Ryder Cup 2025 Preview: Europe vs USA at Bethpage Black

The Ryder Cup is back—and this time it’s New York tough. From Friday to Sunday (26–28 Sept), Team Europe and Team USA square off on the infamous Bethpage Black, a public-access brute that will be packed with a partisan Long Island crowd. Europe arrive as holders after Rome 2023; the U.S. have home turf, firepower, and thousands of New Yorkers at their backs. Wikipedia

When & where (UK times)

• Dates: Fri 26 – Sun 28 September

• Venue: Bethpage Black, Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale, New York

• Daily start times (UK): Foursomes begin 12:10pm BST Fri & Sat; afternoon fourballs from 5:25pm BST. Sunday singles start 5:02pm BST. UK coverage is live on Sky Sports and streaming on NOW. Sky Sports+2Sky Sports+2

The captains & teams

• USA captain: Keegan Bradley

• Europe captain: Luke Donald (seeking back-to-back wins as captain after 2023). Wikipedia

Confirmed players (highlights):

• United States: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns, Russell Henley, Cameron Young, Harris English, J.J. Spaun, Ben Griffin. Golf

• Europe: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Åberg, Robert MacIntyre, Rasmus Højgaard. Golf

Context: Europe haven’t won on U.S. soil since the Medinah “Miracle” in 2012—motivation enough. Reuters

Format refresher

• Fri & Sat mornings: 4 x foursomes (alternate shot)

• Fri & Sat afternoons: 4 x fourballs (best ball)

• Sun: 12 singles.
  First match each morning is 7:10am ET (12:10pm BST); first afternoon match 12:25pm ET (5:25pm BST). 28 points total; 14 retains for Europe, 14½ wins for either side. Ryder Cup+2SI+2

The course: Bethpage Black, in brief

Bethpage Black is a par-71, ~7,468 yards monster with a 77.5 rating and 155 slope. It’s famous for the first-tee sign warning it’s “for highly skilled golfers.” Expect narrow landing areas, hulking bunkers and thick rough—perfect match-play theatre. (For the Cup, some holes have been tweaked for grandstands and drama.) Wikipedia+1

Key holes to watch

• No. 1 (Par 4) – a shortened, amphitheatre opener: adrenaline + driver temptations.

• No. 4 (Par 5) – reachable with risk; eagle swings early momentum.

• Nos. 10–13 (Par-4 gauntlet) – four bruisers in a row; winning this stretch flips sessions.

• No. 15 (“Heart Attack Hill”) – uphill, brutal; it can crush late hopes.

• No. 17 (Par 3) – a stage-set penultimate hole built for roars. TalkSport+1

Five storylines for the weekend

1. Scheffler vs. Europe’s spine
   World No.1 Scottie Scheffler headlines a deep U.S. roster. Europe counters with McIlroy–Rahm–Hovland, arguably the world’s best big-event trio. First-morning matchups around these names often set the Cup’s tone. Golf

2. Can Europe finally win away again?
   They ended 2023 in style; now comes the hardest trick: winning in America for the first time since 2012. Bethpage’s cauldron will test European rookies—Åberg, Højgaard—like nothing else. Reuters

3. New-look USA under Bradley
   Keegan Bradley’s bold selections blend proven Cup performers (Thomas, Morikawa, Cantlay) with form players and course fits (Young’s NY roots, DeChambeau’s power). His vice-captain lineup—Furyk, Snedeker, Woodland, Simpson, Kisner—suggests versatility in pairing philosophies. Golf

4. Bethpage factor
   The setup leans into risk-reward and crowd energy. Expect aggressive lines in fourball and conservative targets in foursomes. The rough and long par-4s reward elite ball-striking; the par-5s and a driveable opener reward bravery. PGA Tour+1

5. Session management
   Captains win Cups with Friday morning. Nail the opening foursomes, control momentum into fourballs, and you can ride the crowd to Sunday. Watch how early anchors are used (McIlroy/Fleetwood for Europe? Scheffler/Schauffele for USA?) and whether captains chase or hold when a session tilts.

Likely pairings (educated guesses)

• Europe foursomes: McIlroy–Fitzpatrick (or Fleetwood), Rahm–Hatton, Hovland–Åberg, Lowry–Straka/Rose.

• USA foursomes: Scheffler–Morikawa or Scheffler–Thomas, Cantlay–Schauffele, DeChambeau–Burns, Young–English/Spaun.
  Donald leaned into chemistry in Rome; Bradley may prioritise tee-to-green plus putting balance and New York familiarity (Young). (Official pairings drop the evening before play.) Ryder Cup

What each team must do

Europe’s recipe

• Silence the crowd early: target halves from the top group on Fri AM, then attack in fourballs.

• Lean on elite iron play from McIlroy/Hovland/Rahm to survive Bethpage’s long par-4s.

• Protect rookies in foursomes; unleash them in fourball.

USA’s recipe

• Win foursomes (the Euro stronghold in 2023) to flip the narrative.

• Exploit par-5s with DeChambeau/Burns/Cantlay for two-putt birdies.

• Use local energy smartly—pair Young in crowd-heavy slots.

How it could swing

• First tee scene: If USA ride the Bethpage roar to early reds on the board, Europe face an uphill climb.

• Middle-stretch par-4s: Whoever survives 10–13 with fewer mistakes likely owns each session. PGA Tour

• Late-day pin positions: Expect organisers to tempt birdies in fourball but punish misses—classic match-play bait. TalkSport

Prediction (brave hat on)

On neutral ground you’d call this a coin flip. At Bethpage, slight edge to USA—but Europe’s top three are built for brutal setups, and Donald’s pairings are usually razor-sharp. Call it 15–13 USA, with Sunday singles deciding it in the darkening Long Island light.