ludvig Aberg

Aberg went from Texas Tech to the 2023 Ryder Cup in the span of months, turning in a brilliant performance in Europe's victory. Bethpage suits his tee-to-green game perfectly, and he's poised to team up with Hovland as one of the duos the Europeans can lean on again.

11. Cameron Young

New York's finest gets a home game at a place he's highly familiar with. After finally notching that elusive first PGA TOUR win, Young now pairs a steady putter with his elite ball-striking ability. Don't be shocked if he's a breakout star this week.

10. Justin Thomas

The main antagonist on the U.S. team is 7-4-2 in Ryder Cup play and no longer has to shepherd a lost Jordan Spieth around the course. Win, lose, or draw, you can be sure Thomas will make noise at Bethpage in some capacity.

9. Xander Schauffele

Good luck trying to figure out what version of Schauffele you're getting at Bethpage. After winning two majors in 2024, Schauffele never really got going this year following an early rib injury. He failed to qualify for the TOUR Championship and hasn't teed it up in over a month. Maybe the opportunity to play with a teammate will mark the return of cigar-smoking Schauffele.

8. Viktor Hovland

The start of the season was bleak, but Hovland hasn't missed a cut since the Players Championship in March. He pulled 3.5 points from five matches in Italy two years ago, and he supplied one of the more memorable moments when he made a brilliant chip-in birdie on the event's first hole. Hovland is almost certain to partner again with Aberg to form a superstar Scandinavian tandem capable of just about anything - ask Scheffler.

7. Tyrrell Hatton

Still one of the world's best after his move to LIV, Hatton boasts a very respectable 5-4-2 record over three Ryder Cups. The Englishman won the Dubai Desert Classic in January and finished inside the top 20 in three of the four majors this season. His antics should also draw plenty of reaction from the raucous American crowd.

6. Patrick Cantlay

No-hat Pat has arguably been the best American over the past two Ryder Cups. While his 5-2-1 record speaks for itself, his late Saturday finish in Italy to steal a point from McIlroy was the type of stuff that builds legends. Now that we've covered the good, let's address the elephant in the room: Cantlay has kind of stunk the past calendar year. He missed the cut in the last three majors of the season and has five top-10s in 2025.

5. Bryson DeChambeau

Yes, DeChambeau is just 2-3-1 in his Ryder Cup career, and his playing style and golf ball choice make him a difficult player to partner with. Still, this version of DeChambeau appears made for a Ryder Cup at Bethpage. His monstrous drives promise to bring the lengthy course to its knees, and his ability to fire up a crowd is second-to-none on the American team. If the U.S. wins, we'll likely point to big, bad Bryson as one of the main reasons.

4. Jon Rahm

Rahm has shown time and again he's a man for the moment at the Ryder Cup - best shown with two eagles over his final three holes on Saturday in 2023 to earn a tie in his match. He's never lost a foursomes session in the Ryder Cup and comes to Bethpage after winning the season-long LIV points race. Rahm and fellow LIV teammate Hatton feel like a natural pairing to give the American team fits this week.

3. Tommy Fleetwood

Sign me up for a massive week out of Fleetwood for the Europeans. He owns a sparkling 7-3-2 record in the Ryder Cup, and he's coming to Bethpage off his first career PGA TOUR win in the TOUR Championship at East Lake. With his brilliant demeanor and all-world approach game, the Englishman is just about the perfect partner in any team setting.

2. Rory McIlroy

McIlroy has been on a pretty good run since telling the media in the winners' press conference at the 2023 Ryder Cup that the Europeans would be victorious at Bethpage, too. The 36-year-old has completed the career grand slam, won a signature event at Pebble Beach, captured the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, and thrilled crowds at the Irish Open with an electric eagle on the 72nd hole en route to claiming the title. McIlroy will need to be at his absolute peak if the Europeans are going to deliver on his bold promise.

1. Scottie Scheffler

One of the last times we saw Scheffler in Ryder Cup action, he was getting waxed 9&7 alongside Brooks Koepka by Aberg and Hovland. That also happens to be the last time Scheffler looked like a human playing golf instead of an alien sent to destroy the PGA TOUR competition. The undisputed World No. 1 has won an absurd 16 times since the last edition of the Ryder Cup - more than the career totals of Jordan Spieth, Fred Couples, Adam Scott, or David Duval. This is a different Scheffler than the one at the previous Ryder Cup, and you can expect the U.S. to ride him for all five sessions at Bethpage.