The path to victory at the Ryder Cup requires a different mindset than other golf tournaments. If you want to win (or predict the winner!), you can’t view these players as individuals. If you did, every list imaginable would put Scottie Scheffler at No. 1. Yet Scheffler’s Ryder Cup record is a ho-hum 2-2-3. (Amazingly, Tiger Woods’ record is a lowly 13-21-3!)
Indeed, this three-day exhibition is a TEAM competition that requires letting go your traditional stroke-play thinking. American captain Keegan Bradley and European captain Luke Donald undoubtedly have attempted to do that in putting together their two rosters, and what we know about these players might surprise you when you look at them through a Captain’s PGA Coaches’ lens.
To create a proper, match-play modified Power Ranking, then, for the 45th Ryder Cup, involves understanding the format being played on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y., and applying historical course data through a Ryder Cup lens to the 24 players competing. Friday and Saturday play include four foursomes (alternate shot) matches each morning and four four-ball matches in the afternoon. Sunday concludes the competition with 12 singles matches.
Our Power Rankings are broken down by format. How players perform determines when they should be played. Personalities aside, placing the proper eight players in foursomes is what is most important; see Shane Ryan’s article on how the side that takes care of business in alternate shot has won the last five Ryder Cups.
Long story short, save your gut for the concession stand. Golf is now a modern game, and the evolution of the Ryder Cup exemplifies how player skill analysis can literally determine the difference between winning and losing.
With that here we go … may the best “team” win!
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Age: How old is each player? The Ryder Cup rewards experience, but how old is too old for a three-day, 90-hole war?
Ryder Cup starts: Is there any event where a first-time participant is more nervous?
Format Record: A player’s record in a specific Ryder Cup format.
Overall Format Rank: Each player is ranked one to 24 based from both teams on their fit, form and ability in a specific Ryder Cup format. Each comparison involves a set of statistics. Those measures are compared over a player’s last 24 competitive rounds. The data used is taken from the PGA Tour’s Shotlink and what is available from LIV Golf.
Notes: A quick outlook on each player’s value to the overall team’s success in either foursomes or four-ball.
Foursomes
The last time a team won the foursomes point total and lost the Ryder Cup was the United States in 2012. Teams are 9-2 in the Ryder Cup since 2000 when they win the foursomes matches. Pairings for these points carry extra pressure. Ranking the best foursomes competitors comes down to a couple of fundamental skills. Can you place your partner in the fairway (or on the green) off the tee? How accurate are you on approach, and do you minimize mistakes on and around the green? Based upon those parameters, here are the best alternate-shot aficionados for both sides.
(A brief side note, when it comes to foursome pairings, the playability of the golf course takes a leading role. What shot shape is required off the tee, and who complements their partner from specific approach ranges? Pundits will push the golf ball narrative, but there are so many other more important considerations. We saw Donald’s pairings in Rome, so the European side is definitely approaching their partner selections through an analytic lens. If you want to guess the best alternate shot pairings before Friday, then I strongly suggest you use this list as a reference tool.
Team USA 1. Scottie Scheffler 
Patrick Smith
Age: 29 Ryder Cup starts: 2 Record in foursomes: 0-2-0 Overall foursomes rank: 1 No notes, just a plea to send Scottie Scheffler out five times. Since 1981, the team that utilized the most five-match players is 14-7 at the Ryder Cup (8-2 since 2000).
2. Collin Morikawa 
Mike Ehrmann
Age: 28 Ryder Cup starts: 2 Record in foursomes: 2-1-0 Overall foursomes rank: 4 Morikawa has a very specific role on the U.S. side; he hits fairways and greens like a two-time major winner. Put him out twice in alternate shot. As a left-to-right fader with the driver, the odd holes will fit Collin’s eye off the tee.
