U.S. looking for boost from partisan New York crowd

• The upcoming event will be held at Bethpage Black in New York, with expectations of a highly partisan American crowd.
• Luke Donald will return to captain Team Europe, while Keegan Bradley will lead the U.S. team.

Call it the revenge Ryder Cup.

The United States is looking to pay back a European team that embarrassed the Americans from the start in 2023 in Rome, using a sweep of the morning session on opening day to propel them to an easy win.

The U.S. put up a mild fight on Day 2 but never really threatened the Luke Donald-led Europeans. Europe’s 16.5-11.5 win was not as close as the final made it seem.

And that early lead prompted a three-day celebration by the partisan European crowd at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club complete with singing and dancing and, yes, likely the Brits downing of a few pints and the Italians polishing off few glasses of wine.

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Even the players flaunted the win with viral videos of them mocking the U.S. team while singing and dancing on the team bus as it headed to a party in Rome.

Now, it’s payback.

Or so the Americans hope.

The 2025 Ryder Cup starts Sept. 26 at Bethpage Black on New York’s Long Island. And after the European beatdown two years ago, this has become the most anticipated, hyped Ryder Cup in history with expectations of an uber energized, partisan crowd.

And the U.S. could not have asked for a better spot than one just outside of New York City.

“It’s a different animal. It’s a different challenge,” said Donald, the first to captain of back-to-back European teams in 30 years. “I think if you look at New Yorkers … they will be very passionate and supportive of the U.S. We are quite aware of that, and we’ll be ready for the noise.”

Jon Rahm believes Team Europe’s approach to the week will come down to a mindset.

“In my experience, New York fans can actually be quite fun,” he said. “They are very funny, very creative. So if you approach it with the right mindset, I think it can be a really, really fun week. Stressful, yes, but it could be very productive.”

Keegan Bradley happy to be part of home team

U.S. captain Keegan Bradley knows all about New Yorkers, being a New England and Boston sports fan. But this time he will be happy to be part of the home team.

“The Ryder Cup at Bethpage is going to sort of transcend the golf world,” Bradley said. “I think it’s going to become an iconic North American sporting event.

“Anytime you play for your country in New York, it’s extra special, but especially at a place like Bethpage Black.”

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Sam Burns, who was on the U.S. team that had to play through three days of celebrating Europeans two years ago in Rome, is ready for that narrative to be flipped.

“I know we’re going to have tons of support out there at Bethpage,” Burns said. “These fans are special and they love getting behind their teams and their country. I know us going out there and having that support will kind of spur us on and hopefully we can rally behind that energy and use it to our advantage.”

The Ryder Cup’s first two days (Sept. 26-27) include four foursomes (alternate shot) and four fourball (best ball) matches. The event concludes with 12 singles matches on Sept. 28.

Here is a closer look at both teams:

Team USA

Scottie Scheffler

Scheffler, No. 1 in the world for more than 150 weeks total, led the U.S. Ryder Cup points list by a huge margin. He is a four-time major champion with 19 PGA Tour wins, all in the last four years. Scheffler finished in the top 10 in his last 15 starts, including six wins. He is 2-2-3 in two Ryder Cups.

J.J. Spaun

Spaun went from No. 81 in the world after the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches to the top 10 after winning his first major, the U.S. Open. He finished the year with seven top 10s and was second on the points list. This is his first Ryder Cup.

Xander Schauffele

Schauffele is playing in his third Ryder Cup by virtue of his third-place finish in the points list. He is a two-time major winner and nine-time winner on the PGA Tour. Schauffele, 4-4-0 in his two previous Ryder Cups, has 17 top 10s in 34 major championships.

Russell Henley

Henley was fourth in the points list, which propelled him to his first Ryder Cup appearance at age 36. His five PGA Tour wins include the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational, one of 10 top 10s this season in 19 starts. He is No. 4 in the world, his highest ranking.

Harris English

English recorded his fifth PGA Tour win at the Farmer Insurance Open and was runner-up at the PGA Championship and British Open, putting him fifth on the points list. No. 10 in the world, Harris was 1-2-0 in his only other Ryder Cup appearance in 2021.

Bryson DeChambeau

Because of playing on the LIV tour, DeChambeau had eight events in two years to earn points and still finished sixth to gain an automatic spot. He has nine PGA Tour wins, including a pair of U.S. Open championships, winning in 2020 and 2024. He has played in two Ryder Cups with a 2-3-1 record.

Justin Thomas

Thomas was the first captain’s pick after finishing seventh in the points list. He will play in his fourth Ryder Cup and has a 7-4-2 record, including 3-0 in singles. The two-time major winner has 16 career PGA Tour wins, including one this season, the 2025 RBC Heritage. He is No. 5 in the world.

