![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/689361412d426ab072eedf76_Team-USA-August.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt\u2019s time to revisit the hottest topic in golf: the state of Team USA as we look ahead to the Ryder Cup. I\u2019ve thought a lot about how the team currently stands today and feel confident that the below graphic is the correct illustration of how the American side should be viewed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A few notes:\u00a0<\/p>\n
I try to consistently remind myself and readers that the word \u201clock\u201d is thrown around far too casually in Ryder Cup conversations. Resist the urge to use that word liberally. I last did this specific exercise<\/a> on April 30th. My tiers from April have aged well, but you can still see how much things have changed over the last three months. Neither Ben Griffin <\/strong>nor Chris Gotterup<\/strong> was on the Ryder Cup radar in April, and now both golfers have strong cases for making the team. The event is two months away. More will change. However, as things currently stand, I think it\u2019s appropriate to use the word \u201clock\u201d on nine names.\u00a0<\/p>\n My official Keegan Bradley<\/strong> stance is that we should stop freaking out about the whole situation until at least after the BMW Championship. At the current moment, he is one of the 12 best American golfers. If he is one of the best 12 players a few weeks from now, he should play in the Ryder Cup. If he plays, he should have as close to zero captain responsibilities as possible, even if he retains the title of captain, which he should. Making decisions on the fly while also competing is a recipe for disaster. Yet, I find some of the media uproar over this \u201ccontroversy\u201d to be extremely overdramatic and premature. Is this really a distraction right now? Can we at least wait a couple of weeks to see what happens before we freak out? Everyone calm down.\u00a0<\/p>\n My hottest Ryder Cup take is that Captain Keegan should be prepared to leave Collin Morikawa <\/strong>off the team if he struggles mightily over the next few weeks. I don\u2019t expect this scenario to materialize, but Morikawa looked completely lost<\/a> at Royal Portrush. Also, he hasn\u2019t done much of anything since April, a T-14 at the Masters. Though I\u2019ve labeled him a \u201cLock\u201d above, largely because I don\u2019t think Keegan will leave him off the team no matter what happens, I would not be afraid to leave the sixth-ranked player in the world<\/a> off the team if his performances in the Playoffs are ugly.\u00a0<\/p>\n Relatedly, I have concerns about Justin Thomas <\/strong>and his inability to hit a driver. My way-too-early call is that the Ryder Cup could very well come down to Bradley\u2019s willingness to bench at least one of JT and\/or Morikawa for much of the competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n {{related-articles}}<\/p>\n