3. Cameron Young 
Kevin C. Cox
Age: 28 Ryder Cup starts: Rookie Record in foursomes: Rookie Overall foursomes rank: 5One of the best drivers in the world, imagine the advantage his partner will have on approach against the Europeans. Young has played in a Presidents Cup and featured a record of 1-1-0 in foursomes.
4. Russell Henley 
Richard Heathcote
Age: 36 Ryder Cup starts: Rookie Record in foursomes: Rookie Overall foursomes rank: 6Henley went 1-1-0 paired with Scottie Scheffler in Montreal last year’s Presidents Cup in foursomes. It makes sense to run it back at Bethpage, especially when you watch them off the tee. Scheffler’s fade fits on the odd holes, and Henley’s draw matches the evens.
5. J.J. Spaun 
Andrew Redington
Age: 35 Ryder Cup starts: Rookie Record in foursomes: Rookie Overall foursomes rank: 7 You don’t win a U.S. Open at Oakmont if you cannot find the fairway and score. Another plus is Spaun’s putter, which really popped in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Did I mention he finished sixth at the Procore last week?!?
6. Patrick Cantlay 
Richard Heathcote
Age: 33 Ryder Cup starts: 2 Record in foursomes: 2-2-0 Overall foursomes rank: 10 Another American who should play five times. Cantlay is the ultimate match-play partner, with a well-rounded game and pesky persona that complements any of his teammates in alternate shot.
7. Harris English 
Darren Carroll/PGA of America
Age: 36 Ryder Cup starts: 1 Record in foursomes: 0-0-0 Overall foursomes rank: 11 Majors test scoring under the most difficult conditions. English went T-12/T-2/T-59/2 in this year’s big four. He drives the ball in play and is one of the best Americans on the putting surfaces. Paired with Morikawa at Procore, we might have seen a preview of Bethpage.
8. Sam Burns 
Jamie Squire
Age: 29 Ryder Cup starts: 1 Record in foursomes: 0-1-0 Overall foursomes rank: 14 Burns over a couple of other Americans is a difficult choice. He has improved his driving accuracy significantly since Rome, and is the best putter traveling to Bethpage. This decision really comes down to how many times you want to deploy Bryson DeChambeau or when to play Xander Schauffele.
Team Europe 1. Rory McIlroy 
Richard Heathcote
Age: 36 Ryder Cup starts: 7 Record in foursomes: 7-5-1 Overall foursomes rank: 2Rory has said he wants to win an away Ryder Cup. He’ll get five chances to prove it at Bethpage.
2. Tommy Fleetwood 
Mike Ehrmann
Age: 34 Ryder Cup starts: 3 Record in foursomes: 4-0-0 Overall foursomes rank: 3 Fleetwood, fresh off winning the Tour Championship and finally getting his elusive first PGA Tour victory, has yet to lose in alternate shot. The only question for Euro captain Luke Donald is who do you pair him with?
3. Sepp Straka 
Mondadori Portfolio
Age: 32 Ryder Cup starts: 1 Record in foursomes: 1-1-0 Overall foursomes rank: 8Straka produced a career year in 2025 with two PGA Tour wins. Paired with Shane Lowry in Rome, they split two foursome matches. Straka is one of the most accurate players off the tee for either team. Send in Sepp with a great target approach player.
4. Ludvig Åberg 
Jamie Squire
Age: 25 Ryder Cup starts: 1 Record in foursomes: 2-0-0 Overall foursomes rank: 9 Åberg won his two foursomes matches in Rome 4 and 3 and 9 and 7. There’s little doubt The Kid will play this format twice again.
5. Jon Rahm 
Richard Heathcote
Age: 30 Ryder Cup starts: 3 Record in foursomes: 4-0-0 Overall foursomes rank: 12 Rahm is the third guy on Captain Donald’s team who is undefeated in foursomes! The New York crowd will have the Spanish Bull seeing red all weekend. Five matches aren’t enough for Jon’s appetite against the American side, and with his ball-striking a must for both foursome match sets.
