Ryder Cup format and scoring system explained
USA TODAY Sports’ Chris Bumbaca explains how Ryder Cup scoring works from Bethpage Golf Course.
Team Europe is set up nicely to close out the 2025 Ryder Cup and win consecutive events on Sunday.
Europe holds an 11.5-4.5 lead after two days of action against the United States. The team needs just three of the possible 12 points on the final day to secure the victory.
Tommy Fleetwood has played a significant role in Europe’s success, nearly outscoring the USA with his four points.
USA TODAY Sports will have complete coverage of the 2025 Ryder Cup, so make sure to check back for live updates.
Ryder Cup 2025 standings, points
This section will be updated as action begins. Click here for the latest leaderboard updates and tee times.
Europe enters Sunday with a commanding 12-5 lead over the United States.
Team Europe is within three points of securing the 2025 Ryder Cup crown.
How to watch Ryder Cup 2025: TV channel, streaming Sunday
All times Eastern
Sunday, Sept. 28Noon-6 p.m.: Ryder Cup, Day 3 singles (NBC/Peacock/NBC Sports app)6-9 p.m.: Live From the Ryder Cup (Golf Channel/NBC Sports app)
Watch the 2025 Ryder Cup with Fubo
2025 Ryder Cup matchups, tee times
All times Eastern, Team USA on left side
Sunday Singles:12:02 p.m.: Cameron Young vs. Justin Rose12:13 p.m.: Justin Thomas vs. Tommy Fleetwood12:24 p.m.: Bryson DeChambeau vs. Matt Fitzpatrick12:35 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler vs. Rory McIlroy12:46 p.m.: Patrick Cantlay vs. Ludvig Aberg12:57 p.m.: Xander Schauffele vs. Jon Rahm1:08 p.m.: J.J. Spaun vs. Sepp Straka1:19 p.m.: Russell Henley vs. Shane Lowry1:30 p.m.: Ben Griffin vs. Rasmus Hojgaard1:41 p.m.: Collin Morikawa vs. Tyrrell Hatton1:52 p.m.: Sam Burns vs. Robert MacIntyre2:03 p.m.: Harris English vs. Viktor Hovland
Team Europe’s Viktor Hovland will not participate in Sunday’s Ryder Cup singles matches due to a neck injury that forced him to withdraw. Hovland also had to sit out the four-ball session on Saturday to undergo an MRI. His teammate, Tyrrell Hatton, stepped in and teamed up with Matt Fitzpatrick, resulting in a victory for their match.
As a consequence of Hovland’s withdrawal from the singles match against Harris English on Sunday, each team will receive half a point. The current leaderboard shows Europe with 12 points and the USA with 5 points.
In a surprising turn of events, the PGA of America reported that a Ryder Cup master of ceremonies stepped down after leading an inappropriate chant toward Rory McIlroy on Saturday.
On Sunday, the PGA released a statement announcing that comedian and actress Heather McMahan will not return to emcee the first tee on the final day at Bethpage Black. This decision follows her involvement in directing the crowd to participate in an expletive chant directed at McIlroy.
The atmosphere at the Ryder Cup has been rowdy, with the crowd doing everything they can to distract the European team, which is heading into the final day of competition with a significant lead. Team Europe is leading 11.5 to Team USA’s 4.5 as the singles matches are set to tee off in a few hours.
2025 Ryder Cup odds
Ryder Cup odds according to BetMGM, entering play Sunday
Moneyline: USA (+4000); Europe (-10000); Tie (+3300)Ryder Cup weather forecast: Latest updates for Sunday
Weather forecasts are according to the Weather Channel:
Sunday, Sept. 28: Partly cloudy. Low: 63F; High: 81F
The 2025 Ryder Cup will be broadcast across various networks under the NBCUniversal umbrella. NBC and USA Network will have coverage throughout the competition. Streaming is available across the NBC Sports app, Peacock, and Fubo, which offers a free trial.
The 2025 Ryder Cup will bring teams representing the United States and Europe to the famed Black Course at Bethpage State Park.
Bethpage Black is located in Farmingdale, New York, roughly an hour east of Manhattan. The Long Island golf course has hosted some big events in recent years, including the 2002 and 2009 editions of the U.S. Open as well as the 2019 PGA Championship. The par-71 course is considered a major test even for the best professional golfers, while its location near New York City makes for easy access for a big, noisy crowd.
