First came the American Revolution, then the two World Wars, then Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson joined on stage together to perform “The Girl Is Mine.” Now, it’s the 2025 Ryder Cup, the event that only comes around every two years, which pits the best golfers from America against the best from Europe, regardless of the golf league they compete in.
While it’s not the Masters, the Ryder Cup boasts the best of the best. Every golfer playing is ranked highly on the world rankings, and many would consider this tournament to be the one played with the most pride.
Golfers usually don’t show too much emotion on the course; the Ryder Cup is the one place they’re allowed to. They involve the crowd in the same way that a football team does after an interception. It makes for a unique event that we only see every other year.
Since 2016, the Ryder Cup has been won by whichever team is playing in their home country. After their loss in 2023 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy, the U.S. squad is looking to take back the cup at the famous Bethpage Black, located in Long Island, New York.
In 2021, the USA snagged victory at Whistling Straits Golf Course in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In addition to the dominant performance on the course, Americans Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger decided to get in on the festivities.
Midway through the tournament, with points still left on the board, both golfers had beers thrown at them. Instead of ignoring it, they ultimately decided to chug one each; Berger even decided to shotgun it. This was an incredibly on-brand event for what the Ryder Cup represents.
This goes to show how different the environment of the Ryder Cup is from the average golf tournament. The typically quiet golf course transforms into a spectacle one would see at an NFL game or Premier League match. It brings back the classic U.S. vs. Europe rivalry that is evident in many sports, be it tennis’ Laver Cup or basketball’s U.S. vs. World basketball game.
This Ryder Cup won’t be one to forget, as both teams carry stacked rosters filled with the world’s best players.
Captain of the USA team, Keegan Bradley, picked a squad including the number one player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, and long-ball hitter Bryson DeChambeau, who automatically qualified for the team despite playing in the LIV Golf League. DeChambeau’s participation in golf’s eight majors in the last two years was enough to get him on the team.
Other notable Team USA players include Thomas, 2025 US Open champion J.J. Spaun, Collin Morikawa and Ben Griffin.
On the other hand, Team Europe and their captain, Luke Donald, are bringing a very similar team that won them the cup in Rome, with all but two returning. 2025 Masters champion Rory McIlroy obviously leads the squad along with Irishman Shane Lowry and Englishman Justin Rose, who have become staples of the European team. Their chemistry may propel them to win the illustrious away Ryder Cup victory, which McIlroy described as “one of the biggest accomplishments in golf.”
We will find out this weekend, the Ryder Cup begins on Friday, Sept. 26, with the first group teeing off at 7:10 a.m. EST.