One year out from the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, there are few surefire bets when it comes to who will be playing.
Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are probably already locks.
Same goes for Rory McIlroy and, if eligible, Jon Rahm.
But what about the other end of the U.S. and European rosters? Surely, there will be some new blood appointed by captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald. After all, each side has had at least three rookies in each of the past three Ryder Cups.
When it comes to who those fresh faces will be, here are three contenders for both the U.S. and Europe:
U.S.
Akshay Bhatia
You could’ve made the argument that the 22-year-old Bhatia, now a top-30 player in the world, had a case to be on this year’s U.S. Presidents Cup team. He continues to progress nicely with this past season including his breakout win on the PGA Tour. Entering a Ryder Cup year, the next step for Bhatia is to show in the majors. His elite all-around skillset should allow him to build off a pair of top-40s in this year’s majors, and if he does that, he’ll be firmly on Bradley’s radar.
Nick Dunlap
He’s not even been a pro for a calendar year yet and the former U.S. Amateur winner already has two PGA Tour titles to his name. While the bumps for frequent for the first several months of his pro career, Dunlap has found more of a rhythm recently. He tied for fifth at the first FedExCup playoff event in Memphis and nearly added a top-25 at the Sanderson Farms Championship. If he can figure out the driver next year, he’ll start eliminating those MCs and adding more top-10s to go along with the potential of multiple wins once again.
Luke Clanton
The world’s top-ranked amateur is up to No. 144 in the Official World Golf Ranking as he begins his junior season at Florida State. He went on a tear this summer, posting three top-10s in PGA Tour starts, including a runner-up at the John Deere Classic. There is one major caveat, though, as Clanton will only turn pro next summer should he earn his PGA Tour card, which can only happen if he satisfies PGA Tour University Accelerated. Clanton currently sits at 15 points, meaning he will either need to win two of the three major individual awards – Hogan, Haskins, Nicklaus – or take home one of them while adding two points via performance in PGA Tour events (one points for a made cut, an additional point for a top-10). If he makes it to the Tour by next June and then rattles off another run of strong finishes, it will be difficult to deny this skilled ball-striker.
Europe
Thomas Detry
The swaggy Belgian has been on the periphery for the last couple Ryder Cups. He had a banner year major-wise this year, tying for fourth at the PGA before contending at the U.S. Open, where he ended up T-14; he didn’t qualify for the other two. With the European side always happy to add great putters to its roster, Detry, who ranked 10th in strokes gained putting last season on the PGA Tour, would be welcomed with open arms should he continue to produce the results.
Matteo Manassero
This former Italian prodigy’s Ryder Cup debut was supposed to come many years ago, yet such expectations never materialized. Now 31, Manassero is enjoying a resurgence, climbing to No. 86 in the Official World Golf Ranking and racking up eight top-15s, including a win, on the DP World Tour this year.
David Puig
There have been few LIV players better this year in non-LIV competition than the former Arizona State standout from Spain. Though his LIV campaign only included one top-10 finish, Puig has rattled off six top-5s, including a win, between the Asian Tour and DP World Tour this year. Should he carry that momentum over to LIV in 2025, he’ll be on Donald’s short list from the LIV crop.
