There’s nothing in sports — and certainly nothing in professional golf — quite like the Ryder Cup. In addition to being one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, it’s a palate cleanser for golf itself, transforming a sport that’s typically defined by individual superstars into one of team-based camaraderie and good will.
Every two years, top-tier golfers from both sides of the Atlantic assemble for the Ryder Cup, playing not for huge prize money but for friendly territorial bragging rights. On one side is Team U.S.A.; on the other, Team Europe, and the venue for the amiable contest switches back and forth between continents every time the event is held.
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Europe won the most recent Ryder Cup contest two years ago, but the United States is playing host in 2025 for the 45th Ryder Cup. The three-day spectacle is set to unfold from September 26-28 on NBC, Peacock, and the USA Network, with extended coverage on the NBC Sports app and the Golf Channel.
What is the Ryder Cup?
First held in 1927 and named after English entrepreneur and founding patron Samuel Ryder, the Ryder Cup is a biennial competition that pits two golf teams — one from the U.S. and the other from Europe — against one another in a three-day match play competition that tallies overall points rather than individual stroke-based player rankings.
Each team is composed of 12 players, selected in part for their current performance in major golfing events and, in part, by the captain of each team. For 2025, the Team U.S.A. captain is Keegan Bradley (who most recently won the Travelers Championship in June), while the European team is captained by Luke Donald (who also captained the Europeans to victory when the Ryder Cup was last played in 2023).
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Unlike individual golfing competitions, the Ryder Cup doesn’t tally each player’s par performance as the three-day event moves from one hole to the next. Instead of counting strokes, each team competes as a unit for as many of the event’s 28 overall points as they can claim, with the first to exceed 14 points winning the tournament. If there’s a tie, a Ryder Cup tradition steps in to settle the score: “Should the match end in a 14-14 draw, then the previous winner retains the trophy,” the official Ryder Cup website explains.
During the tournament’s first two days, Friday and Saturday, Ryder Cup team members compete in pairs. That changes on the event’s final day, Sunday, when players go head to head across 12 singles matches. On all three days, the goal is the same: to win your hole for your team by completing it with the lowest stroke total. Every time a team wins a hole, it wins one point — and if two teams tie for a hole, they each earn half a point.
Team U.S.A. and Team Europe: Who’s playing in the 2025 Ryder Cup?
Up until 1979, the European side of the Ryder Cup was all about Great Britain, fielding only players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It’s since expanded to included top golfers from all across continental Europe, too — a move that’s ramped up the level of competition, as Europe’s 2023 Ryder Cup victory can attest.
As you can see from a glance at the team lists below, the Ryder Cup features some of the biggest names in professional golf — including current PGA Tour hot-streak players like Rory McIlroy (Europe) and Scottie Scheffler (U.S.A). Here’s who’s playing for Team Europe and Team U.S.A. in the 2025 Ryder Cup:
Team Europe
Ludvig Aberg
Matt Fitzpatrick
Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrrell Hatton
Rasmus Højgaard
Viktor Hovland
Shane Lowry
Robert MacIntyre
Rory McIlroy
Jon Rahm
Justin Rose
Sepp Straka
Team U.S.A.
Sam Burns
Patrick Cantlay
Bryson DeChambeau
Harris English
Ben Griffin
Russell Henley
Collin Morikawa
Xander Schauffele
Scottie Scheffler
J.J. Spaun
Justin Thomas
Cameron Young
Where will the 2025 Ryder Cup be played?
The venue for the Ryder Cup changes from one tournament to the next, with Europe and the United States always taking turns to host the biennial event.
Last time out, Europe hosted (and won) the Ryder Cup at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club just outside of Rome. For 2025, the Americans are extending some Long Island hospitality, hosting the 2025 Ryder Cup at the iconic Bethpage Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York.
There’s no individual prize money on the table for Ryder Cup players; in keeping with long-held tradition, they each take part for the love of the game and to foster national camaraderie within the sport. American players do each receive a $500,000 stipend simply for participating in the tournament. Of that amount, $300,000 is donated to a charity of each player’s choosing.
How to watch the 2025 Ryder Cup
NBC Sports will present comprehensive coverage of the 45th Ryder Cup, held from Friday, September 26 through Sunday, September 28. The tournament will be broadcast live all three days on NBC, the USA Network, Peacock, and the NBC Sports app.
Covering the play-by-play call will be a pair of veteran NBC sportscasters, alongside golfing greats from both Europe and the U.S. to offer instant all-pro analysis. The weekend’s two coverage teams will consist of Dan Hicks (play-by-play) with analysis from Brad Faxon and Paul McGinley; as well as Terry Gannon (play-by-play) and analysis from Notah Begay III and Nick Faldo.
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Terry Gannon and Steve Sands will serve as hole announcers, while on-course reporting will come from Jim “Bones” Mackay, Smylie Kaufman, and Curt Byrum. Cara Banks, Damon Hack, Anna Jackson, and Tim Barter also will be on hand to conduct player interview all throughout the tournament, which NBC Sports is covering from all angles with the most cameras ever placed in the field for a Ryder Cup event on U.S. soil.
Beginning Monday, September 22 and running all through the tournament, the Golf Channel will feature expanded studio coverage of the 45th Ryder Cup with Golf Central — Live From the Ryder Cup, including live on-course segments that feature player interviews and hole-by-hole breakdowns. Live From will also offer live coverage of the Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony on Thursday, September 25 at 4 p.m. ET, hosted by NBC’s Carson Daly and Kira K. Dixon.
