Team USA has never been viewed as united as their European Ryder Cup counterparts, and there may already be a schism within this year’s side.
After opting not to pick himself and instead choosing six of the nation’s most in-form players to supplement those who already qualified on points, captain Keegan Bradley made it clear he was ready to lead his country in what is expected to be one of the Ryder Cup’s tightest contests for years.
The storied and formidable Bethpage Black in New York state is the site of the 2025 edition, where 12 of the USA’s elite will face off against Luke Donald’s top dozen as the visitors look to retain the trophy they won emphatically two years ago in Rome.
Xander Schauffele skips Procore Championship where captain Keegan Bradley expected full attendance
Xander Schauffele will miss this weekend’s Procore Championship in Napa, California, an event that 39-year-old Bradley viewed as the ideal time for team bonding ahead of the competition in New York later this month.
The captain, speaking to Sports Illustrated, said that the “boys” on his team feel like it is the “best course of action” to play the event as they continue to warm up for the event in late September.
Ten of Team USA’s 12 will tee it up in the event, with LIV Golf’s maverick Bryson DeChambeau also absent due to his ineligibility for the event as it falls under the PGA Tour umbrella.
Schauffele’s reason for missing the event is unknown as of yet, but missing it will be a blow to Bradley and the rest of the team, as they have been dogged by allegations of fractures and fissures for some time now in comparison to the well-oiled and efficient European machine.
Is the door open for first Team Europe away Ryder Cup win in over a decade?
With America possibly faltering and a handful of the players out of sorts, Team Europe could clinch the first away Ryder Cup win of either side since 2012’s miracle at Medinah.
In the 2023 edition, Europe brushed aside the Americans with ease to capture the title in The Eternal City and given that 11 of the 12 players from that team are on the tee sheet once again, this may well be a prime opportunity for a win on away soil.
Rory McIlroy has had a truly historic campaign this year, Jon Rahm won the season-long LIV title, and Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood lifted silverware at the end of the PGA Tour season, among others.
Luke Donald and his co-captains will be cautiously optimistic that this is the moment to win back-to-back Ryder Cups for Team Europe for the first time in over a decade.