Here Are the Picks We'd Make for the U.S. Ryder Cup Team

Keegan Bradley will make his six Ryder Cup captain’s picks Wednesday; in the meantime the SI Golf staff shares their selections to round out the U.S. team.

Captain Bradley (top left) could select himself, plus other contenders like Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa. / USA Today

The core of next month’s U.S. Ryder Cup team is set. Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau are heading to Bethpage based on their performance over the last two years.

The remaining six players are picked by the captain, and those selections are always a fountain of intrigue and perhaps more so this year than ever, as captain Keegan Bradley has played well enough to merit picking himself.

Bradley will share his picks with the world Wednesday, and in the meantime the SI Golf staff has their choices of who’s in and who might be snubbed.

Do you agree or disagree with our selections? Who would you pick? Let us know on our X account. 

SI Golf' Captain’s Picks for U.S. Ryder Cup Team

Bob Harig's Picks

Justin Thomas: Seventh in the points is not going to be left out.
Collin Morikawa: He’s had a tough year but has managed to get to this position without winning, which says something. Hard to leave out No. 8.
Ben Griffin: A tough choice due to inexperience but youth is sometimes a good thing and he’s had a solid year.
Keegan Bradley: The captain is agonizing over this and he ultimately might step aside. But he’s one of America’s best and his duties as captain are being overdramatized. Do we not think the first day lineup is already decided?
Patrick Cantlay: He’s never had a losing record in five team competitions, has never lost in singles and was a solid player in Rome even with just a 2–2 record. It’s hard to imagine him being left out.
Cam Young: Finally a winner, Young has had a turnaround with the putter, one of the best on the Tour. He’s also got plenty of Bethpage familiarity, which should not be discounted.

Last man in: Bradley. The U.S. captain is making a controversial decision, for sure.
Snubbed: Sam Burns. Lauded as a Scottie Scheffler buddy, they weren’t great together in Rome and Scheffler has Russell Henley as a partner anyway. A tough call for sure.

Sign Up Now. SI Golf Newsletters. Sports Illustrated’s Free Golf Newsletters. dark

John Pluym's Picks

Justin Thomas: He has seven wins across three Ryder Cup appearances. He knows pressure—a no-brainer pick.
Ben Griffin: He’s been consistent all season. He’s ready for the moment.
Collin Morikawa: If the 2021 Ryder Cup version shows up (he was 3–0–1), Team USA will be in great shape. However, if it’s the 2023 model (1–3), it could be tough sledding. He has a chance to redeem himself after a challenging season.
Keegan Bradley: I don’t care about the controversy. The captain deserves the spot. 
Cam Young: When he goes low, he goes really low. He also makes key putts. Just ask Rory McIlroy about Paris. 
Chris Gotterup: He won the Scottish Open, has been hot down the stretch and is peaking at the right time. He’s earned his selection.

Last man in: Bradley. Is it a controversial decision? He’s been pretty damn good this season. I look forward to his fist pump after he sinks the deciding putt to win the Cup. How about that prediction!
Snubbed: Patrick Cantlay. Team USA is better served with him going hat shopping than playing. 

Jeff Ritter's Picks

Justin Thomas: A layup.
Collin Morikawa: It’s been a substandard season, but there aren’t six guys better. Also, Bethpage is a chance for him to reverse the bad juju that has surrounded him this season.
Ben Griffin: Ninth in points and riding a career year. Some needed new blood for the squad.
Sam Burns: Has come on late this summer and adds experience and one of the game's best putting strokes. Could try pairing with Scheffler again, although that didn't work so well in Rome.
Cameron Young: Came on this summer and snagged that elusive first win. Still playing well as evidenced by strong finish in the Tour Championship.
Chris Gotterup: Power player was a winner in Scotland. Native New Jerseyian looks engineered for Bethpage.

Last man in: Gotterup.
Snubbed: Keegan Bradley. As a leader, sometimes you have to fall on the sword. Ultimately, leaving himself off the team eliminates a distraction, reduces the pressure on himself and allows him to be all-in for his squad as their captain.

Max Schreiber's Picks

Justin Thomas: As Zach Johnson said two years ago, you don’t leave JT at home.
Sam Burns: Nearly won the Canadian Open and U.S. Open and can spark fireworks with the flatstick. It helps, too, that he’s Scottie Scheffler’s best friend.
Ben Griffin: One of the best players on Tour all year, now it’s his time to shine. 
Patrick Cantlay: Controversial pick, but he and Xander have a good track record playing together, and Cantlay’s game showed life in East Lake. 
Cam Young: No brainer. He set the course record at Bethpage as an amateur in 2017 during his Metropolitan Open win. Now, in his last four starts he’s placed win-fifth-11th-T4. 
Keegan Bradley: If he plays poorly and/or the U.S. loses, him picking himself is something Bradley will never live down. But after a strong Tour Championship performance, he was indeed one of the top 12 U.S. players in the world this year, and has deserved to be the first playing captain since Palmer in 1963. 

Last man in: Cantlay. 
Snubbed: Chris Gotterup. His ability to bomb it off the tee makes Bethpage a good course fit. But ultimately, despite a strong summer, he didn’t demonstrate enough long-term success to make him a lock for the team. 

John Schwarb's Picks

Justin Thomas: No controversy this time, JT belongs and will be a fiery fan favorite.
Ben Griffin: I’ve got three rookies on my team and Griffin is the first one in after three months of solid play.
Keegan Bradley: The captain is in because he’s one of the 12 best Americans, period. But will he decide how many matches he plays and who he plays with, or will he be captaining by committee?
Cameron Young: Got the monkey off his back at the Wyndham and stayed consistent during the playoffs, hard to see leaving off a New Yorker with Bethpage knowledge.
Patrick Cantlay: A match-play specialist who has never lost a singles match, he should play in the first session with his buddy Schauffele and if they win, send ’em out again.
Chris Gotterup: Leaving a rising star from New Jersey off this team? Fugeddaboutit!

Last man in: Gotterup.
Snubbed: Collin Morikawa. I don’t expect Bradley to pass over a player who’s eighth in points but he’s not making my team after months of so-so play, caddie swaps and occasional spats with media. Where’s his mojo right now?

---

More Golf Coverage on Sports Illustrated

feed