Ryder Cup 2025: Analysis and Ranking of the 24 Star Golfers

The Ryder Cup: United States vs. Europe at Bethpage Black

The wait is over. The 45th edition of the Ryder Cup kicks off this Friday at the Black Course at Bethpage Black State Park, in Farmingdale, New York. The event promises excitement and high-level competition, with the United States looking to maintain its home dominance, while Europe will seek to break the streak.

The home team has won the last five editions of the Ryder Cup. The last time a visiting team won was in 2012, when Europe achieved a memorable 14½-13½ victory at Medinah Country Club in Illinois. The Europeans have dominated the event, winning eight of the last eleven tournaments, including the 16½-11½ victory at Marco Simone Golf Club and Country Club, near Rome, in 2023. In 2021, the United States crushed Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits, in Haven, Wisconsin.

The pressure will be on the Europeans in front of the crowd of fanatics on Long Island this week. The Americans start as favorites, with seven of the top ten golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking in their ranks, including the world number one, Scottie Scheffler.

“History says it’s very difficult,” Rory McIlroy commented. “There’s a reason why in the last decade every Ryder Cup has been for the home team. Obviously, it would be great to bring the Ryder Cup back to these shores, and we know how difficult it’s going to be. We’re not under any illusions. I keep saying this: we have a great opportunity to do something that not many Ryder Cup teams say they’ve done.”

Rory McIlroy

The tournament format includes four foursomes (alternate shot) matches and four four-ball (best ball) matches on Friday and Saturday, followed by 12 singles matches on Sunday. Europe needs 14 points to retain the Ryder Cup, while the United States needs 14½ to win it back.

Key Players in the Ryder Cup

Here’s a look at the golfers competing this weekend:

• Scottie Scheffler, United States

World ranking: 1. Ryder Cup appearances: 3. Career record: 2-2-3. The best golfer in the world will seek to erase the memories of his 0-2-2 performance in Rome two years ago. Scheffler was in tears after he and Brooks Koepka suffered a 9 and 7 defeat in 11 holes in foursomes, the shortest 18-hole match in Ryder Cup history. For the Americans to have a real chance of winning this week, they need Scottie to be Scottie for three days. The good news: Scheffler is still on a roll, having won for the sixth time on tour this season at the Procore Championship in Napa, California, two weeks ago.

• Rory McIlroy, Europe

World ranking: 2. Ryder Cup appearances: 8. Career record: 16-13-4. At 36 years old, McIlroy is the undisputed emotional leader of the Europeans. He had a record of 4-1-0 in Rome; his four points were the most of any golfer on either side. McIlroy was also at the center of a post-match dispute with American caddie Joe LaCava. After becoming the sixth male golfer to complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters, McIlroy struggled a bit this season. He finally won again at the Irish Open on September 7th.

• Tommy Fleetwood, Europe

World ranking: 7. Ryder Cup appearances: 4. Career record: 7-3-2. The English golfer had his best season on the PGA Tour and was finally rewarded with his first victory on American soil at the Tour Championship. Fleetwood has become one of the most popular golfers in the world, but that might not be the case at Bethpage Black. He had a record of 3-1-0 in Rome and 4-0-0 in foursomes in his three previous Ryder Cup appearances.

• Jon Rahm, Europe

World ranking: 73. Ryder Cup appearances: 4. Career record: 6-3-3. Don’t let the world ranking fool you. The Spaniard remains one of the best golfers on the planet, even if his world ranking has plummeted while playing in the LIV Golf League. He won the league’s individual points championship for the second consecutive year and had a better performance in the majors (three top-15s) last season. The two-time major champion has been a force in the Ryder Cup, like Spanish golfers Seve Ballesteros and José María Olazábal before him.

• Bryson DeChambeau, United States

World ranking: 21. Ryder Cup appearances: 3. Career record: 2-3-1. Figuring out how to utilize DeChambeau’s incredible distance off the tee will be one of the intriguing storylines for the U.S. team this week. The two-time U.S. Open winner was not included on the Ryder Cup team in 2023. He had a 0-3-0 record as a rookie in Paris in 2018, then bounced back to earn 2½ points at Whistling Straits three years later. The LIV Golf League captain appears to be in favor after somehow qualifying for the team with only eight counting events. The big hitter should have the New York crowd on his side.

