Winless Jordan Spieth’s Ryder Cup Chances ‘Higher’ Than U.S. Open Champ, Claims New Data

Less than 3 months remain for the clash between the Europeans and the Americans at Bethpage. Team Europe is quietly shaping up to its final squad, with Luke Donald already having a blueprint of what the team would look like. However, uncertainty still brews in Team U.S. as there are a lot of conflicting opinions around who should make the team. One of the biggest of them is Keegan Bradley‘s inclusion as a playing captain. However, an insider shared an interesting take that Jordan Spieth has a better chance of making the team than the 2025 U.S. Open winner.

In the latest episode of The Smylie Show, the hosts, Smylie Kaufmann and Charlie Hulme, were discussing the potential Team U.S. squad. That’s when the 1-time PGA Tour winner said, “I feel like Jordan has to win before the end to make this team. Data Golf, this whole thing that you sent me, says that he has a 56% chance of making this team. That’s pretty wild. I know he has had a good year.”

Jordan Spieth has indeed had a good year, making 14 out of 16 cuts with 4 top-10s. He came close to breaking his winless streak in his hometown, only for fellow Dallas local, Scottie Scheffler, to take THE CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch. With another major and a few more events to go before the 2025 Ryder Cup, Spieth will be eager to grab a win or maybe two to push himself to the top of the leaderboard.

Speaking of favorable rankings, Hulme dropped in to the conversation to share an interesting fact about the stats from Data Golf. “He has a higher probability to make this team, via Data Golf, than the U.S. Open champion J. J. Spaun.” According to the golf statistics website, Spieth is expected to have a better shot at making Keegan Bradley’s squad than J.J. Spaun. However, Kaufman did clarify that the champ from Oakmont will qualify on merit.

In response, Hulme said, “Statistically, they feel he should be safe enough on points, but I think they are factoring in the potential… Imagine if Jordan Spieth goes out and wins the Open Championship. A lot of things could happen.” A win on the Dunluce Course will certainly put Spieth at an advantage on the points table. It might not be enough for him to push Spaun out of the top 6. But the 3-time major winner can still make it on merit after that. And based on what Data Golf is suggesting, there is a better chance that he will do exactly that than for J.J. to comfortably book his ticket to Bethpage.

With things heating up on the Team U.S. Ryder Cup leaderboard, a lot of contenders are still fighting for a place in the squad. Not to forget that team captain, Keegan Bradley, also intends to finish in the top 6 to join as a playing captain. Having said that, what does the points table look like right now? Let’s find out.

How far is Jordan Spieth from J.J. Spaun on the Ryder Cup leaderboard?

As things stand, 8,824.11 points stand between 3rd-placed J.J. Spaun and 25th-placed Jordan Spieth on the Team U.S. leaderboard. That’s a tall ladder the 13-time PGA Tour winner will need to climb if he wants to displace the 2025 U.S. Open champion. Just to make the top 6 on merit, Spieth will need at least 6,549.95 points this weekend. That won’t be possible as the Texan golfer is not on the field for the ongoing 2025 Rocket Classic.

Spieth is currently recovering from an injury he sustained during the 2025 Travelers Championship. After just playing 12 holes, the 31-year-old withdrew on the Thursday of the last Signature event of the season. Experts suggest that he should return to action by mid-July, which puts his chances of making the 2025 Open Championship field under threat. That would also make it nearly impossible for Jordan Spieth to accumulate enough points to qualify for the Ryder Cup on merit. The only way he could probably make the squad for the 6th consecutive time, if he is successful in impressing the team captain, Keegan Bradley.