The 2025 Ryder Cup: Europe Seeks Glory in the United States
The wait is almost over! The European team, led by Luke Donald, travels to the United States this month to defend the Ryder Cup in Farmingdale, New York, at Bethpage Black.
Donald has a stellar team, with figures like Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, and the captain’s picks have consolidated what appears to be one of the strongest European teams in recent times.
Eleven players from the team that participated in Rome last time, when Europe won 16½-11½, are returning. However, the challenge is enormous: no visiting team has won the Ryder Cup since 2012, when the European team achieved the “Miracle of Medinah”.
Here’s a look at the European team and their performance prior to the Ryder Cup.
The Captain: Luke Donald
There was a time when the European team captains used to be reappointed. Between 1979 and 1995, Europe had only three different captains: John Jacobs, Tony Jacklin, and Bernard Gallacher. Nine tournaments divided between three captains.
The European team has not had a repeat captain since then. The United States has not had the same captain in two consecutive tournaments since Ben Hogan in 1949. What Donald will do at Bethpage is undoubtedly unusual.
Curiously, only three victories were obtained, two of them under Jacklin’s command in ’85 and ’87. If Donald leads Europe to another victory, he would be the only person to achieve that feat.
Even so, Donald will have the group’s backing. In a press conference after the match at Marco Simone, Rory McIlroy gave him his support.
I think everyone here would be very happy to have him back.
Rory McIlroy
Donald, who led Europe to a resounding victory in Italy, also hopes to become the first European captain to win on American soil since José María Olazábal with the “Miracle of Medinah”.
Great opportunities don’t come along very often in life and I firmly believe that when they do, you have to seize them with both hands. This is one of those moments.
Luke Donald
Classifieds
Rory McIlroy
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 7 (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023)
- Individual Record: 16 wins, 13 losses, 4 ties
Rory McIlroy was the first player to qualify for the European team in this Ryder Cup, and his eighth appearance in the famous event comes after one of his most memorable seasons.
The Northern Irishman ended his anguish at Augusta National and completed his Grand Slam by winning the chaotic 2025 Masters. However, that wasn’t his only victory: he also had two wins before the Masters at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass.
McIlroy’s form after April has been a bit more erratic, missing the cut at the Canadian Open and tying for 47th at the PGA Championship, but he has still managed four top-10 finishes since then, including the Open at Royal Portrush.
In his final appearance before the Ryder Cup, he finished tied for 20th with a score of 12 under par in four rounds at Wentworth in the PGA Championship.
Robert McIntyre
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 1 (2023)
- Individual Record: 2 wins, 0 losses, 1 tie
Robert McIntyre hasn’t won any titles on the PGA Tour this year, but it’s been a fantastic season for the Scot, who has two second-place finishes (at the US Open and the BMW Championship) and six top 10s.
His second Ryder Cup appearance comes after a near-perfect debut in which he went undefeated, including a singles victory on Sunday over Wyndham Clark.
Bob has had great performances on both sides of the Atlantic this season, and that good form combined with his 2023 experience will be invaluable in New York.
Luke Donald
Tommy Fleetwood
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 3 (2018, 2021, 2023)
- Individual Record: 7 wins, 3 losses, 2 ties
Like McIlroy, Fleetwood will enter this Ryder Cup with a slightly different feeling than the previous ones. The golfer born in Liverpool achieved his first victory on the PGA Tour after 164 attempts that were plagued by painful failures.
His victory at the FedEx Cup at East Lake Golf Club put a happy ending to what was a historically difficult period. In short: he was the best golfer who had never won on the Tour. His 30 top-five finishes without a victory were the most on the PGA Tour in the last 100 years, according to ESPN Research.
With that now overcome, Fleetwood can turn his attention to the Ryder Cup, where he has been a reliable contributor to the European team. His seven match wins in the last three Cups have seen him defeat players like Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, and Jordan Spieth.
In the last edition at Marco Simone, he partnered with McIlroy twice. Will we see the same at Bethpage?
Justin Rose
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 6 (2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023)
- Individual Record: 14 wins, 9 losses, 3 ties
At 45 years old, Justin Rose will be the oldest member of the European team and brings experience and talent to this squad.
He arrives at the Ryder Cup in fantastic form, winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, as well as achieving a sixth place in the Scottish Open and a 16th place in the Open. This happens in the same year that he finished second behind McIlroy in a playoff at the Masters.
The 2023 Ryder Cup was the first time Rose was a captain’s pick for the tournament (he had qualified for all his previous appearances) and was paired twice with McIntyre, where they won and halved before falling to Patrick Cantlay 2&1.
In his last event before the Ryder Cup, Rose was in contention after two days at the BMW Championship at Wentworth, with 11 under par, only to fall at the weekend and finish tied for 61st place.
