There is no question that Scottie Scheffler would be a force to be reckoned with at Bethpage Black in September 2025. The likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, & Co. will also prove to be a threat to Team Europe. These individuals certainly make Team U.S. look quite formidable on paper. However, it isn’t easy to see who else will fit the dynamic as you go further down the list of the possible 12 for the 2025 Ryder Cup.

That’s exactly what Johnson Wagner is concerned about. He confessed the same in a conversation with Brendon De Jonge in the latest episode of SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. Wagner said, “I’m concerned, as an American. The bottom quarter of this team. When we do European, a little bit, I’m not concerned at all. I’m concerned as an American. But I’m not concerned for their team because they are stacked right now.”

After nearly two years, the American side has narrowed down to about 10 great candidates to represent the nation in the event with the purest form of golf. Apart from the 4 mentioned above, you also have J.J. Spaun, Harris English, Justin Thomas, Ben Griffin, Collin Morikawa, and the man who can’t be ignored right now, Chris Gotterup. If Captain Keegan Bradley decides to join the team, then you can make it 11. As Wagner confirmed, Team U.S. doesn’t have the depth to challenge its rivals for the 2025 Ryder Cup, and it’s certainly quite concerning as an American.

De Jonge also chipped in with his opinion, as he said, “This is typically the discussion you’d be having, as to the bottom of the European team, where depth is not normally on their side. Right now, depth is on their side, as you say. Yeah, the bottom of the American team looks… I’m not going to say weak; I would say, right now, it just looks unclear. It looks very, very unclear.”

As the Zimbabwean reporter mentioned, the European team has had trouble finding options to fill its 12-man squad recently since the emergence of LIV Golf. Many of its biggest stars, like Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood, were deemed ineligible due to their allegiance with the Saudi-based promotion. However, they were still able to field a strong team in Rome and dominate their rivals. On the other hand, Team U.S., which has always kept its doors open to LIV Golf players like Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, is still struggling to field a strong 12-man squad.

As De Jonge stated, Team U.S. might not be weak, but they certainly have fewer options than Team Europe. Hence, there will certainly be a lot of drama in the dressing room when Keegan Bradley decides to make the Captain’s Picks once the top-6 are confirmed. Having said that, can the top-6 of the Team U.S. leaderboard still change in the next few weeks? Let’s find out.

Who else can join Scottie Scheffler as an automatic qualifier for the 2025 Ryder Cup?

The last day to earn points for the 2025 Ryder Cup will be August 17, 2025. Once the BMW Championship concludes, the final leaderboard for the FedEx Cup playoff event will grant vital points for players to make it to the top 6 of the leaderboard or even get into the spotlight and grab Keegan Bradley’s attention. That means, the PGA Tour players have 3 tournaments, 3 opportunities to rise up the rankings and win an automatic qualification place for Bethpage Black.

As things stand, only about 1400 points separate 4th-placed Russell Henley from 7th-placed Justin Thomas. While neither of them is competing in the 2025 Wyndham Championship, there are a few others who will be in contention this week in an attempt to gain some momentum. Two of the top-ranked golfers on the Ryder Cup leaderboard will be Ben Griffin and Captain America himself, Keegan Bradley. Sitting at 9th and 10th, they need about 1700 and 2300 points, respectively, to enter the top 6.

Winning the tournament at Sedgefield Country Club will get them 1,476 points. As no one ranked higher than them is playing the tournament, this will be their best shot at getting a huge advantage in the rankings. With Bradley eager to push for qualification on merit, he will certainly be a favorite to win at Greensboro. This will also give him a great confidence boost going into the playoffs as he continues to fight for more Ryder Cup points.