‘Two more years. Two more years’ was the chant that echoed out from Europe’s Ryder Cup players as they serenaded their victorious captain Luke Donald.
And they were right to serenade him. After all, it was Donald – given the captaincy at late notice – who presided over a remarkable turnaround that saw Team Europe recover from their record defeat in 2021 to regain the Ryder Cup emphatically in Rome last summer.
Now, though, a different challenge awaits. Given the captaincy again as the players requested, Donald must mastermind a rare victory on away soil.
Only once in the last 20 years has the away team won the Ryder Cup and against a stacked US team and a hostile New York crowd, repeating that feat will be far from easy.
With exactly a year to go, Donald has issues to solve and a team to build, but the US also have a few rather unique wrinkles to iron out ahead of the first tee shot at Bethpage Black Golf Course.
Eligibility trouble lingers for Rahm and Hatton
Despite hopes that the ongoing LIV Golf saga would have died down by now, the Saudi-backed league continues to cause trouble, especially for Team Europe.
Since Europe’s win in 2023, key players Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have accepted huge sign-on fees to join the breakaway circuit and, as a result, thrown their Ryder Cup eligibility into doubt.
Both are competing at this week’s DP World Tour event in Spain as they look to maintain their eligibility for selection but have huge fines looming over them which are yet to be resolved.
The duo formed a fiery but formidable pairing last time out, winning both of their foursomes matches together, but would leave a huge hole in Donald’s side if they are unable to be selected.
Should they be eligible, neither is likely to qualify automatically, meaning Donald will have to burn two of his six’s valuable captain’s picks to get them into the team. Both are worth a pick but it’s a headache Europe would rather not have to deal with.
Can Bradley be a playing captain?
So few people expected Keegan Bradley to be named US Ryder Cup captain that even he didn’t expect the call.
Bradley has featured in only two Ryder Cups but has made it clear how important the tournament is to him. Having agonisingly missed out on a captain’s pick in Rome, he has now been given the opportunity of a lifetime to captain the team.
The problem for Bradley and the USA is that he may qualify for the team. While Donald’s best golfing days are well behind him, Bradley is still playing some of the best golf of his career.
The 38-year-old is ranked 13th in the world and played himself onto this week’s Presidents Cup team. It’s not impossible to imagine the same thing happening in 12 months.
A playing captain in the Ryder Cup hasn’t been seen since 1963 and given the scale of the modern-day task, it seems implausible that a captain could properly fulfil his duties while also having to compete.
Even if he doesn’t qualify automatically, an in-form Bradley could still make the case to select himself as a wildcard for the US team. He’s admitted publically that he would consider the possibility but it’s surely a situation that the US team would rather avoid.
Who are the rookies to watch out for?
A key part of any successful Ryder Cup team is navigating the balance between experienced stalwarts and fresh-faced rookies.
In Rome, Robert MaInctyre, Ludvig Aberg, Nicolai Hojgaard and Sepp Straka all played their part in Europe’s victory on debut and will be fighting to keep their place next year.
The US, meanwhile, may look to freshen up their ranks after the disappointing showings from Ryder Cup stalwarts Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler a year ago.
Justin Thomas has been the poster boy of the American Ryder Cup effort in recent years but he too faces a battle on his hands to make the team having missed out on the Presidents Cup.
Potential rookies to watch out for
– Won for the first time on the PGA Tour last year. An exciting and creative left-hander who is getting his chance at the Presidents Cup.
– Has long yearned for a Ryder Cup call-up but a career bounce-back could see the 37-year-old finally play his way onto the team.
– The 20-year-old won on the PGA Tour as an amateur and has already won again since then. 2025 could be the first of many Ryder Cups.
– The understated Englishman is now inside the world’s top 20 and only appears to be getting better.
– A passionate character who could be the perfect fit for the pressure-cooker environment of a Ryder Cup on away soil.
– Pipped Rory Mcilroy to this month’s Irish Open and will look to join his twin brother Nicolai on the team.
What about Woods?
It is no secret that Tiger Woods was the preferred candidate to take charge of Team USA next summer.
However, the 15-time major champion instead chose to relinquish the opportunity and focus on his role in helping the PGA Tour’s policy board agree a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
While Bradley has stepped up into the breaches as captain, the PGA of America would still surely want Woods to play a role in some capacity be that as a consultant or vice-captain.
Injuries prevented him from being on-site in Rome but New York shouldn’t present the same logistical issues and Woods will surely want to play his part.
Bradley will want to do things his own way but as a first-time captain in any team competition, he would surely be happy to lean on Woods’ experience.
And if Woods is to finally get his shot at captaincy, potentially in Ireland in 2027, then a second stint as vice-captain surely makes sense.
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