The European team is starting to take shape ahead of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in September.
Rory McIlroy has already qualified, and many others, like Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, and Tyrrell Hatton, will almost certainly join him.
Top players Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg are also likely to be selected as captain’s picks by Luke Donald if they don’t qualify automatically.
That leaves a handful of spots still up for grabs with just over a month remaining in the 2025 PGA Tour season.
Two European players have now expressed their desire to take on the United States at Bethpage.
Aaron Rai says it ‘would be amazing’ to make the European Ryder Cup team
Aaron Rai’s breakout season on the PGA Tour last year led many to believe he would make the European Ryder Cup team.
That now seems unlikely because, despite consecutive top-40 finishes in the major championships, he has not improved this season.
Before The Open at Royal Portrush, he only ranked 15th in the European Ryder Cup qualification standings.
However, Rai has not given up hope of earning a captain’s pick for Bethpage, especially with his title defence at the Wyndham Championship coming up soon.
“We’ll see. We’ll see. I think there’s still a long way to go, a good four or five events,” he explained.
“A lot can happen in that time that can go in your favour, that can go against your favour. We’ll see where things go over the next few weeks and see where we stack up.”
“I think it’s always an honour to represent your country, to represent the continent. Of course, that would be amazing one day. Again, we’ll see.
“We have a lot of little steps in between and a lot of performances along the way before those things happen. Yeah, our focus is on those things, and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
Sepp Straka can strengthen Ryder Cup case in FedEx Cup Playoffs
Sepp Straka is in a far more commanding position to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team than Aaron Rai.
The Austrian golfer was fifth in the standings before The Open after victories at The American Express and the Truist Championship earlier this season.
“Yeah, trying to get my game in shape for making a run on the team. Hopefully I’m there,” Straka commented on his Ryder Cup hopes.
“Got Playoffs coming up, so hopefully I can get my game in shape and have a good playoff.”
Even if Straka were to fall out of the top six, Donald would surely select him, like he did two years ago in Rome.
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