The European team will look to retain the cup after defeating the U.S. team in the 2023 Ryder Cup. The top six players on the European points list will automatically qualify following the Betfred British Masters the third week of August. The 2025 Ryder Cup will be contested at Bethpage Black.
Captain Luke Donald will lead the European team again after his success in 2023. Just like the American Captain Keegan Bradley, Donald will also get six captain picks to bring with the six automatic qualifiers. The Europeans have not won a Ryder Cup on American soil since the “Miracle at Medinah” in 2012.
The European assistant captains are Edoardo Molinari, Thomas Bjørn, José María Olazábal and Francesco Molinari. Now that all the majors have been played and the Ryder Cup is just two months away, let’s project who will join Captain Donald and his assistants in New York.
Rory McIlroy – Qualified
McIlroy is one of three players to have officially qualified for the 2025 Ryder Cup, marking his eighth appearance in the event. In his previous seven appearances, he has a record of 16-13-4. McIlroy has three wins this season, including completing the Career Grand Slam with his Masters victory in April. He also finished T8 at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage.
Tommy Fleetwood – Qualified
For Fleetwood, this will be his fourth time representing Europe in the Ryder Cup. He is also an automatic qualifier like McIlroy. He is 7-3-2 in his previous three Ryder Cup appearances. Still looking for that first PGA Tour win, Fleetwood has had another strong season that has included six top-10 finishes. Captain Donald will be able to play Fleetwood with any player on the European team thanks to Fleetwood’s even-keeled golf game and demeanor. He finished T48 at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage.
Justin Rose – Qualified
This will be Rose’s seventh Ryder Cup appearance – and with a record of 14-9-3 – for Team Europe. His win at the FedEx St. Jude Classic automatically qualified for a spot on this year’s team. Rose has been a part of four winning teams, including the last time Europe won in America in 2012. He has four top-10 finishes this season, including the loss to McIlroy at the Masters in a playoff. Rose finished T29 at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage.
Jon Rahm – Confirmed
This will be Rahm’s fourth appearance at the Ryder Cup. In the previous three appearances, he had a record of 6-3-3. Rahm has found some success in the majors this year, finishing in the top-15 in three of them. On the LIV Golf Tour, he has finished T11 or better in the 10 events played thus far.
Robert MacIntyre – Qualified
MacIntyre will be making his second Ryder Cup appearance for Captain Donald. At the 2023 Ryder Cup, he went 2-0-1. Although he has not won this season, he has five top-10 finishes that included a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open and a T7 at The Open.
Tyrell Hatton – Qualified
Hatton has appeared in three previous Ryder Cups with a record of 5-4-1. He made the cut in all four majors, with three top-16 finishes highlighted by a T4 at the U.S. Open. He won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January and has three top-6 finishes on the LIV Golf Tour. He finished T48 at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage.
Shane Lowry – Confirmed
The Irishman will be making his third appearance in the Ryder Cup. Lowry’s record in those three appearances is 2-3-1. He has two runner-up finishes and two other top-8 finishes this season. Lowry has also played well at Bethpage, having finished T8 at the 2019 PGA Championship. His irons and short game will give him an advantage at a course like Bethpage.
Sepp Straka – Confirmed
Straka will represent Europe for the second time in the Ryder Cup; his record in 2023 was 1-2-0. He has won twice this year, at the American Express and Truist Championship. He also has four other top-7 finishes this season. Straka is fourth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach and sixth in greens in regulation percentage.
Ludvig Aberg – Confirmed
Aberg will be representing Europe for the second time at the Ryder Cup. In 2023, his record was 2-2-0. He was the first golfer to be selected for a Ryder Cup before playing in any major championship. Aberg won the Genesis Invitational this season and has three other top-10 finishes.
Viktor Hovland – Confirmed
Hovland has represented Europe twice at the Ryder Cup, and in those appearances, he is 3-4-3. He is the only Norwegian golfer to play in the Ryder Cup. He won the Valspar Championship earlier this season and finished third in the U.S. Open. He is second on the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach, behind only Scottie Scheffler.
Matt Fitzpatrick – Confirmed
The 2022 U.S. Open Champion will be playing in his fourth Ryder Cup. In the previous three appearances, he has a record of 1-7-0. He has started to turn the corner after a rough start to the season. He had four top-eight finishes in a row that included his second top-ten finish in a major this year. He finished T8 at the PGA Championship and T4 at The Open Championship. At the 2019 PGA Championship, he finished T41 at Bethpage.
Rasmus Hojgaard – Qualified
Hojgaard will be making his Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage. His twin brother Nicolai played for Europe in the 2023 Ryder Cup. Rasmus has five DP World Tour wins, with the last at the Amgen Irish Open in 2024. He made the cut in all four majors this season, and his best finish was a T16 at The Open Championship.
Others Who Were in Contention
- Matt Wallace
- Thomas Detry
- Aaron Rain
- Jordan Smith
