As the Ryder Cup race intensifies with just two months until Bethpage Black, the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush proved a pivotal battleground.

The Dunluce Links’ relentless winds and brutal bunkers tested the mettle of golf’s elite, reshaping the transatlantic showdown’s landscape.

Harris English’s solo second just about locked him in for Bethpage, while Chris Gotterup’s breakout third place and Matt Fitzpatrick’s return to form launched both into Ryder Cup contention. Others like Wyndham Clark defied off-course drama to bolster their cases as well.

Meanwhile, LIV stars like Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka stumbled, ending any hopes for a Bethpage appearance. Here’s the top five winners and losers from a week that sent Ryder Cup hopes soaring and crashing along the Antrim coast.

Top 5 Winners

• Harris English
  English, a 35-year-old borderline journeyman, surged to solo second at 13-under, earning $1.7 million and his best major finish. His final-round 68, with four birdies, kept him in contention, though a double bogey on the 12th cost him a closer shot at Scheffler. Ranked 19th in the world entering the week, the Georgia Bulldog is now a career best No. 8, aided by a win at the Farmers and two seconds in majors (2nd Open, T2 PGA). At No. 5 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, English appears to be a late lock for Bradley’s squad.
• Bryson DeChambeau
  DeChambeau’s comeback was the week’s redemption story. After a 7-over 78 Thursday, he faced a likely missed cut. Channeling his late father’s “never give up” mantra, he roared back with a 65-68-64, finishing T10 at 9-under. His final-round chip-in birdie on the 12th and 20-foot eagle putt on the 15th electrified fans. His six top-10s in last eight major starts bolsters his Ryder Cup case, proving his grit despite links golf’s challenges. On Tuesday, Captain Keegan Bradley confirmed that DeChambeau is on the team.
• Matt Fitzpatrick
  The Yorkshireman’s 11-under 273, capped by a final-round 69, secured a top-5 finish — his third consecutive top-10. Fitzpatrick’s opening 67 and second-round 66 showcased his revitalized iron game. After a dismal spring, including a 78 at The Players, his work with new coach Mark Blackburn and caddie Colin Byrne paid off. The T4 finish, and third straight top-10, vaulted him into the Ryder Cup conversation with some claiming he’s now a lock.
• Wyndham Clark
  Clark’s T4 at 11-under, capped by a final-round 65, was a defiant response to a pre-tournament controversy. After reports surfaced of Oakmont Country Club banning him for allegedly damaging lockers at the 2025 U.S. Open, Clark declined media requests Saturday but spoke Sunday, calling it a “wake-up call” and expressing regret. His 66-65 weekend, with eight birdies Sunday, moved him to 16th in U.S. Ryder Cup standings, boosting his Bethpage chances. His mental toughness silenced doubters.
• Chris Gotterup
  Fresh off a breakthrough win at the Genesis Scottish Open, the 26-year-old American stunned with a solo third at 12-under, his best major finish. His final-round 67, with a 30-foot birdie on 12 and a bunker save on 16, leaned on a hot putter (+5.8 Strokes Gained). The $1.2 million prize moved him to 22nd in U.S. Ryder Cup standings, a massive leap for the former Korn Ferry Tour grad.

Top 5 Losers

• Justin Thomas
  The world No. 4’s major nightmare continued with a middling T34 — his 13th finish outside the top-30 in his last 14 major starts, which includes seven missed-cuts. Just incredibly bad. His world No. 4 ranking feels hollow as he stumbled again. Racks up all his points in PGA Tour events. He fell outside the U.S. Ryder Cup’s top-6 to automatically qualify.
• Collin Morikawa
  The 2021 Open champion’s collapse was stunning. A 7-over 75-74 left him well outside the +1 cut, his second straight missed-cut (MC, Scottish Open). Morikawa’s usually pinpoint irons deserted him in the British Isles. His 2025 major season with no top-10s definitely dims his big-game aura. Still, seems like a lock for the U.S. Ryder Cup team as he’s ranked No. 6 in the world and 8th in the standings.
• Brooks Koepka
  The five-time major winner’s major woes deepened with a missed cut (75-74, +7). His third missed cut in four 2025 majors sparked mental game chatter. Once a big-stage titan, Koepka’s fade raises questions about his LIV Golf form translating to majors. Only way he gets to Bethpage Black now is with a ticket.
• Patrick Reed
  The 2018 Masters champion was making a late push for a longshot Ryder Cup spot, but a missed cut ended any chance of that happening. Reed’s driver betrayed him, and his usually magical short game faltered. A major season that started with so much promise (solo 3rd Masters) ended with a thud in Northern Ireland, a second missed-cut in his last three majors.
• Patrick Cantlay
  Dubbed the “Best Player to Not Contend in Majors,” Cantlay’s 3-over 73-72 missed the cut, his third straight major miss in 2025. Like Thomas, his No. 8 ranking feels inflated as he racks up big points in PGA Tour events yet fails to deliver on golf’s biggest stages. Once a lock to make the U.S. team, Cantlay now is on the bubble at No. 14. Needs to come up big in the playoffs.