Ryder Cup 2025 Picks, Best Bets and Golf Odds:
The 45th Ryder Cup Matches will take place this weekend at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York. Team Europe has won eight of the last 11 Ryder Cups over Team USA since the turn of the century. The United States has held serve the last two Ryder Cups on American soil.
Currently, the USA is -150 to regain the Ryder Cup and Europe is +175 to win, with the draw being priced at 12-1. Bettors can also wager on the “To Lift the Trophy” market with USA -150 and Europe +125. Note that a tie at the event’s conclusion means that the team that currently possesses the Cup, in this case Europe, would retain the Cup.
The Event
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men’s golf competition between Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years, with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named after the English businessman Samuel Ryder, who donated the trophy. The event is jointly administered by the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe, the latter a joint venture of the PGA European Tour (60%), the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland (20%) and the PGA of Europe (20%).
The Format
The Ryder Cup is a match-play event, with each match worth one point. The competition format will be as follows:
Day 1 (Friday): 4 foursome (alternate shot) matches and 4 fourball (better ball) matches
Day 2 (Saturday): 4 foursome matches and 4 fourball matches
Day 3 (Sunday): 12 singles matches
On the first two days, there are four foursome matches and four fourball matches with the home captain choosing which are played in the morning and which in the afternoon.
With a total of 28 points available, 14 1/2 points are required to win the Cup, and 14 points are required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches are played to a maximum of 18 holes.
The Course
Bethpage Black is a municipal course, one of five that are part of Bethpage State Park in New York. It opened in 1936 and was designed by A.W. Tillinghast. It proved to be one of the more challenging courses in the world when hosting the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009, as well as the PGA Championship in 2019. For the Ryder Cup, Bethpage will play as a par-70 at 7,352 yards and is one of the longest courses on any tour.
The home side decides how the course is set up. Traditionally, the Europeans have had narrower fairways and thicker rough on their courses to mitigate the power edge that the Americans have held off the tee. Meanwhile, Team USA has preferred a more birdie-friendly setup with wider fairways and fewer penalty hazards. This year is no exception as the rough is not nearly as penal as it would be for a major championship, plus the Ryegrass/Poa fairways are on the softer side.
The Europeans also tend to prefer the slower greens, but they will get faster Bentgrass/Poa greens (average 6,000 square feet) this week at around 12.5-13 on the stimpmeter. The greens advantage for the Americans has gotten a bit less pronounced over the years as the overwhelming majority of the European team plays predominantly in the United States, so they are now more accustomed to faster greens.
The Ryder Cup website provides a hole-by-hole breakdown.
The Ryder Cup YouTube page provides a hole-by-hole flyover with Strokes Gained insights included.
Trends and Stats
Here are the overall Ryder Cup records since 1979, when the event went to a USA vs. Europe format.
Ryder Cups won: Europe 12-9 USA (1 tied)
Total points won: Europe 312-304 USA
Total matches won: Europe 268-256 USA (92 halves)
Total sessions won: Europe 47-43 USA (20 ties)
Singles records
The Americans won nine of the 12 singles sessions from 1979 to 1999 but only four of the last 10, which has meant Europe has narrowed these following deficits:
Singles points won: Europe 125-139 USA
Singles sessions won: Europe 8-13 USA (1 tied)
Singles matches won: Europe 105-119 USA (40 halves)
Teamwork
In contrast, the Europeans have been better at foursomes and fourballs.
Foursomes matches won: Europe 84-74 USA (18 ties)
Foursomes sessions won: Europe 19-13 USA (12 ties)
Foursomes points won: Europe 93-83 USA
Fourballs matches won: Europe 79-67 USA (30 ties)
Fourballs sessions won: Europe 20-17 USA (7 ties)
Fourballs points won: Europe 94-82 USA
The Teams
United States
Captain: Keegan Bradley
Vice Captains: Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Kisner, Jim Furyk, Gary Woodland
Bradley has a 4-3 record as a Ryder Cup player in two appearances (2012, 2014). He is the youngest Ryder Cup captain (age 39) since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Bradley certainly had a case for selecting himself as a player, having won the Travelers Championship earlier this season, but he elected to just serve as captain.
