2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain’s Picks Prediction

Although the PGA Tour season has concluded, considerations for the 2025 Ryder Cup are still very relevant. United States captain Keegan Bradley is scheduled to reveal his six captain’s selections on Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET as he finalizes his team that will compete against Europe at Bethpage Black in New York from Sept. 26-28.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler spearheads the effort for the American team, accompanied by recent major championship victors like J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, and Bryson DeChambeau. Rounding out the automatic qualifiers are Russell Henley and Harris English, both of whom maintained consistent performances to secure their positions among the six automatic qualifiers on the roster.

While exactly half of the team is confirmed, the remaining half remains uncertain. A multitude of candidates present compelling qualifications, including the captain himself, potentially making him the first playing captain in the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer, and the first ever to assume such a dual role by using a captain’s pick on himself.

Bradley’s ultimate decisions will have a cascading influence on the team’s composition and the availability of remaining spots.

Will his decisions lean towards seasoned players such as Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns, all of whom participated in the losing effort at Marco Simone in 2023? Or will he infuse fresh talent into the team with potential rookie selections like Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, and Cameron Young? Or perhaps a mixture of both approaches?

Could an unexpected player emerge as a surprise selection? With only a few days remaining before Bradley’s crucial decision, everything is still uncertain. CBS Sports aims to delve deeper into the potential selections Bradley could make to represent the Americans at Bethpage Black, where the U.S. enters as a slight -130 favorite, according to DraftKings.

Who should Keegan Bradley select to fill out the team?

 
McDonald: These selections have been quite decided since the commencement of the postseason, for the most part. The U.S. would benefit from the experience of players like Thomas and Cantlay — with Ryder Cup records of 7-4-2 and 5-2-1, respectively — who are performing adequately. These choices present compelling pairing possibilities, such as Thomas partnering with DeChambeau, while Cantlay seamlessly complements his long-time partner Schauffele.

With four open positions remaining on the team, two will be occupied by the captain himself and Young. If Bradley opts not to play at this stage, it would trigger an endless cycle of questions for the other players to address. Instead, he can directly confront any potential criticism if his performance falters. Concurrently, Young, a local from the Bronx, has greatly improved his putting skills this season and is a particularly good match for Bethpage Black.

The most challenging decision concerns the allocation of the final two places, with Burns, Griffin, and Morikawa as viable candidates. It wouldn’t be overwhelmingly disappointing to leave any of these players out. Morikawa and Burns have prior experience, while Griffin has demonstrated superior play among the three in 2025. Ultimately, Griffin and Morikawa receive the nod, providing the U.S. with slightly more flexibility in team composition, considering Morikawa has been the most accurate driver and the second-best American iron player (behind Scheffler) over the past 50 rounds.

Kalland: If Bradley selects himself, as is widely expected, it becomes challenging to justify excluding anyone ranked higher than him in the Ryder Cup standings. Among those four, Thomas is a near certainty, and Morikawa likely is as well, although his current form warrants close examination. Griffin is on the fringe, but his strong showing in August (following inconsistent play in July) should secure his spot.

It appears that McNealy is not strongly considered, despite surpassing Bradley at the BMW Championship; he is likely to be excluded based on how some of the players below him have performed. Young has cemented his selection over the past month, and Cantlay’s performance at East Lake, combined with his Ryder Cup experience, will likely earn him preference over Burns.

Burns over Griffin makes sense from a compatibility perspective, although arguments can be made for Griffin over Morikawa, the latter of whom appears entirely out of sorts at the moment, which is concerning heading into Bethpage Black. Burns is an apparent match with Scheffler, not only because they are close friends but also because Burns is known for his ability to perform exceptionally well on the greens. Given the absence of the Thomas-Spieth pairing this year, Scheffler-Burns along with Schauffele-Cantlay would alleviate some of the pressure on Bradley when it comes to deciding who to pair together.