Three things to look out for at this year’s Ryder Cup
USUA TODAY Sports’ Chris Bumbaca breaks down the three biggest storylines surrounding the 2025 Ryder Cup.
The 2025 Ryder Cup kicked off Friday, Sept. 26, and it features some of the top golfers from the United States and Europe battling it out on U.S. soil.
The Ryder Cup is one of the select few opportunities to root for some of the best golfers in the world as they represent your country. Unlike traditional tournaments, the Ryder Cup isn’t determined by strokes, and matches are a mix of singles and foursomes.
Here’s what to know about the 2025 Ryder Cup and how you can watch it.
How does the Ryder Cup work?
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 completed, the player who wins more holes earns a point for their team. If both competitors are tied, each earns half a point for their team.
The competition features 28 total matches over three days, including foursomes (alternate shot), four-ball (best ball) and singles matches. With 28 points available, the first team to reach 14.5 points wins the Ryder Cup.
Theoretically, the tournament could end in a 14-14 tie, but that has happened only twice in history (1969 and 1989). If it happens this year, the previous winner will retain the trophy, which would be Europe in this instance. The U.S. has lost five of the last seven tournaments.
How to watch the 2025 Ryder Cup?
Coverage for the Ryder Cup started at 6:05 a.m. CT on Friday and runs until 5 p.m. ET on the USA Network, with streaming available on the Ryder Cup app and rydercup.com.
On the second and final days, coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET and continues until 6 p.m. ET on NBC, also with streaming options on the app and website.
Date: Sept. 26-28TV: NBC and USA NetworkStream: Ryder Cup app and rydercup.comLocation: Bethpage State Park Black course (Farmingdale, New York)2025 Ryder Cup rosters
Team U.S. will be led by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who secured an automatic qualifying spot with his phenomenal 2025 season. He won six PGA Tour events, including the PGA Championship, The Open Championship, the BMW Championship and the Procore Championship.
Additional qualifiers for the team were J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau. U.S. captain Keegan Bradley has also added Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns as captain’s picks to complete the 12-member team.
Team Europe’s six automatic qualifiers for the Ryder Cup were Masters champion Rory McIlroy, who will be making his eighth appearance. He will be joined by Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton. Captain Luke Donald completed his squad by selecting Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Is Iowan Zach Johnson in the Ryder Cup?
Cedar Rapids native and 12-time PGA Tour winner Zach Johnson represented the U.S. side in the Ryder Cup five times as a player, but won’t compete this year. He was part of the winning team in 2016, compiling an 8-7-2 record.
The former Drake University golfer captained the U.S. team in 2023, when Europe claimed victory with a 16.5–11.5 win.
USA TODAY reporter Elizabeth Flores contributed to this report.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