• Patrick Cantlay, United States

World ranking: 22. Ryder Cup appearances: 3. Career record: 5-2-1. Cantlay was at the center of the “HatGate” controversy two years ago, when he allegedly refused to wear a team hat in protest because golfers were not being compensated for participating in the Ryder Cup (American golfers are receiving a stipend of $200,000 and $300,000 for charity this year). Cantlay denied the report, but that didn’t stop European fans from waving their hats at him at Marco Simone. Cantlay silenced them, at least briefly, when he made a 43-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to give him and Wyndham Clark a 1-up victory over McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick on Saturday afternoon.

• Russell Henley, United States

World ranking: 3. Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie. Henley could be a 36-year-old Ryder Cup rookie, but he has been one of the best golfers in the world over the last two seasons. He earned his fifth PGA Tour victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 9. He also finished in the top 10 in four of the last eight majors. Henley had a 3-1-0 record in his first Presidents Cup appearance in 2024, teaming with Scheffler to win two matches. Henley hits fairways and greens and keeps it simple.

• Ludvig Åberg, Europe

World Ranking: 16. Ryder Cup Appearances: 2. Career Record: 2-2-0. It was a regular season for the 25-year-old Swede, who earned his second PGA Tour victory at the Genesis Invitational in February. He didn’t finish better than solo seventh at the Masters the rest of the way, but played well in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He ranked 91st in strokes gained: approach (-.038) and 86th in putting (-.051) on tour. Åberg had a 2-2-0 record as a Ryder Cup rookie in Rome.

• Justin Thomas, United States

World ranking: 5. Ryder Cup appearances: 4. Career record: 7-4-2.

Few American golfers care as much about the Ryder Cup as Thomas, who is back on the team after playing much better golf in the last two seasons. JT has been one of the best match-play players for the United States, as evidenced by his 3-0-0 singles record in his previous three Ryder Cups. He has already qualified this week’s matches as the “greatest golf event in history”.

• Tyrrell Hatton, Europe

World ranking: 25. Ryder Cup appearances: 4. Career record: 5-4-2. Hatton was one of the stars for the Europeans in Rome, earning 3½ points with a 3-0-1 record. The English golfer partnered with Rahm to get the first point in foursomes matches over Scheffler and Sam Burns, and then the duo defeated Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in foursomes on Saturday. Hatton also defeated Brian Harman in singles on Sunday. Hatton tied for fourth at the U.S. Open and fifth at the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour, a sign that his form is good.

• Cameron Young, United States

World ranking: 20. Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie. After seven runner-up finishes on tour, Young finally earned his first victory at the Wyndham Championship on August 3. That breakthrough seemed to open the door for Young, who hasn’t finished outside the top 11 in his last five starts, including a tie for fourth at the Tour Championship. His length off the tee (313.2 yards) should be a weapon at Bethpage Black. He also became one of the tour’s best putters this year; he was fifth in strokes gained: putting (.642). Young is the son of a PGA club professional in Scarborough, New York, and won the New York Open at Bethpage Black in 2017.

• Xander Schauffele, United States

World ranking: 4. Ryder Cup appearances: 3. Career record: 4-4-0. A painful rib injury derailed Schauffele’s 2025 season after he captured the first two major championships of his career the previous year. Whether Schauffele can regain his form at Bethpage Black is one of the biggest questions surrounding Team USA. Schauffele had a 3-1-0 record as a rookie at Whistling Straits in 2018, then 1-3-0 in Rome. He did not compete in the Procore Championship, where 10 of the 12 U.S. Ryder Cup players were in action; he stayed home with his wife, Maya, and their newborn son, Victor.

• Viktor Hovland, Europe

World ranking: 12. Ryder Cup appearances: 3. Career record: 3-4-3. Hovland’s first two Ryder Cup experiences couldn’t have been more different. The Norwegian golfer appeared in each of the five sessions as a rookie and failed to win a match, with a record of 0-3-2. In Rome two years later, however, Hovland earned 3½ points and had a record of 3-1-1. He never seems to be happy with his swing, but his results have been good lately, finishing 12th in the Tour Championship and tied for fifth in the BMW PGA Championship.

• Robert MacIntyre, Europe

World ranking: 9. Ryder Cup appearances: 2. Career record: 2-0-1. The 29-year-old from Scotland was considered an unknown quantity for the Europeans in Rome, but he more than delivered by earning 2½ points. MacIntyre has become one of the best golfers in the world in the two seasons since then. He won twice on the PGA Tour in 2024 and finished in the top 10 in three of the last seven majors, including a solo second place at the U.S. Open. MacIntyre and Justin Rose were solid four-ball partners at Marco Simone.

