The Ryder Cup may be just a month away from now, but Scottie Scheffler is in no hurry to make his statements about the Bethpage Black event just yet. “This is ridiculous,” he said ahead of the 2025 BMW Championship, and “The Ryder Cup is over a month away. If you want to talk about this week, let’s talk about this week.” But his dismissive attitude towards what can be considered the Ryder Cup “roster finalization” weeks did not sit well with golf analysts.

Brendan Porath on the Fried Egg Golf, ridiculed that particular Scheffler statement during a recent episode, saying, “I think the Ryder Cup is the biggest event left in the season, and we are down to crunch time with the roster finalization. I realize the actual matches are not for over a month, but the roster stuff is in the final pro.” Porath is spot on. And yes, it’s all tied to the Ryder Cup deadline.

For the U.S., the top 6 in Ryder Cup points after the BMW Championship on Aug 17 get in automatically, with Captain Keegan Bradley picking 6 more. For Europe, the top 6 after the Betfred British Masters on Aug 24 qualify automatically, and Captain Luke Donald chooses the rest. As of now, both teams already have 3 players locked in: Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, and Xander Schauffele for the U.S.; Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, and Tommy Fleetwood for Europe.

On the other hand, while most team spots are still up in the air for both sides, Scottie Scheffler locked in his spot way back in June. With 25,918.25 points (now 33,580.33) in the Ryder Cup standings, he became the first automatic qualifier.

However, there’s more going on besides finalizing the Ryder Cup rosters. Porath highlights the same during the episode and says, “They’re really interested in these final spots, and you have this insane once-in-a-lifetime possibility of a playing captain, and that’s a primary story here.” One big question is whether Keegan Bradley will be the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer back in 1963. Bradley’s been playing solid golf. If he keeps it up for the next two weeks, he’ll likely move up in the Ryder Cup standings from his current 10th spot, adding to his already hefty 8103.00 points.

So, the point is, such particular Ryder Cup questions are here to stay for the pros to answer them. Whether Scheffler likes it or not. “It’s kind of weird to not take, I don’t know if it’s not a leadership role or if that’s the right way to phrase it, but as the number one player in the world, I feel like you have to command the room a little bit on a Ryder Cup team,” Clark adds his bit.

Take Rory McIlroy, for instance. Like Scottie Scheffler, the Irishman has his Ryder Cup spot locked in. Still, he’s open with reporters, answering questions about Bethpage Black – whether it impacts his position or not. He even shared his thoughts on Keegan Bradley’s potential role, saying he thinks Bradley shouldn’t be a playing captain due to logistical nightmares.

Considering that, Porath ended the conversation with, “I mean, Scottie’s been great at the mic. I just thought that was an overdramatically pissy reply about a handful because the Ryder Cup is the deal.” But Scheffler’s not always been against answering any Ryder Cup questions.

However, after securing his spot in the team, the pro did open up to explain when asked about his Ryder Cup automatic qualification, “I will do whatever it takes to help our team reclaim the Cup and cannot wait to play in front of the passionate New York spectators at Bethpage Black.” So, perhaps that timing indeed wasn’t right? Only Scheffler could tell.

On the other hand, it is undeniable that Scheffler does answer when he feels like it. Especially when it comes to his captain.

Keegan Bradley has “definitely exceeded” Scottie Scheffler’s” expectations.”

Keegan Bradley’s leadership of the U.S. Ryder Cup team is getting a lot of attention. Bradley’s been in touch with the players, leaving messages in the locker and sending texts. “He leaves some messages in our locker every now and then, a lot of text messages,” Scottie Scheffler said at the 2025 BMW Championship.

And to Scheffler’s credit, we do have proof of that. At The Open Championship, Bryson DeChambeau shared a similar moment with Bradley and stated, I talked with him [Keegan Bradley] briefly, and then he put something in our lockers that was pretty inspirational. So, yeah.” The note, DeChambeau said, was “personal.”

“The intensity that he’s brought as a captain — I mean, he has definitely exceeded my expectations as far as a captain,” Scheffler added to his bit. One big storyline is whether Bradley will play on the team he captains. Scheffler initially dodged the question but ultimately made it clear he’d love to have Bradley on the team if he wants to play. “I think, looking at our squad, I think we have a really good group of guys. I think Keegan can only help that. I think if it’s something that Keegan wants to be part of the team and wants to play, I think he’s a guy we’d all love to have on the team.” 

So, Scheffler has points to make. He just makes them at his own pace.