Why Europe is caught up in the Ryder Cup 2025 It’s hotter than the US

If they weren’t finely tuned up to now, that wasn’t because there were no attempts. Both 2025 Ryder Cup teams are on the verge of the biennial competition at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York just a week before the biennial competition.

At the BMW PGA Championship, the flagship event of the DP World Tour, 11 of the 12 players teeed it, and the European side made a charter flight from Wentworth to Beth Page Black for a scouting mission. Following the successful blueprint at the 2023 Ryder Cup, similarly captained by Luke Donald, the Europeans will assess the state of their teams while assessing the state of the host venue during two days of golf.

Their membership has been a recent success, with Rory McIlroy winning the Irish Open and Tommy Fleetwood claiming a tour championship with the FedEx Cup winner. Justin Rose found the winner’s circle in Game 1 of the FedEx Cup playoffs thanks to a dramatic playoff victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

However, not all recent winners wear blue and gold. Scotty Schaeffler, the top American player who entered the Ryder Cup, overcame a two-stroke deficit over future teammate Ben Griffin and secured his sixth calendar year victory at the Procoll Championship, where he continued to see solid form.

Cameron Young Boat has competed on the field in the regular season finale of the PGA Tour for the first victory of his career and has continued to play at his high level ever since. JJ Spaun nearly clipped a rose in Memphis, but in the end he was missing the third extra hole.

Both teams clearly have some of the thoroughbreds backing at the gate. They smell roses and, given that many people have recently noticed that they are in such situations, they know how to control their emotions when they are deep in competition.

After all, that was the point of these tuning-up events – simulate the fragments of pressure that the rider cup brings. Of course, the tournament will be pale in comparison to the Ryder Cup, but something can be revealed about the player’s temperament, as Griffin was found on Sunday evening in Napa, California.

“I had a couple (pat) I missed on the front nine and then I had a few stretches I missed out from the midrange,” Griffin said. “I make a fair amount. It’s just a shame and it seems to be consistent. I see it…it’s kind of broken. Shit happens, I bounce back.”

What do you guess? Now, Griffin spends a week working on his tendencies and feels more and learns about his process. However, not all conflicts run equally. Thanks to Sunday’s flight, a top five finish midway through the leaderboard doesn’t feel like the same result as coming from the final pairing when the lead had to sleep.

So who’s been fighting these days, and who needs to raise their game on the most epic international stage? Let’s take a look at how players on both sides carried in the latest tournament they claimed. This holds a marginal edge as a favorite in the Draftkings Sportsbook, where Americans enter the Ryder Cup -145.

US

Ready to talk about the elephants in the room? It’s been more than a calendar year as Schauffele hit a meaningful shot in the final round of the tournament. (He is a golfer ranked third in the world. He was the man who won two major championships in 2024, not one, and a man expected to play a rather important role in the US along with an experienced foursome partner who seemed to have actually increased his heart rate in the Tour Championship.

How does Shauferle respond when poses with the high pressure of the rider cup? Yes, he flourished in big moments throughout his career, but for quite some time, as big moments were in his gaze. The feeling can be felt somewhat new, especially in the games that weren’t the sharpest of 2025.

English is interesting in himself. He finished Schaeffler’s runner-up in both the Open and PGA Championships, but did so thanks to his sensational Sunday performance. Four in the Royal Portrush and 65 lose half a dozen in Quazul Hollow. He hasn’t made it to him all eyes since his victory at the start of this year with a victory at Tory Pines.

Europe

There are no outliers like Europe’s Chaufele, as most of their teams had a chance to win last month. In fact, 10 out of the 12 players have competed in the final round of golf tournaments over the past two months, but only six from the US side have been positioned similarly.

Already more experienced than the US, the European side has more effectively simulated the Rider Cup experience with leads, even using virtual reality that helps prepare for potential crowd noise. This Ryder Cup represents the best chance to grow cups in American soil since the miracle in Medina in 2012.