Europe’s Forgotten Few: The Ryder Cup Sleepers Who Could Flip Bethpage
Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludwig Aberg and Sepp Straka may suddenly cause problems for USA
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The Ryder Cup is meant to be about the heavy artillery — Rory, Rahm, Hovland — but tournaments like this are never just won by the big names. They’re decided by the blokes not making the cut a few weeks ago but can never be counted out. Europe have three of those this week: Matt Fitzpatrick, Sepp Straka, and Ludvig Åberg. All written off in some way, all with the capacity to throw a spanner in the American works.
Matt Fitzpatrick — Coming of Age?
Fitzpatrick’s Ryder Cup record reads like a horror novel: one win in eight matches, and someone who wouldn’t scare most Americans to be matched with. However, most purists know Fitz has the kitbag to turn it. He’s been sharpening up since that slump earlier this season, new caddie on the bag, new short-game grind, and suddenly his physics formula approach is looking almost attractive again.
Bethpage Black isn’t a beauty contest, it’s a survival test. You need patience, precision, and the stomach to hack it out of thick rough while Americans hurl abuse. Fitz has all that. If he scrapes out a couple of ugly birdies, and finally shakes off the Ryder Cup bogeyman, this could be the redemption arc nobody saw coming. One point from Fitz this week will feel like three.
Sepp Straka — The Big Austrian Rig
Sepp Straka is built like he should be anchoring Austria’s front row, not flushing fairways in New York. The big rig turned up in Rome two years ago and went 1–2–0 — solid enough without sending anyone sprinting to write ballads. But look under the bonnet and you’ll find two PGA Tour wins this season, and a habit of going full birdy berserker for short bursts.
Straka’s the sort who can birdie three of the first four and suddenly have a couple of Yanks wondering if they’ve walked into a strongman contest by mistake. Sure, the putter can go cold, but when the confidence flows he’s brutal. Nobody expects the Austrian to be a Ryder Cup kingpin, which is exactly why he might be. Let him get on a run in fourballs and he’ll have Bethpage muttering “who the hell is this bloke?”
Ludvig Åberg — Baby-Faced Bruiser
Ludvig Åberg looks like he should still be finessing into the student bar with a fake ID, but don’t let the clean cut mug fool you — the kid can absolutely nuke it. On debut in Rome, he went 2–2–0, already a better ledger than some other big names.” And since then he’s bagged a PGA Tour win, collected top-10s, and carried himself like he belongs in this company.
The thing with Åberg is his calm no f**ks pre routine into a cyborg consistent swish, but the ball’s flying 310 down the chute. Pair him with a Rahm or Rory and suddenly he’s not just the rookie — he’s the hammer partner nobody saw coming. And if he gets rolling, those baby-face grins will turn into sucker punches on the scoreboard.
Why It Matters
Europe will need every ounce of scrap at Bethpage. The stars will get theirs, but it’s the supporting cast that decides who drinks from the cup. Fitzpatrick, Straka, and Åberg aren’t Europe’s headline acts, but they’re the three who could tear the script