6. Viktor Hovland 
Maddie Meyer/PGA of America
Age: 27 Ryder Cup starts: 2 Record in foursomes: 2-2-0 Overall foursomes rank: 13 Like the combo of Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal, Hovland and Ludvig Aberg might be the next great European foursome dynasty, the “Norwegian Nightmare.” Viktor’s game is a perfect fit for Bethpage. Hovland may rest for one four-ball session, but pencil him in for two alternate-shot matchups.
7. Tyrrell Hatton 
Andrew Redington
Age: 33 Ryder Cup starts: 3 Record in foursomes: 2-1-0 Overall foursomes rank: 15 Hatton was undefeated alongside Jon Rahm in Rome. Alternate shot is a great fit for this famous foul-mouthed flusher; he’s an incredible long iron player and putter. Pair him with a nice draw-biased player off the tee, and those two should perform quite nicely around the Black Course.
8. Justin Rose 
LIONEL BONAVENTURE
Age: 45 Ryder Cup starts: 6 Record in foursomes: 7-2-1 Overall foursomes rank: 16 In five separate Ryder Cup appearances, the Englishman has never finished foursomes with a losing record. Rose didn’t play alternate shot in Rome, but against the Bethpage crowds, this may be one of cool hand Luke’s secret weapons.
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Ranking the best four-ball players comes down to a specific set of scoring skills. Before you just pair up the best eight players in birdie-or-better percentage, it is important to consider the playability of the golf course. How about an example? Don’t send out a team of two great par-5 scorers when Bethpage Black only has two of them. Prolific par-70 scorers are what you are looking for. I believe there will be a bunch of birdies in each match, but which players score on difficult courses? Since 2000, the average Ryder Cup four-ball match has only lasted 16.64 holes.
Four-ball matches are electric because teams need a birdie (or better) to win the hole. Specifically for Bethpage, the best four-ball players are those who can go low without four par 5s. Forty-four percent of the approaches are going to be played from 150 to 200 yards. Find the best complementary sub-par scorers and pair them. And by complementary, do not pair two great par-3 players together. Take a par-4 stud and send him out with a par 3/5 guy. Send out the best side-by-side scorers and then watch as putts start dropping from everywhere!
Team USA 1. Scottie Scheffler
Record in Four-ball: 1-0-2 Overall Four-ball rank: 1Scheffler is first in the field in strokes gained/total and birdie-or-better percentage. If there is a weakness, give Scottie a partner who can score on par 3s.
2. Cameron Young
Record in four-ball: Rookie Overall four-ball rank: 2 The local boy (you’ll only be reminded of that a million times this week) was built to score on a big ballpark. Need proof? In 2017, he shot 64 in the final round on the Black Course to win the New York State Open in a playoff. Young was the first amateur to do it!
3. Sam Burns
Record in four-ball: 1-0-0 Overall four-ball rank: 10 Burns is a birdie machine on difficult golf courses. Do you remember who was leading the U.S. Open at Oakmont in the final round before the rain delay? It was Burns. If anything, pair Burns with a par-5 killer and you’ll have a terrific team.
4. Ben Griffin 
Sam Hodde
Age: 29 Ryder Cup starts: Rookie Record in four-ball: 0-0-0 Overall four-ball rank: 11 Griffin is third on the PGA Tour in total birdies with 397 (Sam Burns is in second with 399). He’s also fifth on the tour in scoring average, and his role Ryder Cup week will be to keep making sub-par scores. Similar to Scheffler, a good par-3 scorer would complement him nicely.
5. Bryson DeChambeau 
Mike Ehrmann
Age: 31 Ryder Cup starts: 2 Record in four-ball: 1-0-1 Overall four-ball rank: 12 DeChambeau was 22 under par in majors this year and that’s with missing the cut at the U.S. Open. Meanwhile, he had a 4.65 birdie average per round on LIV while Scottie Scheffler led the PGA Tour with 4.70. This format is Bryson’s wheelhouse; give him a steady partner and let Bryson go birdie hunting with the driver.
6. Russell Henley
Record in four-ball: Rookie Overall four-ball rank: 13 Henley makes a ton of birdies. Truth is, these are all great players, and most of them can go low. The scoring secret with Henley is Russell’s ability to go deep on par 4s. With a par 70 scorecard and 12 of them, the winning four-ball teams will need a serious amount of sub-par scores on the 4s.
7. Patrick Cantlay
Record in four-ball: 1-0-1 Overall four-ball rank: 14 You have to tip your cap to Cantlay (wink, wink): In two Ryder Cup matches, Patrick has yet to lose a fourball match. Like Henley, Cantlay kills the par 4s and has an innate ability to make putts in the moment. Who could forget the Saturday close in Rome when Cantlay won the final fourball match by birdieing the final three holes! (It certainly got caddie Joe LaCava excited!)
8. J.J. Spaun
Record in four-ball: Rookie Overall four-ball rank: 15 Spaun had nine top-15s this season, including his U.S. Open triumph and playoff losses at the Players and the FedEx St. Jude Championship. J.J. has always been an excellent ball-striker. By improving his lag putting, Spaun has not only lowered his overall scoring average, but he has also started to make a bunch of long putts (see Oakmont’s 18th hole). Making some bombs on the putting green at Bethpage is a way to get the crowd on your side.
Team Europe 1. Jon Rahm
Record in four-ball: 1-2-2 Overall four-ball rank: 3 Some say the stats provided by LIV Golf are a little exaggerated; Rahm led LIV in greens in regulation and birdies. The thing is, you can’t inflate those numbers. I expect Luke Donald to roll out Rahmbo five times, as fire from the fans tends to fuel his game.
2. Tommy Fleetwood
Record in four-ball: 2-2-1 Overall four-ball rank: 4 Fleetwood is one of the most consistent par-70 scorers on the PGA Tour. He’s incredible on par 4s and has a great birdie average. How does he do it? The Englishman ranks inside the top 40 for proximity to the hole in every approach bucket (ie: 100-125 yards) short of 175 yards. If Europe wins, it will be on the back of Tommy taking home four points (or more) again.
3. Rory McIlroy
Record in four-ball: 5-6-2 Overall four-ball rank: 5 Only Scottie Scheffler ranks better than McIlroy in par-70 scoring in this field. Rory was a force in Rome, going 4-1-0, and I expect a similar showing at Bethpage. McIlroy made 30 3s at the Masters in April. 30! The Americans are going to need some help from the home crowd to slow down this Irishman on a mission.
4. Ludvig Åberg
Record in four-ball: 0-1-0 Overall four-ball rank: 6 Do you remember when Åberg shot 122 on the weekend to win his first PGA Tour event? We do (shoutout Sea Island). Åberg won’t play all five matches, but you can definitely pencil him in here for at least one round of fourball.
5. Justin Rose
Record in four-ball: 5-4-1 Overall four-ball rank: 7 Rose is a very complementary fourball player. Rosey is great on the par 3s and 5s. Pair him with a strong par-4 player like Fleetwood and watch that European magic drive the U.S. captains crazy again.
6. Viktor Hovland
Record in four-ball: 0-2-2Overall four-ball rank: 8Hovland scores on difficult golf courses because he has an elite long game. One of the most aggressive players on the PGA Tour, he makes an incredible number of birdies when the field is putting for par. Look for Viktor to grab his first four-ball win this week.
7. Rasmus Højgaard 
Ross Kinnaird
Age: 24 Ryder Cup starts: Rookie Record in four-ball: Rookie Overall four-ball rank: 9 The only rookie on the European side, this is where Højgaard fits in. His twin brother played with Fleetwood and Rahm in Rome, and I expect two more veterans will walk him around Bethpage Black. I do like Viktor for that role, but we’ll see what Captain Donald has in store.