Scottie Scheffler
Ryder Cup record: 2-2-3
Foursomes record: 0-2-0
Fourball record: 1-0-2
Singles record: 1-0-1
The world No. 1 player has already done about everything in golf before his 30th birthday except for win the U.S. Open and perform in the Ryder Cup like the best player in the world should. He has won only two of seven Ryder Cup matches and both of those came on debut, when first paired with Bryson DeChambeau and later beating Jon Rahm in singles. Scheffler was not good in Rome but was also saddled with partners who played poorly as he lost both foursomes matches with Sam Burns (4-and-3) and Brooks Koepka (9-and-7!). Nevertheless, he is now the clear No. 1 player in the world and should have a better pairing with Russell Henley, as they went 2-1 last fall when teamed together at the Presidents Cup.
J.J. Spaun
Ryder Cup rookie
Spaun’s U.S. Open win at Oakmont, plus his near-misses at The Players, a playoff loss to Rory McIlroy, and at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, a playoff loss to Justin Rose, earned him not only his career-best season but also his first spot on the Ryder Cup team. He might be one of the four players who sit in the foursomes on such a longer course like Bethpage Black. However, he is one of the best ball strikers in the game, and his iron play was elite this season.
Xander Schauffele
Ryder Cup record: 4-4-0
Foursomes record: 2-2-0
Fourball record: 1-1-0
Singles record: 1-1-0
Schauffele was just 1-3 in Rome two years ago, earning his only point against Nicolai Hojgaard in the singles. After winning two major championships in 2024, he went winless in 2025 as an early season rib injury derailed his season. However, he did not go deep into the FedEx Cup playoffs and should be well-rested. He and wife Maya just welcomed their first child, Victor, earlier this month, which is why he skipped the team tune-up event at the Procore Championship two weeks ago. He will likely be paired with his buddy Patrick Cantlay in the foursomes, where they have a 6-3 record together but did lose both matches together in Rome.
Russell Henley
Ryder Cup rookie
Henley made his debut as a professional in international team competition at the Presidents Cup last fall, going 2-1 when partnered with Scheffler and then defeating Sungjae Im in singles. He won the biggest event of his career in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational held at Bay Hill. While not the biggest hitter off the tee, he will be partnered with the world’s best in Scheffler in the foursomes, and Henley is an excellent ball striker in his own right. This duo will give themselves plenty of chances but will need to hole the putts.
Harris English
Ryder Cup record: 1-2-0
Foursomes record: 0-0-0
Fourball record: 1-1-0
Singles record: 0-1-0
English was part of the winning 2021 team at Whistling Straits in his lone Ryder Cup appearance. He arguably had his career season in 2025 with a win at the Farmers Insurance Open on a big, long course at Torrey Pines and was runner-up in two of the four majors, both times to Scottie Scheffler. He has improved off the tee and is one of the better putters on the PGA Tour but looks like a fourballs candidate more so than the alternate-shot format.
Bryson DeChambeau
Ryder Cup record: 2-3-1
Foursomes record: 0-2-0
Fourball record: 1-0-1
Singles record: 1-1-0
DeChambeau makes his first Ryder Cup appearance in five years, as he was not part of the U.S. team in 2023 after his move to LIV Golf. At Whistling Straits in 2021, he went 1-0-1 in fourballs with Scottie Scheffler and then took care of Sergio Garcia in singles. Bethpage Black would seem to be an ideal course for Bryson, and he should embrace the lively crowds, as he is as popular as he has ever been as a player. He is a question mark in foursomes, but then again, he was paired with Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods in those formats when neither was near his best. It is not a guarantee that he will sit out the opening foursome session, but he could get a Rick Vaughn in “Major League” reaction being brought out of the bullpen for Friday fourballs. Come on, Bryson, give ’em the heater.
Justin Thomas
Ryder Cup record: 7-4-2
Foursomes record: 2-3-0
Fourball record: 2-1-2
Singles record: 3-0-0
Ironically enough, Thomas was a captain’s pick in 2023 at the expense of current captain Keegan Bradley, who selected JT for his team. Thomas did get back into the winner’s circle for the first time in nearly three years at the RBC Heritage in April. However, he has been a bit out of form of late and was a complete non-factor in the majors. He probably deserved better than a 1-2-1 showing two years ago in Rome but was brought down by partner Jordan Spieth’s poor play. Thomas is 3-0 in Ryder Cup singles with victories over Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton and Sepp Straka.
Collin Morikawa
Ryder Cup record: 4-3-1
Foursomes record: 2-1-0
Fourball record: 2-1-0
Singles record: 0-1-1
While Keegan Bradley’s captain’s picks ended up being fairly cut and dried, if there was one player that has had some doubt cast upon his selection, it is Morikawa. Not only was he a non-factor in the 2025 majors, but it will also be three years in October since Morikawa has won anywhere. Losing a tournament that he likely should have won at Bay Hill seemed to take the wind out of his sails for the rest of the season. The ball striking still remains at world world-class level, but Morikawa ranked 141st on the PGA Tour for Strokes Gained: Putting this season. Bradley probably needs to see what he has early on in Friday foursomes with Morikawa, who, outside of Scottie Scheffler, might be the best iron player in the world.
Ben Griffin
Ryder Cup rookie
Outside of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and perhaps J.J. Spaun, no one in golf had a better year than Ben Griffin. Like Spaun, Griffin is one of two players on this team who nobody could have predicted being on the U.S. team this week at Bethpage Black. Now, Griffin is a two-time PGA Tour winner and became an obvious choice for Keegan Bradley. He ranked third on the PGA Tour this season for Total Birdies and would seem to be a better fit for the fourballs format.
Cameron Young
Ryder Cup rookie
Coming out of the British Open, Keegan Bradley was looking for a player to go out and take one of the spots, and that is what Cameron Young did, winning the Wyndham Championship by six shots, and it probably should have been a bigger margin, for his maiden PGA Tour victory. Young kept that form all the way through the FedExCup Playoffs, and the New York native now gets to come home for his first Ryder Cup appearance. He was part of the winning Presidents Cup team three years ago at Quail Hollow, and outside of DeChambeau, he is the longest hitter off the tee on the U.S. team, and he should fit Bethpage Black very well.
Patrick Cantlay
Ryder Cup record: 5-2-1
Foursomes record: 2-2-0
Fourball record: 1-0-1
Singles Record 2-0-0
Cantlay has arguably been the best U.S. player in both Ryder and Presidents Cups in recent years. After an up-and-down 2025 season, he found his best form of the year at the end of the season. He lost both foursomes matches with Schauffele last time out in Rome, but they are a proven winning team, so expect them to get another shot in the first Friday session. Cantlay’s ball striking was good enough to win multiple times in 2025, but the putter, usually his best club in the bag, betrayed him far too often this year. He is 2-0 in Ryder Cup singles with victories over Shane Lowry and Justin Rose. Perhaps he gets Rory McIlroy in singles this time around, as the two could renew their feud from two years ago when Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, on the bag again this week, got into a confrontation with Rory in the parking area after Day 2. We’ll see if Cantlay wears the team hat this time at Bethpage Black.
Sam Burns
Ryder Cup record: 1-2-0
Foursomes record: 0-1-0
Fourball record: 1-0-0
Singles Record 0-1-0
The captain’s picks were not announced by Keegan Bradley in any particular order, but most observers handicapped Burns as the last guy to make the U.S. team. Burns has not won in two years and has been erratic in international team competition. For instance, he went winless in the 2022 Presidents Cup (0-3-2) and then earned points in all four matches (3-0-1) in 2024. Bradley probably does not run back the best-friends pairing of Scheffler and Burns in the foursomes after they were thumped in Rome by Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. Burns is likely paired with Patrick Cantlay or Collin Morikawa, with whom he won a fourball match in Rome. He was the No. 1 putter on the PGA Tour this season and likely has to carry that load with a struggling putter like Morikawa, Cantlay or Schauffele.
Europe
Captain: Luke Donald
Vice Captains: Thomas Bjørn, Alex Norén, Edoardo Molinari, José María Olazábal and Francesco Molinari
After leading his team to victory in Rome, Donald is back for another go-around and is the first European to repeat his captaincy since Bernard Gallacher in 1993.
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
Ryder Cup record: 16-13-4
Foursomes record: 7-5-1
Fourballs record: 5-6-2
Singles record: 4-2-1
McIlroy will play his first Ryder Cup as a career Grand Slam champion, and it comes off arguably his best Ryder Cup, where he was the leading European scorer. After winning both foursomes matches with Tommy Fleetwood in Rome, Luke Donald likely will not reinvent the wheel here and will put Rory and Tommy together in the first session on Friday. He split two fourballs matches with Matt Fitzpatrick, and they could team up again, or perhaps with his best pal Shane Lowry, as they have won as a duo before at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Whether leading or trailing, he likely is put out there early in the Sunday singles, where he is 4-2-,1 including victories over Sam Burns, Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley.
