Xander Schauffele has made a really interesting claim about something that he expects to see from the Ryder Cup crowds at Bethpage Black next week.
Schauffele qualified automatically for the US Ryder Cup team, but by the time he tees it up at Bethpage Black, he wouldn’t have played competitively for nearly six weeks.
It was a huge shock when Schauffele opted to skip the Procore Championship ahead of the Ryder Cup, in spite of the fact that every other PGA Tour member of Keegan Bradley‘s side committed to play in Napa.
However, the reason why the two-time major champion skipped the Procore Championship soon came to light – his wife had just given birth to their child.
Still though, his lack of match practice will be a big worry for Team USA.
In fact, US golf fans are worried about Schauffele with the Ryder Cup now just nine days away, due to his lack of match sharpness, so to speak.
The 31-year-old endured a really poor PGA Tour season in 2025, by his standards at least. However, it’s worth remembering that he missed the first two months of the year through injury.
After a slow start to the season, many believed he would start to rediscover his best form, but that never materialised in the end.
Schauffele’s concerning form with the Ryder Cup on the horizon never improved significantly enough and it’s fair to suggest that he could now actually be a weak-link on the US team.
However, if the 2024 Schauffele shows up, it will be a huge boost for the American team.
Xander Schauffele’s prediction about Bethpage Black fans ahead of the Ryder Cup
Sports fans in New York have a reputation of being more boisterous, passionate and vociferous than in any other part of America.
The European team could be in for a rude awakening when they play at Bethpage next week, with a partisan New York crowd getting behind the home side.
Now Schauffele has offered his take on how he thinks the crowd could influence proceedings at the Ryder Cup.
Schauffele spoke to SIRIUS XM PGA TOUR Radio about the upcoming clash with the European team next week.
And the world number three responded when asked about the differences between playing Ryder Cups at home and away.
“They’re both awesome, they’re so different,“ Schauffele explained.
“I don’t even know how many people are going to be on the first tee but, I think having this amount of people cheer for you in New York.
“Even though they’re cheering for you they’re still yelling at you as well and it’s going to fire you up whether you like it or not.
“I think when you’re away people yell at you, when you’re at home people yell at you, people cheer for you and people cheer against you.
“It’s kind of however you can get comfortable the quickest. Those are the guys who start to play well really quickly.
“It’s hard to describe, honestly. So many emotions go through your body whether you’re playing home or away.“
Xander Schauffele’s Ryder Cup record
Schauffele has a decent Ryder Cup record, having won half of the matches he has participated in.
However, considering his ability and his record as an individual on the PGA Tour, it could be argued that he should have performed slightly better during his first two Ryder Cup appearances.
| Results | Schauffele’s totals |
| Matches played | 8 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Halves | 0 |
| Points total | 4 |
The question on every single US Ryder Cup fan’s lips right now is: what Schauffele will turn up at Bethpage, the 2024 or 2025 version?
I would go as far to say that if Schauffele brings the form he has shown this year to Bethpage, Europe will be favourites to win the Ryder Cup, but that will be the complete opposite if the 31-year-old manages to rediscover his 2024 form.
The Ryder Cup really is teetering on a knife edge right now and it could swing either way.
Schauffele will have a big part to play in the final outcome.
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