Meet The Four Rookies Set To Represent Team USA At The 2025 Ryder Cup

At the 2025 Ryder Cup, a third of Team USA's 12-man roster will have no prior experience of competing under arguably the most intense pressure in the game.

Never before will they know what it is like to have not just a team of elite-level professionals relying on you, but also an entire country expecting you to win.

While those in this bracket might have played Presidents Cup or Walker Cup golf in their past, the other national team appearances simply pale in comparison to the golfing behemoth that is the Ryder Cup.

Fortunately for them, the result won't sit squarely on their respective shoulders as they will have eight world-class peers as back up.

In Team USA's case, the majority of their squad will feature Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns. Not bad.

The hosts are favorite to win the Ryder Cup back at Bethpage Black, but the four rookie players will likely have to play some part in helping make that happen.

Below, we've listed the four freshmen on Team USA and included a little explainer on how they reached this point in their careers.

JJ Spaun

To say JJ Spaun's career has gone stratospheric over the past year or so is possibly a little hyperbolic, but the American has quickly transformed his career from steady PGA Tour pro to Ryder Cup lock via a memorable US Open victory at Oakmont.

The 2022 Valero Texas Open winner could hardly have dreamed about being on Keegan Bradley's Team USA this time last year after achieving no better than T23rd in any of his limited Major starts and having only made the cut once in five appearances at The Players Championship.

But 2025 was Spaun's breakthrough year, with a playoff defeat at The Players Championship his way of serving notice to the rest of the tour that he was capable of contending at the very top level.

In the end, Spaun finished second in Team USA's Ryder Cup standings ahead of other Major winners in Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau, proving that - although he lacks any previous team-event experience as either an amateur or a professional - Spaun has the golf game to secure points for Team USA at Bethpage Black.

Russell Henley

Russell Henley has been coasting towards making his Ryder Cup debut in 2025 for much of the past two years, with barely a week passing by where the 36-year-old was not inside the top-25 of the leaderboard.

Henley has regularly contended at PGA Tour events and rubberstamped his inclusion in Team USA with a comeback victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. Although two missed cuts at the first two Majors were slightly concerning, Henley responded with T10th results at the US Open and Open Championship, respectively.

The Macon, Georgia-born pro has plenty of national team experience as both an amateur and a pro, although never on a Ryder Cup. He twice won the Palmer Cup (2010 and 2011) while also representing the Stars and Stripes at the 2011 Walker Cup.

Then, in 2024, Henley's resurgence as an elite-level pro helped him feature on the US' Presidents Cup team. A win in Canada marked Henley's third victory from four national team appearances, with his only defeat arriving at the 2011 Walker Cup.

Henley achieved his maiden Ryder Cup start by finishing fourth in the US team's rankings and automatically qualifying for Keegan Bradley's roster. Although his lack of distance off the tee might put him at a disadvantage immediately, Henley's all-round game is among the best on the planet and he should have no problem remaining competitive in New York.

Ben Griffin

It wouldn't be unfair to say not many people saw Ben Griffin making the Ryder Cup team roughly 18 months ago. He had yet to win on the PGA Tour, his driving numbers were not much to write home about, and there were too many good players ahead of him in the pecking order.

But 2025 has been Griffin's breakthrough year. He first won with Andrew Novak at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans before going alone and triumphing at the Charles Schwab Challenge a few weeks later.

From there, a sparkling run to the end of the season made him a fairly straightforward pick for Keegan Bradley after he finished ninth in the US Ryder Cup qualifying standings.

As far as national team appearances go, Griffin will be making his first at Bethpage Black. Although, he does have some experience in a team format after representing the PGA Tour Canada at the Aruba Cup against the PGA Tour Latinoamerica back in 2018 (Griffin's side won, in case you were wondering). The Ryder Cup might be something of a step up from the Aruba Cup, but - rest assured - Griffin will be ready.

Cameron Young

Completing Team USA's quartet of rookies is Cameron Young, the man born in Scarborough, New York - less than 60 miles from Bethpage Black.

Young, in many ways, is the perfect rookie to throw in for this Ryder Cup. He's from the area and he's recently taken the long-awaited next step in his career. The 28-year-old lifted the Wyndham Championship trophy in early August to confirm to captain, Keegan Bradley that he has what it takes to represent his country.

Elsewhere this season, Young has seven top-11 finishes - including a T4th at the US Open - and has continued to prove his ability with the driver by gaining strokes on his peers from the tee box. Helpfully, as far as his own prospects and the Ryder Cup goes, Young has also improved with putter in hand, too.

Prior to this year, the pro with top-seven finishes in all four Majors has also represented the USA in a couple of team events. First was the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup, and eight years later, Young appeared at the 2022 Presidents Cup as well. Team USA reigned supreme in both - a record he would love to maintain this September.