The countdown to the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black is heating up, and the air is thick with both anticipation and intrigue as the world’s premier golfers vie for their place on golf’s grandest stage. With just days left in the qualification window for Team Europe and the U.S. squad’s preparations already stirring headlines, every swing, every decision, and every bit of off-course drama is under the microscope.
For Englishman Harry Hall, this week’s BMW Championship offered a golden opportunity to make his case for a coveted spot on Luke Donald’s European Ryder Cup team. Hall, 28, began the week ranked 45th in the FedExCup standings, still fighting to earn a berth in the Tour Championship for the first time. Despite his stellar season—he leads the PGA Tour in putting, tops the birdie average charts, ranks second in actual scoring average, and has notched four top-10 finishes—Hall’s Ryder Cup fate appears uncertain. He candidly revealed Friday that he hasn’t had any recent conversations with captain Luke Donald, a detail that might offer a glimpse into Donald’s current thinking.
“It has been the last couple weeks,” Hall said when asked if the Ryder Cup had been on his mind. “But right now, I’m just trying to play golf.” Hall also confirmed he hasn’t been fitted for a team uniform, a step usually reserved for those seriously in contention. That silence from Donald’s camp, combined with the absence of a uniform fitting, could signal that Hall is on the outside looking in as the qualification window closes.
“It would be massive,” Hall said of potentially making the team, his voice tinged with both hope and nostalgia. “I remember growing up, and Phil Rowe, my assistant coach in college (at UNLV), he was my idol growing up, and he played in the Walker Cup in 1999. We have his bag in the clubhouse. And people always used to say, ‘H, are you going to put a Walker Cup bag up there one day?’ And I always said, ‘A Ryder Cup one.’”
With Ryder Cup qualifying for Europe wrapping up on August 24, right after the British Masters, the clock is ticking. Luke Donald will announce his six captain’s picks on September 1. The buzz around the European squad is that it could look strikingly familiar to the one that triumphed in Rome two years ago. Eleven, or perhaps all twelve, players from the victorious 2023 roster could return, leaving as few as one spot up for grabs.
Meanwhile, Rasmus Hojgaard, currently eighth on the European points list after a strong finish to the 2024 season, is doing his best to make a final impression. As of Friday, he leads this week’s DP World Tour event in his native Denmark with two rounds left to play. However, Hojgaard’s journey hasn’t been without setbacks—he missed the PGA Tour’s postseason, finishing 85th in the FedExCup standings. His twin brother, Nicolai, who went 0-2-1 for Team Europe in 2023, is also in the mix for a return trip to the Ryder Cup, raising the tantalizing possibility of another family affair at Bethpage Black.
Across the Atlantic, the U.S. Ryder Cup team’s preparations are taking a different shape, and the off-course drama is just as compelling as the on-course action. Several members of the American squad are expected to tee it up at the Procore Championship in Napa, California, starting September 11. U.S. captain Keegan Bradley is a vocal supporter of this plan, believing that competitive reps will be key as his team gears up for the challenge at Bethpage Black.
But not everyone’s path is clear. Bryson DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open champion and currently fifth in the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings, faces a unique dilemma. DeChambeau, who has achieved his lofty ranking by playing only eight qualifying events—all major championships, and missing two cuts—wants to play in the Procore Championship. However, as a member of the LIV Golf League, he is suspended from PGA Tour competition and, according to Bradley, “is not eligible for PGA Tour competition.”
“Well, he’s suspended,” Bradley said Thursday after his opening round at the BMW Championship. “And that’s out of my control.” Despite this, Bradley made it clear he would love to have DeChambeau and as many of his players as possible together in Napa. “I thought that the Ryder Cup sort of transcends all of this,” Bradley emphasized, referring to the ongoing PGA Tour-LIV Golf tensions. “And really, the last thing on my mind is the PGA Tour-LIV stuff.”
DeChambeau’s agent, Brett Falkoff, told reporters, “Bryson plans to participate in every team gathering that he is permitted to attend.” While the LIV Golf League’s season ends next week, there are 33 days until the Ryder Cup kicks off on September 26. DeChambeau could potentially play in the DP World Tour’s Irish Open a week before the Procore Championship, if he receives an invite, but he’s ineligible for the BMW PGA Championship the following week.
For other U.S. stars, the path is less complicated. Scottie Scheffler, who shot a first-round 66 to lead the BMW Championship, has already committed to playing in Napa. “My plan as of now is to go play in Napa,” Scheffler said. “Outside of some extenuating circumstances, I’ll probably be playing in Napa. I think when you look at the last Ryder Cup (a U.S. defeat in Rome in 2023), I think that was maybe a bit too much time off for us. It’s one of those deals, it’s tough. When you get to the end of the PGA Tour season, I think you’re a little bit tired. You look at a year like last year I had, when it came to the end of the season, I was pretty worn out. It took a lot out of me. It was important for me to get rest. I think now with the way the schedule is, I think there’s like four weeks after the Tour Championship before the Ryder Cup, and that’s plenty of time to get rest while still staying competitive. It’s important for me to get out and get some competitive reps before the Ryder Cup.”
Bradley, for his part, isn’t mandating participation in Napa but has received positive feedback from his squad. “The boys feel like this is the best course of action to be ready to play at their highest level at Bethpage,” he told Sports Illustrated last week.
As the qualification period winds down and both captains weigh their final decisions, every round and every headline adds another layer to the unfolding Ryder Cup drama. With the European and U.S. teams both facing tough choices and high expectations, all eyes are now on the final weeks before golf’s most storied rivalry is renewed on American soil.
