Farmingdale, N.Y. — After bringing yet another US loss to Europeans at the 45th Ryder Cup in Beth Page Black last week, it’s time to find out what happened next.
The Americans’ lively rally on Sunday’s singles covered the warts of 15-13, the 11th loss in the last 15 games.
Many European teams will undoubtedly face another uphill climb, including Lori McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and John Rahm at the next Ryder Cup held in Ireland in 2027.
Luke Donald, the second European captain to win the back-to-back Ryder Cup, did not say whether he plans to return for the third consecutive time.
“I think he turned this European team into a really unstoppable force, especially for the first two days. In my eyes, I think he is Europe’s best captain,” said Captain Keegan Bradley of the US team. “I was really excited to stand up to him, but I knew it would be difficult to beat him. He put his team in the best position to win and doing it in these two places is an incredible feat.”
Who will be the next captain?
Mark Schlabach: I don’t know that it’s just as much a question about who will become the next captain as the American PGA and other American professional golfers are trying to support him. Obviously, Bradley made a mistake as captain of the Rookie Ryder Cup. He acknowledged a lot at a post-lost press conference, particularly when it came to setting up the Bethpage Black.
Donald had a much better organization behind him, from statistical guru and vice captain Edoardo Molinari to past captains Thomas Bjorn and Paul McGinley, who are very committed to ensuring that Europeans continue to dominate.
Tiger Woods is popular with the captain of the US team at Ireland’s Adale Manor in 2027. This marks the 100th anniversary of the Ryder Cup. Woods is friends with JP McManus, owner of Adale Manor. It is still unclear whether the 15-time major champion wants a job, but if he should have even a goat commitment to the position for two years.
The US team doesn’t need to repeat what happened last time as the American PGA waited months for Woods to make up their minds. When Woods decided he was too busy, the Americans chose Bradley, who was not even the vice captain of the Ryder Cup.
If Woods opts out, Blunt Snedeker (US captain of the 2026 Presidential Cup), Webb Simpson and Justin Leonard may be next in line. Fred Couples, a five-time rider couple, has never become captain. He’s popular among golfers like Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth and is very concerned about the event.
Hopefully, Americans are proud enough to have a long, harsh view of what’s wrong for the majority of the past 30 years. Europeans don’t just beat them on a noisy weekend every two years, so it might be time for another Ryder Cup task force.
Paolo Object: There was a moment during the US press conference on Sunday when Bradley was asked if there was time during the week when Donald thought he was “tapped out.” Bradley had just begun his answer when Thomas piped from the other side of Day.
“We needed to make more putts, and that’s what Keegan needed,” Thomas ironically said in his defense of Bradley. “He needed to make more putts for us, and that’s what he needs to do.”
There was a clear sense that this loss had been stabbed when the team answered questions and celebrating Europeans. That’s why I wonder if there’s a captain under his belt, so there are some advantages to having Bradley try again. As much as some of his decisions are questionable (he said the course setup strategy he chose was wrong), I think I felt that both players who felt connected to him were connected to him, as he saw him as his peers. The fact that Thomas and others throughout the Presser were quick to his defense gave us a glimpse of it.
“I was very confident that this team could do, and it was due to our captain,” Scotty Schaeffler said. “I think they did a great job. Keegan did a great job.”
It’s not guaranteed that this whole team will make a roster again (except for stubborn guys like Schaeffler and Xander Schaufele), but I think they’ll be galvanized, especially with Bradley at the helm, especially when they try to revenge this loss with victory on their own roads.
In reality, it may not be the best option. The sourness of losing the Home Ryder Cup might help American leadership in the stomach. Now 39 years old and 14th in the world, Bradley is not far from his own playing career and could be qualifying to play in this event at Adare Manor. Perhaps this was his one-shot as captain, but if there is something emphasised by this European team, continuity is becoming more and more important in this event. Perhaps Americans can use some of it too.
What can the US learn from Europe?
uggetti: Everything and nothing. Clearly, friendship and unity are effective in what Europeans do to create a sense of purpose, but it is also easy. Put one of the most effective captains they’ve ever had, Donald, aside, and the continuity they have now. They also have a way to draw inspiration from players who came before them, but they also channel their desire to win over each other in a way that the Americans in this group don’t understand or at all.
In a specific sense, Donald & Company takes a lot in terms of focusing on more details, even between time and week. But in the intangible sense, Americans must go beyond their simple desire to win and find a source of inspiration for themselves.
What does Schaeffler need to do to turn around Ryder Cup play?
uggetti: Keep playing them.
The four-time major winner said he learned from his losses in Napa in 2023 that he felt he needed to prepare better this time. But will this loss and the way it happened (Schaeffler went 0-4 in the team’s match) drive Schaeffler to prepare him in a different way with the Adale Manor lead-up?
I think there’s certainly something to say to players like Schaeffler and Woods who dominate individual competition while struggling with team events. Foursome (alternative shot), Fourball (best ball), and matchplay require roughly different types of muscles to flex. And while Schaeffler was still one of the best players on the US team when looking at his statistics, this event is often over the numbers and reminds us that there is more to it than remote control.
