Junior Ryder Cup 2025: Teams, Captains And What To Know

The Ryder Cup will see Keegan Bradley’s Team USA take on Luke Donald’s Team Europe at Bethpage Black between September 26^th and 28^th.

However, ahead of the famous biennial contest, a junior edition of the match will be held.

Unlike the senior contest, which in 2025 will be the 45^th edition, the Junior Ryder Cup isn’t as established, and this year will be just the 13^th time it has been held.

The inaugural Junior Ryder Cup took place in Spain in 1997, which the US won 7-5, before Team Europe won four successive editions between 1999 and 2006.

The US hit back in style, with a stunning run of six successive wins between 2008 and 2018, before the Europeans finally broke that sequence with a comprehensive 20.5-9.5 victory two years ago at Italy’s Golf Nazionale and Marco Simone.

This year, Europe will be looking to build on that with its first win in the US since 2004, when the three-day match takes place at Nassau Country Club and Bethpage Black between September 23^rd and 25^th.

Here are all the details about the contest.

Junior Ryder Cup Teams

Unlike the senior match, the Junior Ryder Cup is mixed, with six girls and six boys aged under 18 on each team.

Previous European participants have included Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy and Nicolai Hojgaard, who went on to achieve success in the Ryder Cup, and Suzanne Peterson, Carlota Ciganda and Emily Kristine Pedersen, who have since lifted the Solheim Cup.

Famous former US Junior Ryder Cup stars include Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang and Yealimi Noh.

Like the Ryder Cup, there is a qualifying process. Here's how it works and who has already secured a place.

Team USA

The US qualifying period began at the 2024 Junior PGA Championships, with the 2025 edition the final opportunity for the youngsters to accumulate points.

The top two girls and boys on the US Junior Ryder Cup points list will qualify automatically.

Miles Russell and Tyler Mawhinney currently lead the way for the boys, with Asterisk Talley and Gianna Clemente in the top two spots in the girls’ standings.

Automatic places in the US team were also available to the 2025 US Junior Amateur Champion and the US Girls’ Junior Champion.

As a result, Hamilton Coleman has booked his place courtesy of winning the US Junior Amateur.

Canadian Aphrodite Deng won the US Girls’ Junior, meaning the place will go to the next highest-ranked player on the points list. Anna Fang is currently third in the points list.

The top two boys and girls in the Junior PGA Championships will also qualify automatically, with the final two places – one boy and one girl – earning their spots via captain’s picks.

For anyone wondering if Charlie Woods is in the running for a place, he is, but likely only if he finishes in the top two of the Junior PGA Championships. He had given himself a great chance after two rounds, where he was in solo fourth.

Woods began the event 13^th in the qualification standings, meaning that without a top-two placing at the event, he would be unlikely to receive a captain’s pick.

The full US team will be confirmed on August 5^th by the PGA of America.

Team Europe

The European qualifying process is closer to the system used for the senior European Ryder Cup team, where six players, three boys and three girls, will book their places automatically, with the final three boys and three girls selected as captain’s picks.

For the Europeans, the qualifying period began in January at the Portuguese International Ladies’ Amateur Championship, followed by the boys' equivalent tournament, which took place two weeks later.

The final qualifying events are the R&A Girls’ and Boys’ Amateur Championships, which conclude on August 16^th.

For the boys, France’s Hugo Le Goff, Ukrainian Lev Grinberg and another French player, Callixte Alzas, are in the three automatic qualifying places.

French player Louise Uma Landgraf, Charlotte Naughton from England and Spaniard Nagore Martinez are in the top three places for the girls.

The full team will be confirmed after the qualifying period ends on August 16^th.

Team USA Captain

PGA of America Hall of Famer and the 41st PGA President Suzy Whaley is the US captain for the match.

She previously captained the US Teams at the 2022 PGA Cup and the 2019 Women’s PGA Cup.

Following her appointment in July 2024, she said: “I could not be more excited to serve as Captain of the 2025 United States Junior Ryder Cup Team.

“The Junior Ryder Cup is undoubtedly one of the highlights of Ryder Cup week, and provides a worldwide platform for these highly-skilled junior players to compete. I look forward to leading our team in New York next September.”

Whaley takes over from 2023 captain Paul Levy.

Team Europe Captain

Like senior European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, Stephen Gallacher will continue in the role, having led the European juniors to victory in 2023.

The Scot played for Team Europe at the 2014 Ryder Cup, which the hosts won by 16.5-11.5 at Gleneagles in his homeland. He also has four DP World Tour wins.

After being reappointed in June 2024, he said: “I’m delighted to have been given the chance to once again lead Team Europe in the 2025 Junior Ryder Cup in New York.

He added: “The Ryder Cup means so much to me, so to be the Junior Captain again and have the chance to create bonds with the 12 players, like we did in Italy, will be very special.”

Junior Ryder Cup Format

Previously, the match was played over two days, with foursomes, four ball and singles matches.

However, that was extended to three days in 2023, and that will also be the case this year.

The first two days will be held at Nassau Country Club with the foursomes and four ball matches, before the action heads to Bethpage Black for the singles matches, just one day before the senior Ryder Cup begins.

Junior Ryder Cup Schedule

• Tuesday, September 23rd - Morning: Foursomes/Afternoon: Mixed Foursomes
• Wednesday, September 24th - Morning: Mixed Four Ball
• Thursday, September 25th - Morning: Singles