A Home Defeat: 5 Reasons Why Team USA Falstered at Bethpage Black

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – On paper, they were a powerhouse, playing on home soil with a roaring crowd behind them. But the 2025 Ryder Cup ended in disappointment for Team USA. The defeat was not due to a single failure, but a collection of issues that plagued the team all week. Here are the five key reasons the Americans will have to wait another two years for a chance at redemption.

1. The Foursomes Fortress Crumbled To win a Ryder Cup, you must be competitive in the alternate-shot format. Team USA was not. For the second consecutive Ryder Cup, the Americans were thoroughly outplayed in foursomes. The inability to form consistently effective partnerships in this demanding format put them in a deep hole early, a deficit from which they could never fully recover.

2. Top Ryder Cup Players Didn't Deliver Team USA relied on its top-ranked players like Scottie Scheffler and others to lead the charge, but they struggled to find their best form. Constantly pitted against Europe's elite, the American stars couldn't generate the points needed at the top of the lineup, failing to create the momentum the team desperately needed.

3. A Cold Putter at the Worst Time It's a Ryder Cup cliché because it's true: the event is a putting contest. Time and time again, especially in the pairs matches, a European player would drain a critical 10-foot putt while an American player's attempt would slide by. These small moments add up, creating a massive swing in momentum and points over three days.

4. Lack of an Emotional Spark While players like Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay played with immense passion, the team as a whole seemed to lack the fiery, cohesive energy that has defined past winning American teams. They were out-cheered and out-energized by a European side that seemed to relish the fight more.

5. Out-Captained and Out-Strategized From pairings that didn't quite click to a Sunday singles lineup that couldn't produce the required fast start, the American strategy seemed one step behind the Europeans all week. The European captain made the right moves at the right times, while the American side was left searching for answers that never came.