8. Matt Fitzpatrick 
Ross Kinnaird
Age: 31Ryder Cup starts: 3 Record in four-ball: 1-1-0 Overall four-ball rank: 16 Luke Donald can go with either format for Fitzpatrick, but Fitz is 62 under par since the start of August (six starts). Matt’s approach game and putter have been incredible since May’s PGA Championship, where he finished eighth. Will Fitzpatrick play both formats? I don’t know, but I do know he desperately wants to finish this cup with a winning record.
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It’s generally assumed the American side is better on Ryder Cup Sundays in the singles matches. That seems to be bias that stems all the way back to 1999 in Brookline. The infamous comeback at The Country Club was great (8½-3½), but the fact is, the Americans have only won Sunday’s singles four times in the last 11 Ryder Cups. The Europeans have claimed more points, 70 to 62, since 2002!
The current European contingent is 11-15-7 in singles play across seven different matches, home and away. The current United States team is 8-5-2. Two straight matches with Scheffler versus Rahm have been great, but the whole world is longing for Rory and Scottie to settle up. And, maybe, we can get Justin Rose and J.J. Spaun again like we had in Memphis? There are so many amazing combinations. Head-to-head matches are a sprint. Our H2H rankings favor early scoring, recent tee-to-green form and who will be best on the Black Course. No need for notes, here are the final rankings for the 45th Ryder Cup.
Team USA 1. Scottie Scheffler
Record in singles: 1-0-1 Overall singles rank: 1
2. Cameron Young
Record in singles: Rookie Overall singles rank: 5
3. Bryson DeChambeau
Record in singles: 1-1-0 Overall singles rank: 6
4. Russell Henley
Record in singles: RookieOverall singles rank: 9
5. J.J. Spaun
Record in singles: Rookie Overall singles rank: 11
6. Ben Griffin
Record in singles: Rookie Overall singles rank: 12
7. Xander Schauffele 
ANDREAS SOLARO
Age: 31 Ryder Cup starts: 2 Record in singles: 1-1-0 Overall singles rank: 13
8. Patrick Cantlay
Record in singles: 2-0-0 Overall singles rank: 16
9. Sam Burns
Record in singles: 0-1-0 Overall singles rank: 17
10. Harris English
Record in singles: 0-1-0 Overall singles rank: 20
11. Collin Morikawa
Record in singles: 0-1-1 Overall singles rank: 21
12. Justin Thomas 
Mike Ehrmann
Age: 32 Ryder Cup starts: 3 Record in singles: 3-0-0 Overall singles rank: 23
Team Europe 1. Rory McIlroy
Record in singles: 4-2-1 Overall singles rank: 2
2. Tommy Fleetwood
Record in singles: 1-1-1Overall singles rank: 3
3. Jon Rahm
Record in singles: 1-1-1 Overall singles rank: 4
4. Justin Rose
Record in singles: 2-3-1 Overall singles rank: 7
5. Ludvig Åberg
Record in singles: 0-1-0 Overall singles rank: 8
6. Viktor Hovland
Record in singles: 1-0-1 Overall singles rank: 10
7. Tyrrell Hatton
Record in singles: 1-2-0 Overall singles rank: 14
8. Matt Fitzpatrick
Record in singles: 0-3-0 Overall singles rank: 15
9. Rasmus Højgaard
Record in singles: Rookie Overall singles rank: 18
10. Robert MacIntyre 
Brendan Moran
Age: 29 Ryder Cup starts: 1 Record in singles: 1-0-0 Overall singles rank: 19
11. Sepp Straka
Record in singles: 0-1-0 Overall singles rank: 22
12. Shane Lowry 
Maddie Meyer/PGA of America
Age: 38 Ryder Cup starts: 2 Record in singles: 0-1-1 Overall singles rank: 24
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