Rasmus Højgaard- Ryder Cup Appearances: None
- Individual Record: N/A
Rasmus Højgaard will make his Ryder Cup debut this year after securing the final qualifying spot with a tied 13th finish at the British Masters.
It hasn’t been Højgaard’s best year on the PGA Tour: he previously achieved a victory every year since his debut in 2019. This year, he has only achieved one top 10, a second place at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
At 24 years old, the Dane will likely be the youngest member of the team, and he hopes to do better than his brother, Nicolai, in his rookie appearance in 2023, when he lost two and tied one, including a singles defeat to Xander Schauffele.
Tyrrell Hatton
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 3 (2018, 2021, 2023)
- Individual Record: 5 wins, 4 losses, 2 ties
Hatton, the only LIV player who secured automatic qualification for the European team, will embark on his fourth Ryder Cup.
The Englishman managed to secure his spot for the tournament despite his LIV ranking points not counting towards his qualification. However, his victories at last year’s Alfred Dunhill Links and the Dubai Desert Classic, along with his record in the majors which saw him tied for fourth at the US Open, were enough to book his place.
Hatton was one of the best players on the European team last time, winning three of his four matches and undefeated.
Captain’s Picks
Shane Lowry
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (2021, 2023)
- Individual Record: 2 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie
Lowry may not have shown the form we see so often in the majors at golf’s most important team event, but the 38-year-old will add valuable experience to Donald’s team.
The Irishman, McIlroy’s best friend in golf, failed to achieve automatic qualification by less than four points and has consistently impressed on the PGA Tour, with two second places this year at Pebble Beach and the Truist.
He will be desperate to add to his 2.5 Ryder Cup points, and was Donald’s first pick.
Jon Rahm
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 3 (2018, 2021, 2023)
- Individual Record: 6 wins, 3 losses, 3 ties
While Rahm is ranked 24th in the European ranking, there was no way the Spaniard would not be chosen for Bethpage.
Rahm, whose low position is due exclusively to the lack of participation in DP World Tour events, claimed his second consecutive LIV Golf title in 2025 and also impressed in the majors, with finishes in the top 15 at Augusta, Quail Hollow and Oakmont.
A two-time major winner and a formidable matchplay opponent, the 30-year-old is also a natural talent for the Ryder Cup, claiming 7.5 points from his three appearances. He is expected to be a key player again in Donald’s team.
Sepp Straka
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 1 (2023)
- Individual Record: 1 win, 2 losses, 0 ties
Straka seemed like a sure bet for the Ryder Cup earlier this year after two PGA Tour wins in four months. While he’s still part of the team, it’s fair to say his form has been a bit shaky since May.
The Austrian, who missed the cut in three of the four majors in 2025 despite being backed for success, finished in a distant 30th place at the Tour Championship with seven over par and has been inconsistent with his putter in particular.
Even so, Donald hasn’t overlooked its development since 2023.
Viktor Hovland
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (2021, 2023)
- Individual Record: 3 wins, 4 losses, 3 ties
It has been an unstable 2025 for Hovland, after three consecutive missed cuts in February and March with a surprising victory at the Valspar. His performance there, and his form since then, secured his place.
Hovland made the cut in all four majors (finishing third at Oakmont) and ended his season with a top 10 at the BMW Championship before finishing 12th at the Tour Championship. The Norwegian also has an excellent Ryder Cup record, playing in all five sessions of both matches in which he has participated.
Expect him to rekindle his excellent partnership with Aberg at some point at Bethpage.
Ludvig Aberg
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 1 (2023)
- Individual Record: 2 wins, 2 losses, 0 ties
The surprise choice and revelation star of Marco Simone will surely be a force to be reckoned with at Bethpage, and for many years.
Aberg won the Genesis this year and finished seventh at the Masters before going a bit off the rails. His form returned at the Scottish Open and he entered Donald’s announcement with five consecutive top-25 finishes.
The Swede, who is still only 25 years old, won half of his matches in his debut and has had the opportunity to improve his record.
Matt Fitzpatrick
- Ryder Cup Appearances: 3 (2016, 2021, 2023)
- Individual Record: 1 win, 7 losses, 0 ties
Similarly to Hovland, Fitzpatrick’s place seemed to be in serious doubt at the beginning of the year. However, an eighth place finish at the PGA Championship kickstarted his campaign.
Fitzpatrick has six top 10s in 11 tournaments since then, and it’s that form that earned him a fourth appearance in the Ryder Cup.
However, what does need to improve is Fitzpatrick’s record in the Ryder Cup. Fitzpatrick only has one match win, with McIlroy in four balls two years ago, and has never managed a single point in the United States.
