Ryder Cup 2023: Team projections and potential lineups

The 2023 Ryder Cup is scheduled to be held between September 29 and October 1 at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, just outside Rome. Luke Donald is the European Team captain, while Zach Johnson is the US Team captain.

With the Ryder Cup only a few months away, the teams for both sides are being finalized. Each team has 12 players, of which six are automatic qualifiers and six are captain's picks. With several possibilties about what the teams will look like, here are the top projections and expected names for the Ryder Cup teams.

US team for 2023 Ryder Cup: Potential candidates and projections

Zach Johnson has been named the captain of the US team. Currently the US points table stands at:

1 Scottie Scheffler- 25,741.735
2 Wyndham Clark- 13,336.120
3 Brian Harman- 10,194.539
4 Brooks Koepka- 9,421.145
5 Xander Schauffele- 8,671.984
6 Patrick Cantlay- 8,454.750
7 Max Homa- 8,264.479
8 Cameron Young- 7,679.308
9 Jordan Spieth- 7,482.046
10 Keegan Bradley- 7,422.341
11 Collin Morikawa- 7,116.813
12 Rickie Fowler- 6,892.091
13 Sam Burns- 6,832.803
14 Justin Thomas- 6,370.095

The U.S. Team Rankings have a new look after @TheOpen!

Check 'em out ➡️ pic.twitter.com/GpX1CTuvmI

Scottie Scheffler's place in the team is fixed, leaving fellow players far back on the points table. Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman and Brooks Koepka are all 2023 Major winners and are also looking solid for a spot on the team. However, Koepka's spot might be in question because of his LIV Golf status.

Rounding off the top 6 is Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. According to Sporting News, the projected captain's picks are Max Homa, Cameron Young, Jordan Spieth, Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa and Rickie Fowler.

One golfer who might not see the team is Justin Thomas. He has been struggling recently, missing the cut at three of the four majors. However, Thomas is determined to make the team. After the Open Championship, he said:

"I want to make the Ryder Cup more than anything. I'm probably honestly trying too hard to do it. It reminds me a lot of my first or second year on tour. I tried so hard to make that team for the first time. I'm in a very similar position. I've been trying to make it easy on Zach and get in the top six, but I seem to not want to do that with my golf."

European team for 2023 Ryder Cup: Potential candidates and projections

Luke Donald is now the captain of the European team. Henrik Stenson was stripped of the title because he joined the LIV Golf Series. The European points table stands as follows:

1 Rory McIlroy -4,033.50
2 Jon Rahm- 3,417.23
3 Robert MacIntyre- 1,743.57
4 Yannik Paul- 1,652.90
5 Adrian Meronk- 1,614.21
6 Tommy Fleetwood- 1,534.37
7 Victor Perez- 1,527.95
8 Rasmus Hojgaard- 1,516.86
9 Adrian Otaegui- 1,375.21
10 Shane Lowry- 1,290.23
11 Tyrell Hatton- 1,253.01
12 Jordan Smith- 1,230.03
13 Jorge Campillo- 1,217.79
14 Joost Luiten- 1,184.54
15 Viktor Hovland- 1,176.28

How we shape up at the conclusion of @TheOpen.

Only six weeks of qualifying remain 🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/XgHQ4hqgjG

World No. 2 and 3 Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, respectively, are almost certain to make the European Team. Apart from the top 2, all the other golfers are probably lesser known or upcoming in the golf world, but can still pack in a solid performance.

Robert MacIntyre, Yannik Paul, Adrian Meronk and Tommy Fleetwood round off the top 6 automatic qualifiers. The projected picks for the remainder of the team are Victor Perez, Rasmus Hojgaard, Adrian Otaegui, Shane Lowry, Tyrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland.