Billy Horschel urges PGA Tour to run US Ryder Cup team after Bethpage nightmare

PGA Tour star Billy Horschel has taken aim at the structure behind Team USA’s Ryder Cup failures, claiming the Americans are being left behind by a more connected and organised European setup.

Europe’s 15–13 victory at Bethpage Black last month — their first away win since Medinah 2012 — means Luke Donald’s side have now gone back-to-back. 

While the Americans lick their wounds, Horschel, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, thinks the problems run far deeper than who gets picked.

Horschel, who missed the 2025 Ryder Cup through injury, says Europe’s dominance comes from having a genuine team culture — something the US still lack.

"I've had some conversations with some people, some other players, players that are bigger names and have been part of Ryder Cups, after this Ryder Cup, and the thing that I shared with them is that over the last five or six years being on the European Tour, understanding that the European Tour runs their Ryder Cup, so they see these people, they know the backroom staff, they can have conversations over their playing about the Ryder Cup," said Horschel.

"Even if it’s a couple of years in advance, about hotels or anything that you know comes across their mind about how to make things better."

In contrast, Horschel believes the PGA of America’s control over Team USA is too disconnected.

Horschel thinks the time has come for the PGA Tour to step in and take charge of the team, just as the DP World Tour do with Ryder Cup Europe. 

"They have that ability to talk to these people that they have a relationship with on a regular basis. In my opinion, we don’t have that with the PGA of America," continued Horschel. 

"They do come around and they do a great job. We’re not going to say they don’t do a good job. But I believe that it’s time that the PGA Tour, or people that we believe should take over Team USA. They should run Team USA.

"The PGA of America can still run the Ryder Cup, they can still sell all the corporate stuff, but I think we need to take more ownership of our team and have people there who work on that Ryder Cup on a yearly basis, and are out at our tournaments that we can have a relationship with and talk through things about so we don’t miss things, and things don’t slip through the cracks."

The Ryder Cup defeat has clearly hit hard. 

Captain Keegan Bradley waited more than three weeks before addressing the loss, admitting it "there's no part of me that thinks I'll get over this."

Bradley's odds of leading again in 2027 have since drifted from 2/1 to 5/1, with Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk now joint favourites (7/2) to take over. 

Brandt Snedeker and Webb Simpson are also in the mix — and at GolfMagic, we reckon Simpson might just get the call.

But whoever takes charge, Horschel insists the issue isn’t the captain — it’s the culture.

Horschel, a two-time BMW PGA champion, has seen first-hand how the European setup builds trust and togetherness.

"They see each other all the time," Horschel said of the European Ryder Cup team, which is run by the DP World Tour / Ryder Cup Europe. 

"They know everyone behind the scenes. It feels like a family — and that’s powerful."

The Americans, meanwhile, often only come together in Ryder Cup week, leaving little time to gel.

Horschel’s message is clear: if Team USA want to compete, they need to rebuild from the inside out.

"We’ve got the talent. What we need is alignment — between the players, the system, and the people running it. Until that happens, Europe will keep beating us."

Horschel’s comments echo what many inside US golf are quietly thinking — the Europeans simply care more. 

Their Ryder Cup structure isn’t built on corporate boxes or media deals; it’s built on chemistry, shared purpose, and a sense of belonging.

Unless the PGA of America hands more control to the PGA Tour and the players themselves, Team USA risks falling even further behind.

Europe’s blueprint is proven — unity first, everything else follows.

And as Horschel warns, until America mirrors that model, the Ryder Cup will remain Europe’s to lose.