Robert MacIntyre (Scotland)
Ryder Cup record: 2-0-1
Foursomes record: 0-0-0
Fourballs record: 1-0-1
Singles record: 1-0-0
He barely made the team last time around in Rome but did go 2-0-1, including 1-0-1 in fourballs partnered with veteran Justin Rose and defeated Wyndham Clark in singles. MacIntyre is a different player, though, than two years ago, having two PGA Tour victories on his mantle. It would probably make a lot of sense to pair him with Rose again in fourballs. It is not a lock that he sits the foursomes sessions, but there is a lot of experience ahead of him on this roster, and he can be a little wayward off the tee.
Tommy Fleetwood (England)
Ryder Cup record: 7-3-2
Foursomes record: 4-0-0
Fourball record: 2-2-1
Singles record: 1-1-1
He clinched the winning point in Rome with a singles win over Rickie Fowler. He has lost only three of 12 career Ryder Cup matches and has been excellent in the foursomes, going undefeated with Francesco Molinari in Paris (remember MoliWood?) and doing the same with Rory McIlroy in Rome. The clearest decision for Luke Donald as captain is to send Tommy and Rory out for the first foursomes session. In the final foursomes match on Friday, that duo dispatched the best foursomes pairing for the U.S. in Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. Fleetwood also comes to Bethpage Black as a different player, having finally won his first PGA Tour event and the FedExCup to boot at the season-ending Tour Championship.
Justin Rose (England)
Ryder Cup record: 14-9-3
Foursomes record: 7-2-1
Fourball record: 5-4-1
Singles record: 2-3-1
Many thought Justin Rose might have played his last Ryder Cup two years ago in Rome, as he was the last remaining of the old guard for Europe. However, he was not ready to settle yet for a vice captain role under his good friend Luke Donald. After finishing runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the Masters, he became essentially a lock for one more go-around. Then, he defeated J.J. Spaun in a playoff at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. At age 45, Rose is not a five-match player, but his experience and leadership are invaluable for this team, and it is a bit of a wild card how Donald will use him. His best format has clearly been foursomes, but he has not played a foursomes match since 2018.
Rasmus Højgaard (Denmark)
Ryder Cup rookie
Eleven of the 12 team members for the Ryder Cup-winning side return for Team Europe. The lone change is Rasmus Højgaard, Europe’s sole rookie, replaces his twin brother, Nicolai. After he failed to make the FedExCup Playoffs, Rasmus returned to the DP World Tour in August, needing to perform to become an automatic qualifier and did just that. Assuming Luke Donald does not make all that many changes, we should see Rasmus in the fourballs with Jon Rahm, or Justin Rose will link up with the rookie like he did last time with Robert MacIntyre.
Tyrrell Hatton (England)
Ryder Cup record: 5-4-2
Foursomes record: 2-1-0
Fourballs record: 2-1-2
Singles record: 1-2-0
Hatton returns to the Ryder Cup team, where he will likely pair up with his LIV Golf teammate Jon Rahm in the foursomes. They were the first group out in Rome, and they thumped Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. On Saturday, they were the anchor team and defeated Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. Hatton and Rahm can be hot-tempered, which actually makes them a good match. He finally won his first singles match in Rome over Brian Harman. However, can the irascible Hatton do it in an away game, not only facing his opponent but the crowd of New York fans eager to see Team USA regain the Ryder Cup?
Shane Lowry (Ireland)
Ryder Cup record: 2-3-1
Foursomes record: 1-1-0
Fourball record: 1-1-0
Singles record: 0-1-1
In Rome, Lowry paired with Sepp Straka in the foursomes. On the first day, they were fortunate to play a team, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa, that played poorly. On the second day, they were defeated relatively easily by Max Homa and Brian Harman as the Europeans suffered their lone defeat in eight foursomes matches. The McIlroy/Fleetwood, Rahm/Hatton and Hovland/Åberg teams all went unbeaten in the foursomes format last time out, so expect those teams to stay the same. Luke Donald prefers Lowry in the foursomes format but could tinker with the partnership and put him out with Justin Rose or Matt Fitzpatrick. Lowry also is still looking for his first singles point after he blew a decent lead against Jordan Spieth in Rome.
Sepp Straka (Austria)
Ryder Cup record: 1-2-0
Foursomes record: 1-1-0
Fourball record: 0-0-0
Singles record: 0-1-0
Straka won twice on the PGA Tour in 2025, but his season’s momentum stalled toward the end as he withdrew from the BMW Championship and finished last at the Tour Championship. While all of this was occurring, Straka and his wife, Paige, welcomed a child born prematurely. Clearly, Straka’s focus was not on golf at the season’s conclusion. In fact, there was some doubt if he would even play after he was the lone member of Team Europe not to play in the BMW PGA Championship a couple of weeks ago. Nonetheless, he is at Bethpage and ready to go. Straka is probably best suited for the foursomes, and Luke Donald could elect to put him out there with Shane Lowry again or perhaps Robert MacIntyre.
Ludvig Åberg (Sweden)
Ryder Cup record: 2-2-0
Foursomes record: 2-0-0
Fourball record: 0-1-0
Singles record: 0-1-0
Åberg had an up-and-down first Ryder Cup in Rome, going 2-2, which ended in singles defeat to Brooks Koepka. Ludvig did go 2-0 in foursomes with fellow Nordic region native Viktor Hovland, including a record-breaking victory of 9-and-7 over Scottie Scheffler and Koepka. The Swede did win the Genesis Invitational but was also a non-factor in the three majors after the Masters, so his 2025 season was an up-and-down one. He will likely be paired again with Hovland in foursomes and will likely get a crack at one of the fourball sessions as it will be difficult for Luke Donald to sit out a player of his caliber and potential in any session.
Viktor Hovland (Norway)
Ryder Cup record: 3-4-3
Foursomes record: 2-2-0
Fourball record: 0-2-2
Singles record: 1-0-1
Hovland won the Valspar Championship when his game seemed to be all out of sorts and threatened for a long time to win the U.S. Open. However, he is never satisfied with his game and just cannot get everything clicking at the same time. Although his game can be volatile all too regularly, Hovland is a mega-talent and has played every single session in his two Ryder Cup appearances. In the foursomes, Hovland, still one of the world’s best iron players (No. 2 behind Scottie Scheffler for Strokes Gained: Approach this season), will likely pair with Ludvig Åberg again. For the fourballs, it could be with Rasmus Højgaard or Robert MacIntyre.
Matt Fitzpatrick (England)
Ryder Cup record: 1-7-0
Foursomes record: 0-3-0
Fourballs record: 1-1-0
Singles record: 0-3-0
Fitzpatrick finally picked up his first Ryder Cup point in a fourball match partnered with Rory McIlroy. He played excellent and consistent golf throughout the summer, proving to Luke Donald that he was worthy of selection. Nevertheless, his record in this event has been poor and stands out on this team full of performers. Fitzpatrick certainly has a lot to prove. Most likely, that opportunity will come in the fourballs with McIlroy again or perhaps with a new partner like Ludvig Åberg. He is also looking to break the losing streak in singles, where he has lost all three of his matches.
Jon Rahm (Spain)
Ryder Cup record: 6-3-3
Foursomes record: 4-0-0
Fourball record: 1-2-2
Singles record: 1-1-1
Rahm is the 12th man in terms of Ryder Cup points, yet there was zero doubt that one of the world’s best, despite the Official World Golf Ranking, would be on this team as he has proved to be a cornerstone just like his hero and fellow Spaniard, Seve Ballesteros. He is trusted by Luke Donald, which is why he was put out first against Scottie Scheffler in singles and halved the match. It was baffling to see him not win anywhere in 2025, but he was always in contention. Rahm will likely pair with LIV Golf teammate Tyrrell Hatton again in foursomes and he is unbeaten in that format in two Ryder Cups. As for the fourballs, he can pretty much play with anyone. Rahm will at least go four sessions and potentially five if the team is trailing early on.
Selections
Europe +125 to lift the trophy
This gives a little tie insurance.
The Europeans are the more experienced team with 11 of 12 returning from the victorious 2023 team in Rome.
The American course setup advantages are also a bit lessened since the entire European team plays predominantly stateside for the majority of the calendar year.
Patrick Cantlay 3-1 Top Wild Card/Captains Pick Point Scorer for Team USA — Bet365
Cantlay has the best overall record on the American team, and he seemed to finally find his game late in the 2025 season.
“Patty Ice” does not give much in terms of outward, expressive emotion, but he is a fierce competitor and is likely playing with something to prove as he was widely seen as a negative influence on the team as he and Xander Schauffele reportedly pushed the issue of being compensated for playing in the Ryder Cup.
Additional selections will be available at VSiN.com and VSiN/com/picks once match pairings are announced and then throughout the weekend
