Ryder Cup qualifying really begins at The Sentry; here’s everything you need to know

With the new year upon us, American players and fans can now focus on the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

The Sentry in Maui marks a new beginning for the PGA Tour, its players, and its fans. It always serves as the kick-off for the new year, a chance for the top golfers to begin their seasons on the right foot.

This year’s Sentry is also the first time a regular, non-major PGA Tour event will count toward this year’s Ryder Cup qualifying process. After all, it is a Ryder Cup year, which is at the forefront of everyone’s mind from now until the end of August, when automatic qualifying concludes at the BMW Championship—the penultimate event at the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Here is how qualifying will work:

At last year’s majors and The Players, players who made the cut retroactively earned one (1) Ryder Cup point per $1,000 earned. That same formula now applies to every PGA Tour event in 2025, beginning at this week’s Sentry in Maui. But, notably, players at opposite events, such as the Puerto Rico Open and the Corales Puntacana Championship, will not receive any points.

For the 2025 major championships, all players who make the cut will earn 1.5 points per $1,000 earned, making them more important for Ryder Cup qualifying.

Of course, The Masters will return to Augusta National, as it does every year, and Scottie Scheffler will arrive as the defending champion. Xander Schauffele will look to defend his titles at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship, which return to Quail Hollow in Charlotte and Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, respectively. The U.S. Open heads back to Oakmont for a record 10th time as Bryson DeChambeau will eye back-to-back titles outside of Pittsburgh.

After the final round of the BMW Championship on August 17, 2025, the top six players in the standings will automatically qualify for the U.S. Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black. Captain Keegan Bradley will then make six captain’s picks to solidify his team of 12 after the Tour Championship.

Here are the current standings as we begin the year:

1. Xander Schauffele — 9,580.96

2. Scottie Scheffler — 9145.56

3. Bryson DeChambeau — 6993.00

4. Collin Morikawa — 2478.13

5. Brian Harman — 2250.56

6. Billy Horschel — 2037.22

The top 6 players earn automatic spots

7. Wyndham Clark — 1936.21

8. Patrick Cantlay — 1613.26

9. Russell Henley — 1600.43

10. Tony Finau — 1575.88

11. Sahith Theegala — 1234.29

12. Max Homa — 1229.88

13. Maverick McNealy — 876.39

14. Harris English — 809.34

15. Taylor Moore — 762.76

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.