The Masters leaderboard is a great potential Ryder Cup preview

Over five months separate us from Bethpage, but whenever it is a Ryder Cup year, your eyes cannot help but wander.

We are on the morning of what looks to be an all-time Masters Sunday. The golf gods delivered a final pairing of Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, which puts the best European golfer in the world right now against one of the best options the United States has to offer.

Hello, that is literally the definition of the Ryder Cup.

Consider the names at the top of the Masters leaderboard as Sunday approaches, though. McIlroy and DeChambeau are being chased by Patrick Reed, Ludvig Aberg, Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, the most recent American captain in Zach Johnson (still unbelievable), and players like Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Viktor Hovland are not far behind. Tell me these dudes aren’t all going to be teeing it up at Bethpage.

Photo by Gary Kellner/PGA of America via Getty Images

Nobody wants to sim all the way to the Ryder Cup at this point in time because, as noted, Sunday at Augusta should be incredible, not to mention the rest of the major championships this season has in store. It goes without saying that the results from those events will also have a heavy hand in dictating who the captains, Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald, are trying to best one another with.

But if the season and Ryder Cup in any way live up to the stage set by three days of action at The Masters, then we are in for one of the most incredible golf seasons in a very long time.

Here’s hoping Sunday’s final round at Augusta reinforces that with fireworks.