Both Ryder Cup camps have plenty of reason for optimism going into the 2025 edition at Bethpage Black.
The 12 players in the US line-up came through some stern tests to secure their places on the team, regardless of whether they qualified automatically or were one of Keegan Bradley’s captain’s picks.
Such is the depth of talent available in the US, seven of the world’s top 10 are in the team, while even a hypothetical Ryder Cup B-team would be stacked with recent Ryder Cup experience and success elsewhere, including Major titles.
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The Europeans don’t boast quite the depth of the Americans, while the 12 who have made the trip to Farmingdale don’t have as high an average world ranking.
However, the line-up is settled, with just one change from the 2023 success at Marco Simone, while there is world-class talent throughout, including five Major winners.
Of course, however strong both set-ups currently appear, change is inevitable, but which players are shaping up as future Ryder Cup stars?
Let’s take a look at 12 potential Ryder Cup stars of the future.
Potential Future US Ryder Cup PlayersAkshay Bhatia
Akshay Bhatia has shown promise in both his amateur and professional careers
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Bhatia’s progress on the PGA Tour alone suggests he is firmly on course to represent the US in the Ryder Cup down the line, having claimed two victories on the circuit since earning his card in 2023.
The left-hander’s amateur career also showed plenty of promise that a future in the biennial match awaits. He was part of the US team at the Junior Presidents Cup, and he didn’t disappoint, emerging with a 3-0-0 record as the Internationals were defeated 14-10.
A year later, he didn’t have quite the same impact at the Junior Ryder Cup, but the US still won, with Bhatia contributing half a point alongside Michael Thorbjornsen in their foursomes match against Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard.
Bhatia also played in the 2019 Walker Cup, helping the US beat Great Britain & Ireland 15.5-10.5, picking up two points along the way
He didn’t do quite enough to force his way into contention for the 2025 Ryder Cup, finishing 19th in the team rankings, but his credentials suggest it is only a matter of time.
Luke Clanton
Luke Clanton has made a big impact on the PGA Tour
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Unlike Bhatia, former Florida State player Luke Clanton doesn’t have a history of appearances in elite amateur team contests, although there’s no denying he is one of the game’s rising stars.
He won the Seminole Intercollegiate, the Valspar Collegiate, and the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial in 2022, propelling him to the top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
After making it to the 2024 US Open via final qualifying, he showed what he can do on one of the game’s biggest stages, placing T41 at Pinehurst No.2.
That was just the start. Later that year, he became the first amateur since 1958 to achieve top-10 placings in successive PGA Tour events, the John Deere Classic and Rocket Mortgage Classic, before claiming further top 10s at the Wyndham Championship and RSM Classic.
It was only a matter of time until he earned his PGA Tour card, which he managed via the PGA Tour University Accelerated program after making the cut at the 2025 Cognizant Classic.
Another milestone came when he turned professional in June, and a further big moment in the form of a Ryder Cup berth is almost certainly in his future.
Chris Gotterup
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Chris Gotterup’s paternal grandparents were born in Denmark, while his father speaks Danish, but his allegiances are with the US having been born in Maryland and raised in New Jersey.
Given his form since earning his PGA Tour card in 2024, he looks highly likely to represent his country in the Ryder Cup in the future.
Gotterup has two PGA Tour wins, the first of which came at the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic. The following year, he surpassed that achievement, beating Rory McIlroy to the DP World Tour co-sanctioned Genesis Scottish Open.
The week after that win, he almost added a Major title to his resume before placing T3 behind winner Scottie Scheffler and Harris English at The Open.
That led to suggestions he could even make the 2025 Ryder Cup team, but in the end, he missed out on a wildcard after finishing 20th in the team standings.
While Gotterup’s career is increasingly impressive, he lacks experience in match play since turning pro, but it looks like just a matter of time until all that changes.
Jackson Koivun
Jackson Koivun starred for the US at the Walker Cup
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Auburn player Kouivun is yet to join the professional ranks, but his amateur career is proving enough to catch the eye.
Among his achievements are some strong team performances, including helping the US win the 2022 Junior Presidents Cup 13-11, claiming a full point in his foursomes match, then beating Aldrich Potgieter 3&2 in the singles.
He has also represented the US in the Arnold Palmer Cup twice, helping the team victory in 2024.
Koivun was also a star of the 2025 US Walker Cup team, as Nathan Smith’s Americans beat Great Britain & Ireland 17-9, with the player returning three points from his four matches.
Koivun also made the cut on his PGA Tour debut at the 2024 Memorial Tournament, while he has since achieved T6 at the DP World Tour’s ISCO Championship and back-to-back top 10s on the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship and Procore Championship.
Maverick McNealy
Maverick McNealy had valuable team success as an amateur
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Barely anyone would have batted an eyelid had McNealy made the 2025 US team after a qualifying period that included his maiden PGA Tour win at the 2024 RSM Classic and several brilliant performances in 2025, the best of which was runner-up to Ludvig Aberg at the Genesis Invitational.
That left him 10th in the team standings and surely a big consideration for a wildcard.
Although he missed out, McNealy looks likely to have a part to play in the Ryder Cup in the future. Also working in his favor is a solid team record as an amateur, including two Walker Cup appearances.
While the US lost the Great Britain & Ireland in 2015, with McNealy contributing only half a point in a 16.5-9.5 defeat, it was a different story two years later.
On that occasion, McNealy won all four of his matches as the US regained the trophy with a 19-7 victory, suggesting that whenever the call does come to begin his Ryder Cup career, he will be equipped to step up to the challenge.
Caleb Surratt
Caleb Surratt’s excellent amateur career led to the call from LIV Golf
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Surratt was a star of the amateur game before turning pro at the age of 19 and joining Jon Rahm’s newly formed Legion XIII team with LIV Golf.
