Following Sunday's BMW Championship on the PGA Tour , the six automatic player qualifications were finalized for Team USA in next month's Ryder Cup . After nearly two years of competition to make the team, play concluded and the first half of the roster was announced for captain Keegan Bradley .
Let's examine the six automatic qualifiers and dive deep into who could fill the remaining six spots playing for the Red, White and Blue.
Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Following his BMW Championship victory, Scottie Scheffler officially locked up his Ryder Cup spot with 37,181 points. Scheffler recorded his second consecutive season with at least five PGA Tour wins Sunday. This year was highlighted by two major championships: the PGA Championship and the Open Championship . The world No. 1 will make his third straight Ryder Cup appearance.
Credit: Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
J.J. Spaun will be one of Bradley's rookies on the U.S. Ryder Cup team after finishing second with 14,852 points. The reigning U.S. Open champion also has a Players Championship runner-up among three second-place finishes this season. Although Spaun lacks extensive match play experience, Bradley and his vice captains will ensure he has a vital role that aligns with the course conditions at Bethpage Black in New York.
Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Despite enduring his worst PGA Tour season, Xander Schauffele claimed the No. 3 position. His two major wins in 2024 proved crucial in securing his spot. Schauffele's streak of eight straight Tour Championship starts has ended. However, like Scheffler, he returns for his third straight Ryder Cup appearance.
Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Russell Henley earned the fourth automatic qualifier spot for Team USA. Henley won the Arnold Palmer Invitational last March before finishing runner-up at the Travelers Championship. After posting a 3-1-0 record for Team USA in his first Presidents Cup last year, he'll make his Ryder Cup debut next month.
Harris English had a strong 2025 season to earn the fifth spot. After recording four top 10s in 2024, English matched that total this year while adding two runner-ups and a victory. English won the Farmers Insurance Open in January before runner-up finishes at the PGA Championship and Open Championship. This marks his second Ryder Cup appearance and first since 2021, when he went 1-2-0 alongside players like Scheffler and Schauffele.
Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Unable to accumulate Ryder Cup points weekly due to his LIV Golf commitment, Bryson DeChambeau needed strong major championship performances. DeChambeau delivered with six top 10s in eight major championships over the last two years, highlighted by winning the 2024 U.S. Open and runner-up finishes at the PGA Championship in 2024 and 2025. He also posted tied-sixth and tied-fifth finishes at the last two Masters tournaments, respectively.
Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Now let's examine who could join the six automatic qualifiers as captain's picks. The first name that seems like a lock is Justin Thomas . After missing the FedEx Cup Playoffs entirely two years ago, Thomas went from the bubble to nearly automatic qualification, placing seventh in the standings. During 2025, Thomas recorded seven top 10s, including three runner-ups. He won the RBC Heritage in June, marking his first victory since the 2022 PGA Championship.
Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Another virtual lock is multiple-time major champion Collin Morikawa . Like Thomas, Morikawa has been a fixture on recent U.S. Ryder Cup teams, playing in the last two events. Morikawa was the eighth and final player in U.S. Team standings to record at least 10,000 points.
One of the biggest questions for selection day on Aug. 27 is whether Bradley will serve as a playing captain. He would become the first player-captain to lead the U.S. since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Bradley won the Travelers Championship in June and has risen as high as No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He currently ranks as the seventh-highest American at No. 13 globally.
Credit: Katie Goodale-Imagn Images
A notable name on the bubble is Patrick Cantlay , who has played in the last two Ryder Cups. He owns a career Ryder Cup record of 5-2-1 for 5.5 points while serving as a fixture partner for Schauffele. However, Cantlay has struggled with consistency lately and hasn't won on the PGA Tour since he and Schauffele captured the 2022 Zurich Classic.
Credit: Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Like Spaun, Ben Griffin has played his way into Ryder Cup consideration. Although Griffin lacks the automatic qualification status of Spaun or the experience of Morikawa and Thomas, he won twice this season. He captured the Zurich Classic with Andrew Novak and was victorious at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Griffin has nine top 10s and ranks inside the top 30 on the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach (27th), strokes gained putting (23rd) and total strokes gained (8th).
Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Speaking of Novak, he's another name worth watching for Bradley and the vice captains. His Zurich Classic victory with Griffin proved valuable since they played four-ball and foursomes formats that will be used over the first three days of the Ryder Cup. Besides his win with Griffin, Novak lost in a playoff to Thomas at the RBC Heritage. He also has third-place finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open and Valero Texas Open.
Credit: Allison Lawhon-Imagn Images
Cameron Young is another bubble candidate for the U.S. Team. Recent form has benefited Young after his return from Europe following his missed cut at the Open Championship. He recorded his first PGA Tour win — after seven runner-ups — at the Wyndham Championship, followed by fifth- and 11th-place finishes at the first two FedEx Cup Playoff events.
He also has tied-fourth finishes at the RBC Canadian Open and U.S. Open. Young presents an intriguing option as a New York native from Scarborough, about 60 miles from Bethpage Black on Long Island. He ranks seventh this season in strokes gained putting and 19th in driving distance.
Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Maverick McNealy finished 10th in points in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, making him another possibility for Bradley. McNealy is coming off a third-place finish at the BMW Championship to secure his spot this week in Atlanta. One of McNealy's strengths is his putting, ranking 19th in strokes gained on the greens. He could complement a playing partner who struggles more with putting.
Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Like Young, Sam Burns is another intriguing option for Bradley. Burns ranks 16th in the U.S. standings, putting him on the outside looking in. Burns was part of the U.S. Team in Rome, giving him an experience edge over Griffin, McNealy and Novak. He won the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event and currently leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting.
Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
Brian Harman is another bubble candidate after finishing 12th in the standings. The 2023 Open Championship winner was on last year's Presidents Cup team and the 2023 Ryder Cup team. Harman won the Valero Texas Open in April and placed third at the RBC Heritage. During the 2023 Ryder Cup, he went 2-2 in matches and has proven to be a strong match play competitor.
Related Headlines
