Ryder Cup 2025: Which Players Are In Contention For Keegan Bradley's Six Wildcard Picks?

The Ryder Cup is just around the corner, with the biennial match taking place at Bethpage Black between September 26^th and 28^th.

For Team USA, the New York edition presents the ideal opportunity to bounce back from an emphatic defeat against the Europeans at Marco Simone in Italy two years ago, with Keegan Bradley entrusted with the task of leading the team to its third victory in a row on home soil.

Half of his team is already in place courtesy of the automatic qualifying process, with Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau all booking the spots via that route.

However, that still leaves six places up for grabs, with the captain set to reveal his choices to complete the line-up on Wednesday, August 27^th at 11am EDT.

Bradley has already hinted at some US Ryder Cup wildcard surprises, but while we await confirmation of his picks, here are 13 of the names likely to be in his mind ahead of the announcement, along with some outsiders.

Justin Thomas

Thomas finished just one place beneath the sixth and final automatic qualifying position, so that alone would likely persuade Bradley he’s worth a place in the team.

However, some other big factors are working in Thomas's favor. One is his existing Ryder Cup record, which reads 7-4-2 over his three appearances.

Another is a resurgence in form. Thomas was a surprise omission from the 2024 US Presidents Cup team, but that came in the midst of an indifferent spell.

Since then, he has put those difficulties behind him, including victory at the RBC Heritage to make him a near-certainty for inclusion.

Collin Morikawa

Morikawa has two Ryder Cup appearances under his belt and boasts a 4-3-1 overall record. That, combined with his placing of eighth in the US team rankings, means he’ll surely be one of Bradley’s easier choices for a wildcard.

While Morikawa’s winless run on the PGA Tour goes back to October 2023, he has shown enough this year to suggest he would be a valuable addition to the team, including two runner-up finishes.

It’s not all rosy for Morikawa, as the last of those close calls came at April’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, while he clearly sees room for improvement after making his fifth caddie change of the year for the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Regardless, anything other than a wildcard pick would be a big shock.

Patrick Cantlay

Like Thomas and Morikawa, Cantlay’s Ryder Cup record speaks for itself, with a 5-2-1 record in his two appearances. Add in his three Presidents Cup appearances, and it comes to a formidable 15-6-1.

He has also regularly struck up a successful partnership with Xander Schauffele in both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, and it’s highly likely that will be rekindled at Bethpage Black.

One thing working against Cantlay is some relatively indifferent form going into the match, although his runner-up placing at the Tour Championship will surely have persuaded Bradley he’s worth a wildcard, in the unlikely event he hadn’t already made up his mind.

Jordan Spieth

If any potential wildcard picks have been keeping Bradley awake at night, Spieth is likely to be one of them.

With Justin Thomas surely in the team, it would seem natural to go with Spieth too, as the pair have played so well together in the past.

However, the three-time Major winner has not been at his best for some time, with his most recent PGA Tour win now over three years ago.

After finishing 32^nd in the US team rankings, there are many other players who could argue they are ahead of him on merit.

Still, Spieth would be sure to get the crowd going at Bethpage Black, particularly with his propensity for moments of brilliance from seemingly impossible situations.

Meanwhile, his five Ryder Cup appearances and four in the Presidents Cup demonstrate his huge experience.

Just perhaps, though, there is a sense that this time, he is more likely to miss out than get the nod.

Ben Griffin

One dilemma for Bradley is how many rookies he risks going with.

The team is already guaranteed to have two thanks to JJ Spaun and Russell Henley qualifying automatically, but of all the contenders yet to play in the Ryder Cup, surely Griffin is as deserving of a place as any.

He placed ninth in the US team rankings, helped by some hugely accomplished golf in 2025.

That included his first two PGA Tour wins, playing alongside Andrew Novak in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, followed by victory at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

He also produced top-10 finishes in both the PGA Championship and the US Open, and he placed runner-up at Signature Event, the Memorial Tournament, suggesting he has no problem handling the big occasions.

Maverick McNealy

McNealy finished 10th the US team rankings after an impressive year, including one runner-up, three top-three finishes, a T5 at the Memorial Tournament and T8 at The Sentry.

All that came after he claimed his maiden PGA Tour win at the 2024 RSM Classic last November, too.