Before that, one of the big-hitting star’s standout performances came at the 2023 Walker Cup, when he won three of his four sessions to help the US to a 14.5-11.5 victory.
Despite his young age and relative inexperience in professional golf, Surratt has held his own in his LIV Golf career.
In his maiden LIV Golf season, he placed 41st in the Individual Championship, before getting a firmer footing in his second campaign, finishing 33rd with a best result of T3 at LIV Golf United Kingdom.
Potential Future Europe Ryder Cup PlayersJose Luis Ballester
Jose Luis Ballester had a choice between the Korn Ferry Tour and LIV Golf
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Jose Luis Ballester is another young LIV Golfer with a bright future. The Spaniard proved his matchplay credentials emphatically at the 2025 Bonallack Trophy, where he won five out of five matches, albeit not enough to prevent the Europeans sliding to a 16.5-15.5 defeat to Asia-Pacific.
That is far from the only success story of his amateur career. He also won the 2020 Spanish Amateur and the 2023 European Amateur before the biggest of the lot, becoming the first Spaniard to win the US Amateur in 2024, beating Noah Kent 2up at Hazeltine.
His 2025 PGA Tour University standing qualified the Arizona State player for a Korn Ferry Tour card, but instead he opted to join the big-money circuit as on of Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC team.
In just six appearances to close out the season, he achieved two top-10 placings, including runner-up at LIV Golf Chicago.
Harry Hall
Harry Hall’s PGA Tour career is flourishing
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The Englishman already had valuable team experience before turning professional, most notably at the 2019 Walker Cup.
Despite losing two of his three matches in Great Britain & Ireland’s 15.5-10.5 defeat, the other saw him team up with Conor Gough in the Saturday morning foursomes, where they beat Stewart Hagestad and Akshay Bhatia 2&1.
Hall left the amateur game behind the same year, and won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour before earning his PGA Tour card.
His first title on it came at the DP World Tour co-sanctioned ISCO Championship in 2024, with further excellent performances following in 2025, including sixth at the BMW Championship among 15 top-25 finishes.
That left him 17th in the European Ryder Cup team standings, and while it wasn’t enough to earn a wildcard for the Bethpage Black match, a continuation of that form will surely lead to further opportunities.
Filip Jakubcik
Filip Jakubcik performed better than several world-class players at the 2025 Open
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In 2024, Czech player and University of Arizona star Jakubcik played for Continental Europe in the prestigious St Andrews Trophy, winning one of his two matches as his team beat Great Britain & Ireland 16-9.
Things got even better for him at the 2025 Bonallack Trophy. Like Ballester, he played his part, securing 2.5 points from his four matches.
Jakubcik also made history in 2025 as the first Czech winner of the European Amateur, earning him a place at The Open.
Rounds of 75 and 73 meant he missed the cut at Royal Portrush, but he outperformed the likes of Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott and former winners Collin Morikawa and Cameron Smith.
Aged just 21, Jakubcik has a bright future in the game, and it would be no surprise to see him line up for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup in the next few years.
Tom McKibbin
Tom McKibbin could one day follow in the footsteps of fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy
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One of the courses McKibbin played regularly growing up was Holywood Golf Club in his native Northern Ireland – the home club of Rory McIlroy.
As well as following the five-time Major winner in that regard, there’s every chance that, like his compatriot, he’ll rack up some Ryder Cup appearances as his career progresses.
McKibbin sent notice of his abilities before turning professional, when he reached the final of the 2020 Australian Amateur, before Jediah Morgan beat him 5&3.
A year later, he left his amateur career behind when plans to attend the University of Florida failed to materialize because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a year on the Challenge Tour, he earned his DP World Tour card for the 2023 season, where he claimed his first title at the Porsche European Open.
McKibbin earned his PGA Tour card thanks to his 2024 Race to Dubai ranking, but instead opted to sign for LIV Golf, placing a highly creditable 20th in the season-long Individual Championship.
McKibbin also played in the 2025 Hero Cup – a competition introduced to help Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald assess potential selections.
It didn’t lead to a spot at the 2025 edition, but a bright career, including Ryder Cup appearances, seems assured.
Marco Penge
Marco Penge has two DP World Tour wins
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Englishman Penge turned professional in 2017 and had a spell on the PGA EuroPro Tour before earning promotion to the Challenge Tour two years later.
It took four years, but, helped by two wins in 2023, Penge’s next port of call was the DP World Tour, where he claimed his first title at the 2025 Hainan Classic.
He finished T2 at the Genesis Scottish Open, before winning a second title at the Danish Golf Championship, with more impressive results as the season continued.
Ultimately, he placed 14th in the European Ryder Cup qualifying rankings, but while it didn’t earn him a wildcard, he can’t have been too far from serious consideration by Donald.
David Puig
David Puig traded a brilliant amateur career for an equally impressive professional career
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Among a string of team events Spaniard Puig played in as an amateur was the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup, although his team was on the wrong end of a 12.5-11.5 scoreline.
A year later, while at Arizona State, he won the 2021 Southwestern Invitational in just his fifth collegiate strokeplay tournament.
Clearly, he was one to watch, and that was accentuated when he helped his college reach the team final of the 2022 NCAA Division I Championship.
Soon after, he was invited to play in the first-ever LIV Golf event before turning professional and becoming a full-time member of the circuit.
Since then, he has more than held his own with LIV Golf and finished 10th in the 2025 Individual Championship, but it is his form elsewhere that has really impressed, including his first two professional wins on the Asian Tour.
Still aged just 23, Puig’s career has a lot of runway, and it would be a surprise if he didn’t have some Ryder Cup memories to look back on when it is over.