“I think it’s hard to put into words how painful it hurts to lose all four games,” Schreffler said on Sunday after defeating Rory McIlroy in the singles to score his first point. “It’s really hard to put that stab and pain into words for the captain and teammates to come out there and play all four games and lose all four.”
Schaeffler called one of the “lowest moments” of his career this week. That in itself is a reminder. This is his third Ryder Cup and he is not yet 30 years old.
Schlabach: In the last three Ryder Cups, Schaeffler’s partners in the Four Sam and Four Ball matches were Bryson Decanbaugh, Sam Burns, Brookskoepka, Russell Henry and JJ Span. None of them are working.
Schaeffler is 0-4-0 in the foursome and 1-2-2 in the four-ball match. not good.
Woods (13-21-3) and Mickelson (18-22-7) weren’t great at the Ryder Cup either. But Schaeffler is the best golfer in the world and cares about so much that it’s too early to say Schaeffler doesn’t understand it.
It’s hard to predict who America’s best golfers will be in two years, but Americans may want to see how they copy European strategies. McIlroy played with Fleetwood. Rahm has partnered with Tyrrell Hatton. The Europeans undoubtedly sent four of the best golfers together and almost guaranteed two points in the sessions they had.
What can you expect from the next two Ryder Cup venues?
uggetti: Adare Manor looks like an American in the setup, as you can find in Ireland. This is not a link course. This is a parkland style resort course with water dangers and roughness. Americans don’t have the advantage of setting up courses (the advantages wasted on Beth Page). All you have to do is see how Rome extracts as much edge as possible from the golf course when Europeans go to 3 peats they Vernzed. Two years is a long time, but it’s very difficult to imagine a scenario in 2027 where the US is somehow preferred.
Schlabach: No matter who the US team captain two years later, I don’t like the American chances at Adare Manor. The Americans have not won in European soil since their 15-13 victory at the British bell tower in 1993.
The US team will likely have a much better chance of achieving that at the 2029 Ryder Cup at Hazeltin National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. So the Americans finished their three-match winning streak against the Europeans in 2016 with a 17-11 victory.
Ironically, the victory came after the American PGA formed the task force for the Ryder Cup, examining the Europeans’ winning in eight out of 10 matches. Woods is a member of that task force, along with Davis Love III, Raymond Floyd, Ricky Fowler, and Phil Mickelson. As I said earlier, I think it’s time to return to the well.
Hopefully Hazeltin golf fans will treat visitors in “Minnesotan Nice.” What happened in Bethpage Black simply can’t happen again. It was embarrassing to turn the Ryder Cup into a drunken fraternity party. There should be a home course advantage in the Ryder Cup, but that doesn’t mean the WM Phoenix on steroids should be open. Don’t argue that the American PGA can’t control the wild fans as Augusta National Golf Club does that every year. Scream with golfers while you master and see what happens.
Which US player has solidified their spot as part of the future?
Schlabach: I don’t think the US needs to panic and blow up its roster, but golfers who are likely guaranteed to be on the 2027 team are as long as they’re healthy and playing well.
Scheffler, Schauffele, Thomas and Dechambeau are the core of the team. If Morakawa’s Colin finds his form again and Patrick Cantray continues to play well, it would be difficult for the US captain to ignore the experience of the Ryder Cup. Cameron Young went 3-1-0 with Bethpage Black and was definitely the team MVP, so it seems he’ll be there for a while.
Then it will be broadly open based on who won the majors and signature events in the next two seasons. After returning from wrist surgery, can Spieth once again become one of the best in the world? Will JJ Spaun and Ben Griffin continue to win the tour? Can young golfers like Sahith Theegala, Akshay Bhatia, Maverick McNealy and Luke Clanton take the next step in their careers?
Max Homa was the best American golfer in Italy with a loss of 16.5-11.5 in 2023, but he lost his swing and confidence. Former US Open winner Wyndham Clark has also fallen. Former Open Championship winner Brian Herman is a matchplay stubborn and could be a good fit for Adare Manor.
Which “young blood” could be lined up in 2027?
uggetti: As long as the roster goes, I think everything is on the table. The only people I see as absolute rock for creating a 2027 team are Schaeffler, Schauferle, Young and Deccanbo. This should capture eight spots and create an option that will intriguate a small number of young players.
The two names that immediately come to mind are Jackson Kovrun and Clanton. Koivun is the world’s top amateur and despite him not turning professional yet, he already has a PGA Tour card locked, with three top-10 finishes in just seven starts. Clanton has become professional this year and has four top-10 finishes back to last season. Although he didn’t have an outstanding finish this year, he shows plenty of flashes of light that could be an interesting option.
Whether each of them makes it or not, Young’s success on Beth Page over the past week is a reminder that experience is not necessarily the lead role in a captain’s pick or player role on a particular team.
