Top U.S. Ryder Cup Pairings for Bethpage Black
Bethpage Black will reward conviction off the tee, precise iron control, and partnerships that know exactly who they are. The U.S. Ryder Cup roster has the ingredients to attack in four-ball and suffocate in alternate shot, but the alchemy comes from pairings that turn skill sets into points. They’ll have to be able to blend current form, Ryder Cup experience, and consistency in order to defend home soil and take the Ryder Cup trophy back from European hands. Below are five potential U.S. duos built for New York’s demanding stage, each with a clear identity, a plan for both formats, and the temperament to handle the volume that comes with a home Ryder Cup.
Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele — The Stalwarts
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are the U.S. template for a reason: controlled tee shots, elite mid-iron windows, and a shared rhythm that keeps the throttle steady when matches tilt. Their track record together is real currency; they’ve been a go-to unit in the last couple Ryder Cups and multiple Presidents Cups, including an undefeated run in the alternate shot format across their early team events and a strong overall record as partners. The chemistry is as much about decision speed as it is about ball flight. Targets are chosen without debate, and misses are predictable enough to keep doubles off the card. At Bethpage, where long par-4s ask for precise second shots into firming tiers, they’ll set the floor high in foursomes and turn patient pressure into concessions. Expect them to anchor sessions and absorb the opponent’s best punch without blinking.
Scottie Scheffler & Sam Burns — Ball-Striker Meets Finisher
Scottie Scheffler’s tee-to-green control is the most reliable advantage in team golf right now, and Sam Burns’ putter can turn that edge into a scoreboard avalanche. The fit is obvious in four-ball, Scheffler creates a steady stream of makeable looks, Burns converts the eight-to-twelve footers that break matches open, and it travels to alternate shot when they agree on conservative lines and accept stress-free pars. The partnership is not hypothetical; they’ve carried U.S. colors together and have opened sessions in recent team play, a sign of staff trust in their complementary profiles. At Bethpage, where speed control on firm Bermuda and commitment off the tee will separate contenders, this duo can produce runs that feel inevitable. If Burns’ roll gets hot, the match can end before the last three holes have their say.
Bryson DeChambeau & Cameron Young — The Bash Brothers
Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young give the U.S. a power pairing tailored to Bethpage’s scale. Both can take “Tiger lines” and still find center-cut, turning long par-4s into wedge contests and par-5s into must-birdies. The key is harnessed aggression: pick smart windows in foursomes, then let the throttle open in four-ball, where a barrage of high-quality looks can overwhelm opponents. They also prefer modern, lower-spin ball profiles and flight the driver with a similar intent, which simplifies communication and trajectory planning in the wind. In New York, this duo doubles as a tone-setter. The kind of pairing that can ignite the crowd by out-muscling a routine designed to humble most players.
Scottie Scheffler & Russell Henley — Pure Control, Zero Drama
When the brief is “bring me fairways, greens, and no chaos,” a Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley ticket is hard to beat. Both play high-probability golf, carry disciplined miss patterns, and manage pace on quick Bermuda with the patience that four long days demand. In foursomes, their shared commitment to conservative targets shrinks the course’s risk profile and turns stress into routine pars; in four-ball, they can post a string of quiet red numbers that apply scoreboard pressure without ever forcing the issue. This is the pairing you deploy to stabilize a session, absorb a hostile run, or protect a narrow lead. At Bethpage, where the punishment for a single wild swing can be a lost hole, their reliability is a weapon.
Justin Thomas & Ben Griffin — Spark Plug Meets Steady Hand
Justin Thomas brings the emotional accelerator and the ability to manufacture birdies from thin air; Ben Griffin brings the calming cadence and tidy ball-striking that keeps a side on schedule. For a Ryder Cup rookie, Griffin’s composure and clean lines are the perfect counterpart to Thomas’ flair; he'll handle the housekeeping while JT hunts momentum. In foursomes, Griffin’s predictability off the tee lets Thomas fire at shelves with full commitment; in four-ball, Thomas’ run-making gives Griffin the freedom to play to his strengths and pick off opportunistic putts. This duo is built to flip a match in the middle innings and to steady nerves when the amphitheater gets loud. If Thomas’s putter finds speed early, this pairing becomes a problem very quickly.
Final Word
Great pairings balance roles as much as talent. Cantlay and Schauffele give the U.S. a fault-tolerant engine that travels to any session. Scheffler’s superpower scales with Burns’ finishing touch or Henley’s metronome. DeChambeau and Young turn Bethpage’s brawn into a strategic advantage. Thomas and Griffin supply the spark and the ballast in equal measure. Mix those identities across foursomes and four-ball, and Team USA can script mornings and close afternoons with purpose and points.
