Team USA’s Ryder Cup Makeover

Golf Digest

Europe has had its way in the Ryder Cup of late, winning the two most recent times the biennial event has been held and nine of the past 12. Clearly, the Americans have been outplayed in recent history, but have they also been outmanned?

It never appears that way on paper, with the U.S. typically holding a decisive edge when comparing Official World Golf Rankings. However, that doesn’t mean Team USA is always showing up with the strongest possible team. And now, it has taken steps to change how players qualify for the squad.

No longer will major championships (and the Players) from non-Ryder Cup years like 2026 count towards the team standings (Sorry, Wyndham Clark and Cameron Young). And no longer will the points system be directly tied to on-course earnings. Six players will still automatically qualify for next year’s team before Jim Furyk makes his six captain’s picks.

Of course, we don’t know how this will affect next year’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor yet. But we do know that the new qualifying system more resembles the one used by Europe. And based on how things have gone the past three decades, that’s probably a good thing if you’re a U.S. fan. Here’s more on the big changes, a LIV bankruptcy update and an unusual method of fans getting to this week’s Solheim Cup.

Qualifying for the U.S. Ryder Cup team will look different in 2027. Here's what's changing

Jim Furyk hinted that a new system was coming. And it has.

By Shane Ryan

What You Need to Know

Joel Beall

The clock is ticking on LIV Golf's bankruptcy Hail Mary. There are a set of milestones that need to be reached for LIV Golf to receive any sort of infusion from BC Partners, the most notable stipulating "entry by the Debtors, PIF, BC Partners, and a requisite number of players into an acceptable RSA" within 35 days of the bankruptcy file. Of the top 30 creditors LIV listed, 14 were players, meaning for LIV to survive it needs the people it owes millions to re-sign for a company whose financial future is unknown.

Tod Leonard

Encouraging fans to ride bikes to the Solheim Cup in the cycling-obsessed Netherlands is a novel idea on paper. How it plays out will determine if it was smart or not. Organizers expect as many as 6,000 people to bike to the venue, but there is rain and fog in the forecast for some parts of all three competitive days. Maybe that’s nothing to the Dutch and they’ll ride in droves. If not, then either attendance could drop dramatically or the shuttle system could potentially become overwhelmed if people want to grab transportation at the last minute. Foremost in Solheim Cup organizers’ minds has to be the transportation disaster of 2024 in Virginia, when fans waited hours for shuttles on the first day and, much to the dismay of the players, the first tee stands were nearly empty in the morning. To allow something like that to happen again is unthinkable.

Greg Gottfried

Irish golf courses are not normally equipped with fortified helipads. But one has been constructed at Trump International Doonbeg in anticipation of a possible landing of Marine One (and President Donald Trump) this week as the course hosts the DP World Tour’s Irish Open. Like at last year’s Ryder Cup, the president’s appearance might lead to a “different” atmosphere, at least according to Rory McIlroy.

"He's a big fan of golf; he's a wonderful supporter of golf,” McIlroy said. “He's got a beautiful property here in Doonbeg. I wouldn't say it's a true links golf course; it's a bit of an Americanized version of a links course, but it's still a great golf course.

“I think the weekend, especially when he’s here, crowds will be limited. Obviously, there’s a lot that goes on. So, logistically, it provides some challenges, absolutely. But at the same time, if he wants to come and watch the Irish Open, who are we to say no?”