The Ryder Cup is a long-standing golf competition that pits 18-men teams from Europe and the United States against each other for three days every two years. Each team consists of 12 active players, in addition to six non-playing members: one captain and five vice-captains.

A three-day championship, the Cup consists of a total of 28 matches, each worth one point. There are no extra holes, and if teams tie on any hole, each side earns half a point. The first two days feature one four-match session of four-ball and one four-match session of foursomes; the final day is reserved for 12 singles matches. To win uncontested, a team must collect 14.5 points. If they tie, the team who won the previous Cup retains the title.

The U.S. road to the Ryder Cup began in 2022 and concluded with the BMW Championship (second FedEx Cup Playoff event) in August. The six top-scoring eligible players secured spots, with the remaining six selected by captain Zach Johnson. For the Europeans, qualifiers also began in 2022 with the BMW PGA Championship, the fourth Rolex Series event of the season. They concluded on Sept. 3, three weeks before Cup week. Of the six confirmed auto-qualifiers, three and three were leading players on the European and Worlds points list, respectively. Captain Luke Donald chose the remaining six as captain’s picks.

The most recent match-up last week at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome saw the European team retain their 30-year home-winning streak. However, this wasn’t without a little action and drama. Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg delivered a 9-and-7 smackdown of World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, the biggest 18-hole defeat in Cup history. Patrick Cantlay briefly led the Americans in four-ball with a 43-foot birdie putt on the par-5 finishing hole. Rory McIlroy and Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, got into a now-highly-publicized spat. 

Despite spite and spark, the U.S. team dynamic is worth noting — specifically, Johnson’s leadership following the loss. In a conversation with NBC’s Steve Sands, Johnson said, “I’ll do the interviews. I’ll do the media. I’ll take the burden on me … I’d take my 12 [players] in any Cup. They’re amazing individuals — on and off the golf course. It ain’t about me.” 

But what about the representing team, well, being representative? 

Of the 18 Americans, only three were people of color. Rickie Fowler is of Navajo and Japanese descent, Xander Schauffele is half-Taiwanese and Collin Morikawa is of Japanese and Chinese descent. This lack of representation stands in stark contrast to the broader U.S. population. Of the 338.3 million recorded Americans in 2022, more than 33% of the U.S. population over the age of five reported experience with golf — whether playing, following, reading or listening. More than one quarter of today’s juniors are non-Caucasian. 

The American team, at least diversity-wise, is nowhere near representative of the sport’s demographics. And while I’m not saying we should completely change the lineup, the U.S. is a melting pot, and times are changing. The scoreboard needs to as well. The talent is there — and developing the pipeline should be the top priority. 

I’ve played golf on-and-off ever since I was little. I usually play courses around my hometown of Dallas, but Kapalua holds a special place in my heart. Growing up with a private coach, my brain never really registered the lack of diversity within the sport. 

And yeah, given the long, elitist, racially-exclusive history and nature of golf, you could point to American history as well, as proof that times are changing. We’re almost there. Almost representative, almost equal. With the Cup, we almost won, it was almost enough. But as my former private coach liked to say, “in golf, there is no almost. Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”

That being said, moving forward — here’s some names to watch out for.

Rose Zhang

In her rookie year with the LPGA, Zhang is only 20 years old and has Rolex and CME rankings of 33 and 30, respectively. An Irvine native and junior at Stanford, in her first two years of college she became the first woman to win two NCAA D1 individual national golf titles. 

Kim Joo-hyung 

Or Tom Kim, a Korean American golfer, resides in my hometown of Dallas and turned pro in 2018. At 21 years old, he’s ranked seventh in the DP World Tour — and has won twice on each of the PGA, Asian and Korean Tours. 

Sahith Theegala

A 25-year-old Orange County native and Pepperdine alum, claimed his first PGA Tour win two weeks ago at the Fortinet Championship.

Collin Morikawa

The 26-year-old Los Angeles native and UC Berkeley alum was a familiar face in Rome last week. With five professional wins already under his belt, Morikawa is a two-time Major Champion, has finished T10 in seven of his 15 Major starts, and plays in both the PGA and European Tour.

What’s next?

The Korn Ferry Tour Championship runs from Oct. 5 until Oct. 8 at the Victoria National Golf Club. Hopefully at this championship we see more representation and a better performance from Americans.