• Collin Morikawa, United States

World ranking: 8. Ryder Cup appearances: 3. Career record: 4-3-1. Another unknown for the Americans, Morikawa is a two-time major championship winner, but his form has been off for a while. After squandering a late lead and losing to Henley at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and then tying for 10th at the Players Championship the following week, Morikawa only had one more top-10 the rest of the season, a tie for eighth at the Rocket Classic. He’s still one of the best ball strikers in the world, and pairing him with a good putter could help him turn things around.

• Harris English, United States

World ranking: 10. Ryder Cup appearances: 2. Career record: 1-2-0. English earned a point as a Ryder Cup rookie at Whistling Straits, then underwent surgery in February 2022 to repair a torn labrum in his right hip, sidelining him for nearly five months. He’s coming off one of his best seasons on tour: he won the Farmers Insurance Open in January and performed well in the majors. English tied for 12th at the Masters and was runner-up at both the PGA Championship and The Open. If his putter is hot this week, English could be a surprise for the Americans.

• J.J. Spaun, United States

World ranking: 6. Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie. The 35-year-old rookie won his first major at the U.S. Open in spectacular fashion, sinking a 64-foot putt on the 72nd hole at Oakmont Country Club in June. He also fell in a three-hole playoff to McIlroy at the Players Championship. Spaun is one of the best iron players on tour, and he’s good enough off the tee to do some damage in his first Ryder Cup.

• Matt Fitzpatrick, Europe

World ranking: 29. Ryder Cup appearances: 4. Career record: 1-7-0. The 2022 U.S. Open champion only managed a single point in his previous three Ryder Cup appearances. Fitzpatrick’s form has improved since hiring swing coach Mark Blackburn: he tied for fourth at The Open and had a good run on the DP World Tour with a tie for sixth at the British Masters, a solo fifth at the European Masters and a tie for fifth at the BMW PGA Championship.

• Ben Griffin, United States

World Ranking: 11. Ryder Cup Appearances: Rookie. The biggest surprise on the U.S. team, Griffin stepped away from golf for most of 2021 and worked as a mortgage loan officer. He returned to the course and eventually earned his PGA Tour card. He picked up two victories last season, pairing with Andrew Novak to capture the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event and then winning the Charles Schwab Challenge the following month. He tied for eighth at the PGA Championship and 10th at the U.S. Open.

• Sam Burns, United States

World ranking: 23. Ryder Cup appearances: 2. Career record: 1-2-0. Burns’ late charge in the FedEx Cup playoffs secured his spot on the U.S. team. He tied for fourth at the BMW Championship and seventh at the Tour Championship. Burns led the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting (.983), so he could be valuable if paired with a strong iron player. He earned a point as a rookie in Rome.

• Shane Lowry, Europe

World ranking: 24. Ryder Cup appearances: 3. Career record: 2-3-1. Lowry is one of the emotional leaders of the European team, and was in a heated confrontation with LaCava on the 18th green on Saturday in Rome. He also pulled McIlroy away when the dispute continued in the parking lot. This is Lowry’s third consecutive appearance in a captain’s pick; only Jesper Parnevik also had as many.

• Sepp Straka, Europe

World ranking: 15. Ryder Cup appearances: 2. Career record: 1-2-0. The 32-year-old player was born in Austria and raised in Valdosta, Georgia. He won twice on tour this season at the American Express and Truist Championship. He missed the cut in three of the four majors, and his game was not good during the FedEx Cup playoffs. Straka doesn’t hit far off the tee, but rarely misses fairways and greens.

• Justin Rose, Europe

World ranking: 14. Ryder Cup appearances: 7. Career record: 14-9-3. Rose, 45, admits he is in the final stages of his career and yet he is still playing spectacular golf. He won the first stage of the FedEx Cup playoffs with a playoff victory against Spaun at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, his twelfth PGA Tour victory. Rose also lost in a playoff to McIlroy at the Masters. The English golfer was part of four winning Ryder Cup teams, including the 2012 Miracle at Medinah team, which won eight and tied one singles match on Sunday to overcome a four-point deficit to secure a one-point victory.

• Rasmus Højgaard, Europe

World ranking: 58. Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie. The 24-year-old from Denmark is the only new golfer on the European team; his twin brother, Nicolai, was a competitor in Rome two years ago. European team captain Luke Donald invited Rasmus to Marco Simone to watch his brother play and be close to the team, so there will be some familiarity. He is a five-time winner on the DP World Tour.