Ranking who's most to blame for Team USA's embarrassing Ryder Cup loss

5. Sam Burns

Burns' putter was supposed to be a weapon for Team USA, but it went ice cold at the wrong time. After leading the PGA Tour in strokes gained from putting in 2025, Burns ranked 22nd in the 24-man field in true strokes gained from putting at Bethpage. As a result, he went 0-1-2 in his three matches. 

Burns' struggles on the greens were especially surprising because the Europeans were pouring in long putts all tournament. Bethpage Black's greens are mostly flat and simple to read, but the best putter on the PGA Tour inexplicably couldn't figure them out.

4. Collin Morikawa

The only reason Morikawa made the U.S. team was his name. His season stats and recent results didn't paint the picture of a top-12 American, but his two major victories and Ryder Cup experience were enough for captain Keegan Bradley to give him a chance. 

That was clearly a mistake. 

Morikawa and Harris English served as the sacrificial lambs in the foursomes format, losing twice to Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in blowout fashion. The 28-year-old went 0-2-1 for the tournament and didn't put up a fight until the Ryder Cup was out of hand. 

3. Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay saved Team USA in the opening foursomes session by earning the only point in the four matches, but he disintegrated as the Ryder Cup went on. After tying his Friday four-ball match against McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Cantlay lost his final three matches and derailed Team USA's momentum by losing to Ludvig Aberg in Sunday singles.

For the tournament, Cantlay went 1-3-1 and ranked eighth among the 12 Americans in total strokes gained. 

2. Keegan Bradley

You probably expected Bradley's name to be No. 1 on this list, but it feels wrong to put full blame on the captain when his players failed him on the course. That said, trotting out Morikawa and English to get beat again Saturday was a mistake before they even teed off. Bradley went into the tournament with an inferior plan and refused to tweak it as the weekend rolled on.

The unforgivable error Bradley made was turning Bethpage into a putting contest. With soft conditions and minuscule rough penalty, the course rewarded the best putters in the field, and six of the top seven players in strokes gained from putting came from the European side. 

1. Scottie Scheffler

When handicapping the 2025 Ryder Cup, the case for Team USA was that it had the most dominant golfer on the planet. Scheffler was always going to play all five sessions, giving the Americans a theoretical advantage before the first ball was in the air. That advantage quickly flipped to a liability. 

Stunningly, Scheffler went 0-4-0 in the team sessions before finally getting on the board with a win against McIlroy in Sunday singles. He ranked 12th in the field in total strokes gained and ninth in strokes gained on approach, which seems impossible considering how much Scheffler has dominated those statistics over the past three years. 

The world No. 1 simply didn't play like the best golfer on the planet at Bethpage, and it's the biggest reason why Team USA fell short.