Ryder Cup 2025: Meet the caddies for Team USA at Bethpage

The Ryder Cup can be as nerve-wracking for caddies as the players, but who will be the calming influences for Team USA at Bethpage Black this week?

The collection of American caddies includes a genuine Hall of Famer who famously looped for Tiger Woods, and there's one who actually worked with European captain Luke Donald.

And there's another who gained notoriety ahead of The Open this year when he was denied entry to the UK because one of his previous careers was a drug dealer!

Lets take a look at the Team USA player-caddie line-up ...

Scottie Scheffler and Ted Scott

There are not many caddies who have had as much success in recent years as Ted Scott, who has been on the bag for the undisputed world No 1 since 2021.

Scott carried for former Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger before he spent 15 years with Bubba Watson, sharing the left-hander's two Masters wins in 2012 and 2014, and he has enjoyed four more major titles with Scheffler since 2022. 

Two wins in three years at Augusta National, and victories at the PGA Championship and The Open this year have cemented Scheffler and Scott as one of the all-time most successful partnerships in golf.

Scott had to take time away last month due to a "devastating family emergency", but he is back alongside the best player on the planet for their third Ryder Cup together.

Xander Schauffele and Austin Kaiser

Schauffele and Kaiser played collegiate golf together for San Diego State University, and they have been a partnership on the course for over 10 years, notching 12 professional victories as well as two Ryder Cup appearances.

Kaiser has been the only caddie for Schauffele since he turned professional, and the world No 4 recently spoke of their close bond and enduring friendship, insisting he would never fire Kaiser for expressing his opinions.

The pair enjoyed a major double last year at the PGA Championship and The Open, but Schauffele has not won since lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Troon and spent time on the sidelines earlier this year due to injury.

JJ Spaun and Mark Carens

Spaun made a caddie change in 2021 and turned to Carens, a former mini-Tour pro who formerly carried for the likes of Bubba Watson and Si Woo Kim, who he was with when the South Korean won The Players Championship in 2017.

Carens helped Spaun to make his PGA Tour breakthrough in 2022, winning the Valero Texas Open, but 2025 has been a defining year for this team.

Spaun lost out in a playoff to Rory McIlroy at Sawgrass in the Spring, but he atoned in some style with a memorable maiden major win in the US Open at Oakmont, which went a long way to sealing automatic qualification for his Ryder Cup debut.

Collin Morikawa and Mark Urbanek

Urbanek is a new addition to the bag of Morikawa, who parted company with JJ Jakovac in April after six years together, winning multiple titles together including two major championships.

The former PGA and Open champion made a decent start to this year after a winless 2024, but he surprisingly split with Jakovac and hooked up with Max Homa's former caddie, Joe Greiner - a partnership that lasted just five tournaments.

After briefly employing KK Limbhasut and veteran Billy Foster, Urbanek became Morikawa's fifth caddie of 2025! Urbanek spent five years with Tony Finau before agreeing to switch to the two-time major winner.

Bryson DeChambeau and Gregory Bodine

Bodine replaced Brian Ziegler on DeChambeau's bag in 2023, and the new partnership had almost instant success with two wins on the LIV Golf circuit, which also included a historic round of 58 at The Greenbrier.

DeChambeau, who had Tim Tucker as his caddie for his first US Open triumph in 2020, gave Bodine huge credit for his role in winning a second US Open crown at Pinehurst last year, when he pipped a distraught Rory McIlroy to the title.

Tucker did spend time back on the bag during the summer as Bodine took time off for personal reasons, but he is now back on board and ready for his third Ryder Cup experience, having caddied for Finau in 2018 and 2021.

Justin Thomas and Matt Minister

Minister, known as "Rev", has over 20 years of experience as a caddie having previous worked for former major champion Nick Price and Chris Kirk, among others.

He joined forces with Thomas in 2024 after the two-time PGA winner parted with the legendary Jim "Bones" Mackay, who was Phil Mickelson's faithful looper for 25 years, winning five majors together.

Thomas had Joe Greiner on his bag at the Masters this year as Minister recovered from a back injury, and Greiner accompanied Thomas to victory at the RBC Heritage before the Rev returned at the Truist Championship.

Patrick Cantlay and Joe LaCava

It's not often that caddies hit the headlines at the Ryder Cup, but LaCava's row with Rory McIlroy on the 18th green at Marco Simone two years ago created a huge topic of debate.

LaCava has a rich history in the game having caddied for Tiger Woods, but his legacy was tainted in Rome as the "hatgate" scandal gripped the golfing world and, as the US players are getting paid this year, it probably won't be repeated at Bethpage.

The Hall of Fame bagman, who has also carried for Fred Couples, Davis Love III and Justin Leonard, has been with Cantlay since May 2023, although the pairing has yet to taste success together on the PGA Tour.

Sam Burns and Travis Perkins

Burns is another Ryder Cup star who has had only one caddie since turning professional, linking up with former PGA Tour golfer Perkins in 2017.

Perkins was regarded as a hot prospect while at Florida Southern College, but he failed to find his feet in the big leagues and lasted only one season on the PGA Tour before he decided to become a full-time caddie.

Perkins first looped for Kris Blanks and has also worked with Billy Horschel, Brandt Snedeker and Aaron Wise before taking a chance on Burns, and it proved a wise decision as they have won five times on the PGA Tour and appeared together in both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.

Russell Henley and Andy Sanders

Sanders is another caddie who abandoned a promising career as a professional golfer, although his change of direction was enforced after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 25.

Sanders, who played in the iconic US Open at Pebble Beach in 2000, picked up the bag of Jimmy Walker and has worked with other PGA Tour stars including Henley, who he joined in 2022.

The pair had a huge victory together in March this year at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and they will both be making their Ryder Cup debuts at Bethpage.

Ben Griffin and Alex Ritthamel

Griffin signed Ritthamel to carry his clubs in 2023, and the pair have had a huge year together as they approach their first Ryder Cup.

Ritthamel is a former golf shop sales manager who went on to caddie for PGA Tour stars CT Pan and Matt Jones, and he has played a massive role in Griffin's development.

Griffin landed victory with Andrew Novak at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April before winning his first individual PGA Tour title the following month at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Harris English and Eric Larson

English and Larson have been together for eight years and have enjoyed three PGA Tour wins, and they will be looking forward to their second Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black this week.

But it was Larson, rather than his player, who hit the headlines in the build-up to The Open this year. He was banned from travelling to the UK due to drug dealing convictions dating back 30 years.

Larson, who caddied for Mark Calcavecchia and Anthony Kim after his release from jail, missed out on a big payday at Royal Portrush as English finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler.

Cameron Young and Steve Underwood

Being a caddie for Young was regularly a short-term gig before he hooked up with veteran Underwood last year.

Underwood has bags of experience and has worked with European captain Luke Donald in the past, while he has also had spells with the likes of KJ Choi and Tim Clark.

And after several near-misses, Young finally earned his maiden PGA Tour title this year when he cruised to an impressive six-shot victory at the Wyndham Championship in August.