Scotty Scheffler wins open at Portrush
Scotty Schaeffler called to describe his Open Win at Portrush Heard by saying he is just a child from Texas living his dream.
open
Scotty Schaeffler’s victory at the British Open has nearly finished the 2025 golf season. Almost enough to make sports fans cry, but I remember they still have a Ryder Cup that they are looking forward to.
The biggest question in every American’s mind is who will form the team. There are six automatic qualifiers based on ranking, but Captain Keegan Bradley is not in an enviable position to have to choose from countless talented golfers to fill the final slot.
The last two spots could shock the world as stars like Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Bryson Dechambeau and Xander Schauffele are all likely to accept automatic bids. Can the captain pull Nate Scarborough and put himself in? Can Morikawa Charcoal be handed over for someone like Maverick McNerry? After Morikawa’s low performance in the Open Championship, perhaps the best option is to give that place to someone else.
But don’t be too concerned about what you can and may be. With the Ryder Cup over two months apart, there’s everything you need to know about this year’s US vs. Europe showdown.
When is the 2025 Ryder Cup?
The first day of the 2025 Ryder Cup is set for Friday, September 26th, with the tournament scheduled to end Sunday, September 28th.
What is the format of the Rider Cup?
The Ryder Cup is a 12-12 tournament featuring the best European players facing the best golfers America has to offer. It will be held every other year, alternate between European and American courses. This year, the US will be holding an event at Beth Page Black Course in Farmingdale, New York.
Instead of strokes, the Rider Cup is a match play competition. So what’s important is that you’re defeating the golfer on the opposing team you paired with. For example, birdie the first hole while your opponent is hitting a hole and you get one point. If you drill a hole and your opponent is recording four times the bogey, it’s still worth just one point. If you and your opponent get the same score on the hole, no points will be awarded. At the end of the round, anyone reading will earn a unique point for their team. If a golfer is tied to the end of the round, each golfer will earn half the points of the team.
There will be 28 matches over the course of the three-day tournament. The first team with 14 or more points wins the tournament. Yes, tie is possible, but that has only happened once since 1979.
During the first two days, we see golfers compete in pairs. On the first day, they compete in foursomes, and on the second day they compete in four ball format.
Foursomes watches players from the same team share the ball and alternate shots.
In four balls, each player plays his ball and the person who scores the lowest score on that hole will earn a team’s points.
The final day of the tournament is simply single-player. Each golfer is paired with a golfer from the opposing team. They face off head-on, and anyone who wins will earn points. This means that the third day of the Ryder Cup has risen 12 points to the glove. Naturally, the match on the third day has the most weight in determining the final outcome of the tournament.
The History of the Ryder Cup: Europe has dominated in recent years
Since 1979, Europe has had a 12-9-1 record against the US in Ryder Cup play. The US has been struggling even more recently, winning just seven of the last seven tournaments and two of three.
That being said, when the US wins, they tend to do so in a more dominant way, as is evident from the stunning individual match records of 501-396-143. The US has scored more points overall, but has a record of losing against Europe in the tournament.
Who is the current automatic qualifiers for the American team?
Based on their current ranking, these six golfers will be given automatic Rider Cup qualification status.
- Scotty Scheffler
- Xander Schauffele
- JJ Spaun
- Russell Henry
- Bryson Deccanbeau
- Harris English
Of these six, Spaun and Henley have never represented the US in the Ryder Cup tournament. English was the 2021 team that won the US.