As rookies go, he’s as strong an option as almost anyone, particularly with his Walker Cup experience too, but with so much competition, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether he’s done enough to get the phone call from Bradley.

Cameron Young

Cameron Young is another player yet to make a Ryder Cup appearance, but it’s surely only a matter of time until he gets the nod.

He certainly hasn’t done his chances of making the 2025 team any harm in recent weeks.

He is in the midst of a stunning run of form that began with his maiden PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship and continued with fifth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, 11^th at the BMW Championship and T4 at the Tour Championship.

He also has one Presidents Cup appearance to his name, the 2022 edition at Quail Hollow, where his record was 1-2-1.

Brian Harman

Sitting 12^th in the US team rankings is 2023 Open champion Harman.

He already has Ryder Cup experience, having emerged with a 2-2-0 record from the 2023 defeat to the Europeans, while he made his Presidents Cup debut a year ago, although on that occasion he lost all three of his matches.

Since then, though, he has shown some decent form, including winning the Valero Texas Open and placing T3 at the RBC Heritage.

Has he done enough? Time will tell, although with such fierce competition, he’s far from guaranteed a place.

Sam Burns

Sam Burns has been a feature of US teams since 2022, first with his Presidents Cup debut, then the 2023 Ryder Cup and most recently at the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal.

Will he keep that run going at Bethpage Black? That experience alone surely gives him a chance, while some good recent form will help, too.

That included runner-up at the RBC Canadian Open, T7 at the US Open, when he had been in contention to win until late in the final round, T4 at the BMW Championship and T7 at the Tour Championship.

Andrew Novak

Novak, who is 13th in the US team rankings, found his best form this year during in a purple patch in April, when he placed T3 at the Valero Texas Open and runner-up at the RBC Heritage before teaming up with Ben Griffin to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

More recently, he finished T6 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, but was it too little, too late?

Wyndham Clark

Unlike Novak, Clark has the benefit of recent US team experience, having played in the 2023 Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup the following year.

However, aside from a T5 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and T4 at The Open, it’s been a more frustrating year for the 2023 US Open champion, and his FedEx Cup Playoffs run came to an end with a T56 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Chris Gotterup

Chris Gotterup served notice of his capabilities over a year ago when he won the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic, and he claimed an even bigger title this year at the Genesis Scottish Open.

That led to suggestions he could be a contender for the Ryder Cup, and they grew louder after he placed third at The Open.

A T10 at the Tour Championship served as a timely reminder that he is a force to be reckoned with, but has he done enough for a maiden Ryder Cup appearance?

Keegan Bradley

Now we come to the elephant in the room. Does Bradley become the first US playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963?

In any other year, he’d surely be well in contention for a wildcard, after finishing 11^th in the US team rankings following a string of impressive results in 2025.

That included T8 at the PGA Championship, T7 at the Memorial Tournament and victory at the Travelers Championship.

To further his dilemma, Bradley then placed T7 at the Tour Championship, just three days before he was due to reveal his picks.

With so many other worthy candidates, it would still be a brave move for Bradley to select himself, but it’s unlikely there will be many who could argue it wasn’t warranted based on form alone.

Other Notable Contenders

On the PGA Tour side of things, two more players complete the top 20 of the US team rankings - Lucas Glover and Akshay Bhatia.

However, despite some commendable performances from both this year, it's perhaps hard to see either making it, considering the competition.

The same can probably be said of the vastly experienced Rickie Fowler. His best form this year has come recently, but it's likely it came too late for him to be seriously considered for a sixth Ryder Cup appearance this time around.

With Bryson DeChambeau the only LIV Golfer confirmed in the US Ryder Cup team, is there a place for any more?

It seems unlikely, although you could make a case for Patrick Reed, who has played in three editions of the match.

Reed finished third at The Masters and claimed his maiden LIV Golf title in Dallas in June, but with so many other candidates, it looks likely he’ll be on the outside looking in for the third successive edition.

The other notable LIV Golfer is Brooks Koepka, who has played in the last four editions of the Ryder Cup, including 2023, when he was the only player from the circuit in either team.

He missed the cut in three of this year’s four Majors, though, and went winless in the LIV Golf League, suggesting that his impressive run of appearances is about to come to an end.