Luke Donald has been announced as Europe's next Ryder Cup captain, while Team USA have confirmed Keegan Bradley as Zach Johnson's replacement; Europe claimed a 16.5-11.5 victory in the 2023 contest in Rome; watch the 2025 Ryder Cup exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf
Tuesday 8 October 2024 08:12, UK
When is the next Ryder Cup? Which course is hosting? Who could feature for Team Europe? We look at the key questions ahead of the 2025 contest, live on Sky Sports...
The next edition will take place from September 26-28, 2025.
The biennial contest switched back to odd-numbered years from 2023, having been postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and taking place the following year.
The 2025 edition will be held on the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York. The venue has previously hosted the US Open twice and was also where the 2019 PGA Championship was held.
The public course has a warning sign at the first tee that reads: "The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers."
The 2027 contest will be played at Adare Manor in Ireland and the 2029 edition will take place at Hazeltine National Golf Club, having previously hosted the 2016 event. The 2031 venue has yet to be confirmed.
Europe will enter as defending champions after a brilliant 16.5-11.5 victory in Rome. Rory McIlroy top-scored for the hosts that week with four points from five matches, while Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm both enjoyed unbeaten weeks.
Team USA won their last home Ryder Cup by a record-breaking margin in 2021, giving them back-to-back home victories for the first time since the 1980s.
Former world No 1 Luke Donald will serve as Europe's captain for a second time, having led Europe to victory in Rome. Donald won all four Ryder Cups he played in and served as a vice-captain for two editions.
It is the first time someone has been captain for back-to-back Ryder Cups since Bernard Gallacher held the role for three consecutive editions in the 1990s.
Donald has confirmed Edoardo Molinari and Thomas Bjorn will return as vice captains, having been part of his support team in Rome.
Two-time Ryder Cup player Keegan Bradley was surprisingly announced as captain of Team USA, despite never previously serving as an assistant and having not been involved in the contest since 2014.
Tiger Woods was initial favourite for the role, having acted as a vice-captain during USA's victory in 2016 and a playing-captain for the 2019 Presidents Cup win, while Stewart Cink - a five-time Ryder Cup player and a vice-captain in 2023 - was also a candidate.
Bradley has confirmed Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker as vice captains.
Europe have won the last seven home editions of the Ryder Cup, while Team USA have enjoyed dominant victories the last two occasions it has been played in America. The last five editions have also seen a winning margin of five points or more.
The last away victory from either team came in 2012, when Europe produced their historic final-day comeback to win the 'Miracle at Medinah', while McIlroy wants another victory on American soil in 2025.
McIlroy said: "I've said this for the last probably six or seven years to anyone that will listen: I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup. And that's what we're going to do at Bethpage."
Europe: The holders have announced a major overhaul to the way in which their team will be selected, with performances on the PGA Tour being given far more weight than in the past.
The new system will see six players qualify via a single Ryder Cup Points List, as opposed to the previous system of three players qualifying from the world rankings, along with a further three from DP World Tour's Race to Dubai. As was the case in 2023, Donald will fill out the other half of his team with six captain's picks.
Europeans previously could only earn world ranking points on the PGA Tour, but the events are now likely to have a far greater impact on the qualification process.
The likes of Rahm and Hatton, who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, can earn points primarily at the majors, but will also be available for the six captain's picks provided they remain DP World Tour members by paying fines to play LIV events.
A total of 5,000 points will be distributed at the majors; 3,000 points at The Players Championships, the PGA Tour's signature events and the FedExCup Playoff events: and 2,000 points from the DP World Tour's Rolex Series events and regular PGA Tour events.
There also will be 1,500 points for the Europe's 'Back 9' series of events, and 1,000 points at smaller events on the DP World Tour and opposite-field events on the PGA Tour.
Qualifying began on August 29, 2024, with the British Masters, which started a series of tournaments in the 'Back 9' swing, meaning the DP World Tour will be the only place players can earn points until the start of 2025.
The points list ends on August 24, 2025, at a tournament to be announced.
USA: The USA run a Ryder Cup Team Points Race in which six players can qualify, while they will also once more have six captain's picks.
The race for qualification on Team USA began in March 2024 at the Players Championship. Golf's unofficial 'fifth major', along with the men's game's four actual majors, are the only 2024 events that count towards qualification.
At those events, players gained one point for every $1,000 earned in prize money, providing they made the cut.
The points for the 2025 season will not be confirmed (number of points and specific events) until the 2025 PGA Tour schedule is announced.
Following his triumph at The Open in July, Xander Schauffele topped the US standings from Scottie Scheffler. Bryson DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa, Brian Harman and Billy Horschel were the other players holding qualification positions.
DeChambeau is the only LIV Golf player currently in position to qualify for the US team, with his victory at the US Open and second place at the PGA Championship securing a major points haul.
McIlroy will be a shoo-in to make an eighth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance, with Rahm and Viktor Hovland likely to play big roles for Team Europe once again.
It would be no surprise to see Ludvig Åberg in action, having impressed on debut in 2023, while the likes of Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry will be looking to feature once again.
Sky Sports will continue to be the home of the Ryder Cup, with all three days of the 2025 exclusively live. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and more with NOW.
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