Ryder Cup 2025: What Went Wrong?

Written by David Sisson 

This years Ryder Cup was an embarrassment for the American side and could honestly be considered one of the worst shows of disrespect and abuse from spectators to players in a Ryder Cup. 

(Team Europe Poses With The Ryder Cup After A 15-13 Victory Over The United States)

The American team came into the Ryder Cup looking practically unbeatable with a roster stacked full of winning and experienced players such as Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, and Xander Schauffele, as well as the advantage of a home venue this year. Yet, the American team still couldn’t quite pull it off. 

While watching, I found that a few factors contributed to the United States’ loss. 

First off, the abundance of abuse from American fans to European players. All weekend belligerent fans hurled vulgar insults and raunchy chants at the Europeans, with one fan even throwing a beer can at Erica Stoll, the wife of Rory McIlroy. This behavior made the Americans look classless, and likely disturbed the focus of US players during the tournament. 

Secondly, the lack of cohesion in the team picks. Sure, these guys have played together, but most of the US players seemed like they had no true bonds. When you have guys like Bryson DeChambeau or J.J Spaun, who are too used to playing for themselves or in a different league or too inexperienced in major team play, you’re bound to lose cohesion between players, especially in the case of DeChambeau, who's often regarded as controversial and having a temper on the course.

(Tommy Fleetwood Steps In Between Dechambeau and Justin Rose After Heated Interaction Between the Two) 

Lastly, the leadership of Keegan Bradley was entirely subpar compared to Luke Donald. In his debut as captain of the American team, he paired players such as Collin Morikawa and Harris English against big hitters such as Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, set players up for the wrong holes, and set the holes up in a way which gave the home field advantage away to the European team. 

When asked about his course strategy, Bradley stated, “Obviously it wasn't the right decision, ... You look at past Ryder Cups, and that's kind of how it goes. You know, sometimes, you've got to make a decision on what to do, and you know, if I could go back, I probably would have changed that.” (Source)

Some could excuse his performance as captain due to the fact that it was his first time, but his performance shouldn’t be excused, anyone who really cared about winning or the captaincy in general would’ve made sure pairings were cohesive and that course setup would give the best outcome to American players. 

The United States has another 2 years until the next Ryder Cup, and hopefully the PGA of America takes this years humiliation as a valuable lesson as to what needs to be changed in 2027 at Adare Manor, and more likely, the 2029 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National.