The venue was chosen all the way back in 2013, though Bethpage Black was originally set to host the 2024 Ryder Cup. However, a delay caused by the Covid-19 pandemic pushed the tournament – which is played every other year at venues alternating between the U.S. and Europe – back a year, bringing one of golf’s biggest events to the notoriously challenging course in 2025. — Jason Anderson
Most recent Ryder Cup winners. For a full list, click here.
2023: Europe2021: United States2018: Europe2016: United States2014: Europe2012: Europe2010: Europe2008: United States2006: Europe2004: Europe2002: Europe1999: United States
The Ryder Cup is scored via match play. Essentially, it doesn’t matter how many strokes you take on an individual hole. All that matters is that you take fewer strokes than your opponent.
When each round is done, whichever player won more holes, wins a point for their team. If both competitors are tied, each earns half a point for their team.
In total, there are 28 points up for grabs, meaning the first team to 14.5 points wins the tournament. Theoretically, the tournament could end in a 14-14 tie, but that has happened only twice in history (1969, 1989). If it happens this year, the previous winner will retain the trophy, which would be Europe in this instance. — Jon Hoefling
Read more on Ryder Cup rules and format.
One notable player absent from the U.S. Ryder Cup team this year is the legendary Tiger Woods. The 15-time major champion was neither selected as one of the 12 golfers nor appointed as the team captain, primarily because he is prioritizing his health and other obligations.
Although Woods was considered for the captaincy, he declined the opportunity, opting instead to take on additional responsibilities as a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board and the PGA Tour Enterprises Board of Directors. However, he made it clear that this does not rule out the possibility of serving as team captain in the future. — Elizabeth Flores
For nearly a century, golfers were not directly compensated for their participation in the Ryder Cup.
In addition to the charitable donations ($300,000) the PGA of America gave on behalf of the 12 American players and the captain since 1999, the organization voted in November 2024 to also fund a $200,000 stipend for the U.S. squad.
Europe captain Luke Donald noted in an interview with SkySports on Monday, Sept. 22 that European players would never accept the idea of being paid to play in a tournament as prestigious as the Ryder Cup.
“Every one of them was like, ‘This isn’t a week to get paid,'” Donald told SkySports. “We have such a strong purpose in this team and what we play for.”
USA TODAY Sports’ Chris Bumbaca has more on the pay and charity behind the 2025 Ryder Cup.
The Ryder Cup isn’t just a showcase for the best golfers from the United States and Europe. The lead-up to the sport’s most prestigious international team event also puts a spotlight on their wives and girlfriends.
Yes, the WAGs of professional golf are part of the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup and they were out in full force on Tuesday, Sept. 23, for the traditional Ryder Cup welcome dinner before the first tee shots of 2025 were hit Friday morning. This year’s gala feast was held at Hempstead House, a 50,000 square foot, Tudor-style mansion in New York near Bethpage Black Golf Course, and the annual photos featuring the Ryder Cup golfers and their significant others have once again turned into popular talking points.
USA TODAY Sports’ Mark Giannotto has a list for the wives and girlfriends of every Ryder Cup golfer.
Not many golf courses come with warning signs. This one does.
“WARNING,” the red-lettered notice reads as players walk to the first tee.“The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.”
At the 2025 Ryder Cup, the Bethpage Black Course won’t live up to that brutal reputation, which has flummoxed golfers at all proficiency levels, from 30-handicaps to professionals. Brooks Koepka won the last major here, the 2019 PGA Championship, by shooting four-over par over the four days of play. Tiger Woods won the first major at Bethpage, the 2002 U.S. Open, at -3, three shots ahead of second-place finisher Phil Mickelson.
USA TODAY’s Chris Bumbaca has more on the iconic course.
Both the United States and Europe have produced memorable teams in the Ryder Cup’s modern era. Ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup, it seemed prudent to rank the best ones to help put into context what could be at stake when the best golfers in the world match up for golf’s most prestigious team event.
Here’s where all the recent Ryder Cup winners stack up (and yes, as part of our patriotic duty to highlight the most-discussed American Ryder Cup comeback ever, this exercise involves ranking the best Ryder Cup teams since 2000 ‒ or so).
USA TODAY Sports’ Mark Giannotto has a ranking of the 12 best most recent Ryder Cup winners.
