These are the current Ryder Cup rankings: How Team USA and Europe match up before the BMW Championship

As things stand, it’s tough to pick a favorite right now. It’s looking like the captains’ picks are going to be even more important than in past events due to how the teams pair up. Yes, Team USA will have home field advantage playing just outside of New York City at Bethpage Black. The course will be set up to benefit the American players and the local fans will be cheering on Keegan Bradley’s team.

How do the two squads match up?

Let’s take a look at the top-6 players who will automatically qualify for each squad. At the moment, this is how the U.S. side looks:

The U.S. has the World No. 1, who will be an intimidating factor, even for Rory McIlroy, who has claimed that everyone is just trying to play as well as Scheffler. Despite playing with his B-game this season, Xander Schauffele is still playing quality golf and looks to be enjoying himself on the course even though he doesn’t have his best stuff. His 4-4 Ryder Cup record is respectable, but he will have to find his game and some confidence over the next three weeks.

After Scheffler and Schauffele, the U.S. roster gradually loses some punch: J.J. Spaun had an impressive win at the U.S. Open earlier this year and proved he can play and win on a tough track, but he doesn’t have any Ryder Cup experience. Russell went to the wire and then some to lose the FedEx St. Jude Championship to Justin Rose, so he’s looking good and got an automatic pick with the effort. As for Russell Henly, who has played consistently well this season, he has never played in a Ryder Cup, but has played very consistent this season.

Bryson DeChambeau will be a force to reckon with and the fans will be pumped to watch his long bombs off the tee, but the LIV golfer has got to figure out his mid-iron game before things kick off at Bethpage. Harris English has been under the radar this season and will provide some quality golf on and around the greens for Bradley.

The other six (JT, Morikawa, Griffin, Bradley, McNealy and Novak), who could still automatically qualify depending on how they play in the next two FedEx Cup playoff events, have proven to be top-notch players with a mix of Ryder Cup experience and young talent. We still have to hear what Keegan Bradley’s plans are as far as the possibility of him being a player-captain.

One of the big question marks is Patrick Cantlay. Not a fan favorite, not for the Europeans or the Americans, he currently sits in 15th place in the rankings and will need a miracle to get a call from the captain.

The European squad on paper

So, how does the European team match up as of Aug. 6? The Euros have a pretty intimidating squad to say the least:

They don’t have the World No. 1, but they do have Rory McIlroy. It will be interesting to see which player turns up for the event at Bethpage. McIlroy achieved the career grand slam at the 2025 Masters, but his level dropped after playing in Augusta, despite some glimpses of greatness at the Scottish Open and Open Championship. McIlroy is skipping the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which has pundits wondering what kind of mental/physical state the Northern Irishman is in.

But, after McIlroy, the Europeans have experienced Ryder Cup veterans, who know how to beat the Americans and have proven it on several occasions. The Euro lineup is going to give Keegan Bradley nightmares: MacIntyre, Hatton, Rose, Fleetwood, Straka… and those are just the ones who are in the top six spots at the moment. Positions 7-12 are almost as imposing: Lowry, Hovland, Aberg, Wallace Fitzpatrick and Hojgaard. At the moment, the only player in the top-12 ranking without Ryder Cup experience is Matt Wallace.

Luke Donald has to seriously be considering taking Rasmu Hojgaard’s twin brother Niklas, who’s currently in 16th place in the European rankings. What a 1-2 punch that would be in foursomes and fourball formats.

So, as of Aug. 11, 2025, despite the home field advantage, the Euros are looking stronger on paper than team USA.

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