Collin Morikawa

Morikawa, a captain’s pick, will play in his third Ryder Cup, where he holds a 4-3-1 record. He was No. 8 on the points list and is eighth in the world. Morikawa has won six times on the PGA Tour and is a two-time major winner. He missed two cuts and finished no higher than 19th in his past six events.

Ben Griffin

Griffin was a captain’s pick after winning twice on the PGA Tour this year (Charles Schwab, Zurich Classic). A Ryder Cup rookie, he is 13th in the world and was ninth on the points list. He has 11 top-10 finishes this season, two more than he had in his career entering 2025.

Cameron Young

Young will play in his first Ryder Cup about 60 miles south of where he was born. A captain’s pick, he set the Bethpage Black course record with a 64 in the final round of the 2017 Metropolitan PGA’s New York State Open. It was since broken by Jupiter’s Brooks Koepka. He was 14th on the points list and is 20th in the world.

Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay had a rough start to the year. But he concluded it with two top 10s in the playoffs, including a runner-up at the Tour Championship, earning a captain’s pick. He is 5-2-1 in two previous Ryder Cups. Cantlay was 15th on the points list and is 21st in the world.

Sam Burns

Burns was a controversial pick as the player Bradley chose over himself. He was 1-2-0 two years ago in Rome, his first Ryder Cup. Burns, 16th in the points list and 23rd in the world, has five wins on the PGA Tour, his last coming in 2023. He had two top 10s in the playoffs.

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Team Europe

Rory McIlroy

The leader in the European points list and No. 2 in the world, the Northern Irishman is making his eighth Ryder Cup appearance. He has won 29 times on the PGA Tour (five majors) and completed the career grand slam in April with his first Masters championship. He is 16-13-4 in Ryder Cup play.

Robert MacIntyre

MacIntyre, second in the points list, reached his world ranking high of No. 8 after finishing runner-up at the BMW Championship. The two-time winner on the PGA Tour from Scotland will play in his second Ryder Cup. He was 2-0-1 in 2023.

Tommy Fleetwood

Fleetwood’s best season of his career included his first PGA Tour title and winning the FedEx Cup with an 18-under at East Lake. The Englishman was third in the points list and is sixth in the world, his highest ranking. He is 7-3-2 in three Ryder Cup appearances.

Justin Rose

The Englishman is making his seventh Ryder Cup appearance with a 14-9-3 record. At 45, he is the oldest player on either side. Rose, fourth in the points list and 14th in the world, has 12 PGA Tour wins, including the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship. He lost to McIlroy in a playoff at the Masters.

Rasmus Hojgaard

Hojgaard, from Denmark, is the lone new face on the European team from two years ago, but he is taking the spot of his twin brother, Nicolai. He is making his Ryder Cup debut. Hojgaard has played in just 40 PGA Tour events with one runner-up. He has five wins on the DP World Tour. He was fifth in the points list.

Tyrrell Hatton

Hatton, sixth in the points list, has played in three Ryder Cups with a 5-4-2 record. The Englishman who plays on the LIV tour has one win on the PGA Tour, the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational, and eight international wins. His best finish in a major this year was T4 at the U.S. Open.

Shane Lowry

Lowry was seventh in the points list and the first captain’s pick. The Irishman has won three times on the PGA Tour, including the 2019 British Open. He has played in the last two Ryder Cups and is 2-3-1. Lowry is No. 24 in the world ranking.

Jon Rahm

Rahm, who plays on LIV, finished top 10 at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and was T14 at the Masters. The Spaniard is 6-3-3 in three previous Ryder Cups. Rahm, 30, is a two-time major champion and has won 11 times on the PGA Tour and 10 times on the DP World Tour.

Sepp Straka

Straka was 1-2-0 in his Ryder Cup debut two years ago. The Austrian had his best year on the PGA Tour with two wins (American Express, Truist) and six top 10s in 22 events. Straka broke into the top 10 of the world ranking in May and currently is No. 15. He has won four times on the PGA Tour.

Viktor Hovland

Hovland was 3-1-1 in the 2023 Ryder Cup after going 0-3-2 in his first appearance in 2021. Currently No. 11 in the world, he spent much of the year in the top 10. The Norwegian has seven PGA Tour wins, including the 2025 Valspar Championship, and has three top 10 finishes this year.

Ludvig Aberg

Aberg, from Sweden, was 2-2-0 in his Ryder Cup debut two years ago, winning his two foursomes matches. He has six top 10s (including winning the Genesis Invitational) on the PGA Tour this year, including three of his last five starts. He is 16th in the world.

Matt Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick slid from a top 10 player in the world to 85th earlier this year but the Englishman had five top 10s in the final three months. Fitzpatrick has won twice on the PGA Tour, including the 2022 U.S. Open. He been in three Ryder Cups with a 1-7-0 record.

45th Ryder Cup

When: Sept. 26-28

Where: Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, N.Y.

Defending champion: Europe

TV: Golf Channel, USA, NBC

Streaming: Peacock

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.