Although the PGA Tour season is currently featured in the book, the discussion of the 2025 Ryder Cup remains widespread. US Captain Keegan Bradley is set to announce the six captain picks at 11am on Wednesday to close out his team against Europe at Beth Page Black in New York on September 26-28.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler leads the red, white and blue rates adjacent to recent major championship winners such as JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele and Bryson Dechambeau. The remaining automatic qualifiers are Russell Henry and Harris English. He both enjoyed a consistent campaign to lock the spots among the six automatic qualifiers on the roster.
Half of the team is served, but the other half is a bit of a mystery. Many candidates have a worthy resume for many candidates who were able to become the first play captain of the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer and become the first captain to play such a role when using the captain’s pick on them.
What Bradley ultimately decides will have a trickle-down effect in terms of the composition of the roster and the number of openings available.
Will he decide to gain experience in the form of Justin Thomas, Morikawa, Brian Herman, Patrick Cantray and Sam Burns? Will he inject new blood into this team with a potential newcomer selection such as Ben Griffin, Maverick McNerry, and Cameron Young? Do you see the combination of the two?
Are there any players who could come out of the field on the left? With everything remaining in the air just days away from Bradley’s monumental decision, CBS Sports is here to dig deeper into who Bradley should choose to represent the Americans in Beth Page Black, where the US is a meagre -130 favorite per Draft King.
Who should Keegan Bradley choose to fill out his team?
Justin Thomas (7) | Justin Thomas (7) |
Collin Morikawa (8) | Collin Morikawa (8) |
Keegan Bradley (11) | Keegan Bradley (11) |
Cameron Young (14) | Cameron Young (14) |
Patrick Cantrey (15) | Patirck Cantlay (15) |
| Ben Griffin (9) | Sam Burns (16) |
McDonald’s: These calls have been locked up since the beginning of the postseason… most of the time. The US has experience with players like Thomas and Cantrey. The 7-4-2 and 5-2-1 Ryder Cup records for each of the Ryder Cups – are well done. These choices create interesting and potential combinations, such as Thomas collaborating with Deccanbeau, and Cantrey fits seamlessly with his longtime partner, Schauferle.
There are four remaining spots on the team, two going to the Captain himself and Young. At this point, Bradley will decide not to play and will create an endless stream of questions for other players to answer. Instead, he would be able to face music. Meanwhile, Young – Only the Bronx Kids – has transformed into the Great Putter this season and is standing as a course worthy of Beth Page Black.
The most difficult decision comes down to the last two spots where Burns, Griffin and Morikawa remain as options. Frankly, it’s not heartbreaking to have any of these players in the house. Morikawa and Burns have experience, but Griffin played the best of the trio in 2025. Ultimately, Griffin and Morikawa are the most accurate driver and the second best American iron player (Schaeffler) to give the flexibility of the US roster structure.
Kalland: If Bradley is choosing himself, it becomes difficult to justify leaving someone above him in the Ryder Cup standings from the team. Of these four, Thomas is Rock, and perhaps Morikawa is – even if his form suggests that choosing him requires a great deal of scrutiny. Griffin is riding in the bubble, but he should come in thanks to the strong August (after the obscure plays in July).
Despite him jumping over Bradley in the BMW Championship, it doesn’t seem like McNealy is really in a conversation. He will be outside given the way some of his underneath have finished. Young has locked himself in for the past month, and Cantray’s performance in East Lake, coupled with his experience at the Ryder Cup, gives him a nod to Burns.
The burns surrounding Griffin make sense for the right reasons – there is a debate about Griffin on Morikawa, but the latter seems to be completely lost now. Burns is an obvious pairing with Schaeffler. Not only does it consider them to be good friends, but because Burns could get red hot on the green. With no Thomas Spieth pairings this year, Schaeflerburn and Schauferrecantray will alleviate some of the stress of Bradley understanding who plays with him.
