Ryder Cup teams largely a matter of opinion and perspective

Europe’s only rookie, Rasmus Hojgaard chips during the training prior to the Ryder Cup 2025 at the Black Course in Bethpage State Park Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York, Tuesday. Image Courtesy Ryercup.com

By Jim McCabe

Farmingdale, New York: Ryder Cup -Line -Ups, such as art and weather, are interpreted differently, depending on flavors and perspectives.

Just as some prefer abstract and other landscape, there are people who feel comfortable with scorching heat and many who handle the ice and the cold.

So for those who analyze the coming Ryder Cup and emphasize what is clearly a more experienced European team, the American captain Keegan Bradley looks at it in a way that he embraces positively.

You see 11 members of the European team who overcome in Rome two years ago; Bradley says that his team is completely different than 2023.

“This team is 0-0 and we want to go out this week and represent the country at Bethpage and the fans in the best way we can,” said Bradley.

Of the Europeans, only Rasmus Højgaard never played in a Ryder Cup. The other 11 members of Captain Luke Donald’s team have 32 Ryder Cup performances under their belts.

As far as Bradley is concerned, he only has eight players with Ryder Cup experience, but they combine for only 15 performances and none for 2018.

Other display

When you consider that a strong control in the European column, Staart Bradley at the same painting and offers a different perspective.

“I think we have a really unique group of players, because we don’t have super young players and we don’t have older players. They are all the same,” he said.

For the point of Bradley it is interesting that the gap between the oldest players (Russell Henley and Harris English are both 36) and the youngest (Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa are 28) for only eight years.

The Europeans, on the other hand, have the oldest player in the field – Justin Rose, 45 – and the youngest competitors (Højgaard is 24 and Ludvig Åberg 25).

Benefit Europe? Donald would not go that far, but from his viewpoint he stumbled about making an important contribution to Rory McIlroy, who is still still older than 10 Americans on a still 36, but he has seven Ryder-Cups under his belt.

That is as much as the top four-arranged Americans have combined scotting Scheffler (two), Russell Henley (Zero), Xander Schauffele (two) and Justin Thomas (three).

“He likes what the Ryder Cup represents,” said Donald van Mcilroy, who has been in five winning teams from seven performances. “It’s great to have someone from his caliber what he has achieved in the game, huge.”

What Scheffler has piled up in a short time (he is only 29, then remember) is equally impressive, but unlike McIlroy, there is a quieter mood on the eve of his third Ryder Cup.

Part of it is perhaps due to going with 0-2-2 in Italy in 2023, but the personality of Scheffler trivializes every feeling of Aura.

Low -key

“Not really. I don’t have much to work out of that,” he said laughing, when he was asked if he thought he had a Tiger Woods-like Aura.

Even Thomas, who was the most experienced Ryder -Cupper at the age of only 32 -on the American side (who played in 2018, 2021 and 2023) struggled with the question about Scheffler’s ‘Aura’.

“It’s a good question. I don’t know,” said Thomas. “He is not for me, but I also feel that I know him well enough that, even if he did, I would not give him a credit and that he would come to his head because he is competitive and can become Chirpy enough – and that is the last thing I need to know that I felt that way.”

On the other hand, Thomas spoke with that week to week competition when it is a solo goal.

This is a team effort and against Europeans – who do not deny that they lean heavily on McIlroy and, like their more experienced appearance – the Americans seem to embrace that their youth and their relative lack of experience are in their favor.

That is why JJ Spaun, a Ryder Cup -smokie at the age of 35, admitted that he had never imagined to be in this competition and Henley didn’t mind telling the media at a press conference that he is still squeezing himself. “It is still, like, wow, this is like a dream come true,” said Henley.

And that is why Thomas, the most experienced American team member, is “that it is difficult to see myself” as the veteran, even if he fits that role accurately.

“I know that I am one of the leaders in the team, but I don’t think there is necessarily one person in the team (you lean on it).”

Instead, like his captain, Thomas agrees that the proximity at the age of the American players is ‘a little different and special’.

It’s all about flavors and perspectives. (Courtness ryercup.com))

Also read: Bradley opts for a non-playing role as US Ryder Cup Captain

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