Your complete Team Europe 2025 Ryder Cup preview is here! Golf expert Ben Coley breaks down every European player heading to Bethpage Black, including form, stats, Ryder Cup records and potential pairings chosen by captain Luke Donald.
We profile all the stars of Team Europe: Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Højgaard, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick. Discover how they qualified, their season highlights, and who they might be paired with during the weekend.
Perfect for golf fans who want in-depth stats and strategy ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup.
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Contents
00:00 Intro
00:17 Rory McIlroy
01:02 Robert MacIntyre
01:54 Tommy Fleetwood
02:56 Rasmus Holgaard
04:16: Tyrrell Hatton
05:22 Justin Rose
06:33 Shane Lowry
07:56 Sepp Straka
09:03 Viktor Hovland
10:09 Ludvig Aberg
11:13 Matt Fitzpatrick
13:12 Jon Rahm
So the Ryder Cup is almost upon us
and Luke Donald gets another go as European captain after a brilliant
performance from his team in Rome. Same surnames, slightly different team. Here are the 12 players representing team. What a year it’s been for Rory McIlroy
a dream campaign. It’s seen him complete the career
Grand Slam, winning Irish Open recently in spectacular style,
not to mention Sawgrass and Pebble Beach. And now the final thing on his wish
list to win an away Ryder Cup. It’s something he’s only done
once in 2012, and home advantage has been such a big deal that the task facing
Europe is an enormous one. It will depend so much on him. He’s played 33 of a possible 39 sessions
in the Ryder Cup. He’s got an excellent singles record,
a good foursomes record, a losing Fourballs record,
which might surprise some. But he’s sure to play a big part. And he was the top scorer in Rome
when he did play all five sessions. I expect to see him on day
one, session one, maybe even match one alongside Tommy Fleetwood. Two years ago, Robert MacIntyre
qualified for the European Ryder Cup side, but was considered by many
to be the potential weak link. High ceiling, low floor
and a bit of a risk. He was therefore given the guiding arm
of Justin Rose and together they played a couple of Fourballs matches
and then Bob won his singles points. So he actually ended up going
unbeaten through his three matches. His captain, Luke Donald, has already said
that he’s improved so much since then that a different role could be an option, and that could mean his first
go of foursomes. It would be a rescue,
it would mean changing plan from the successful
one that worked in Rome. But it’s definitely an option now. And as if to emphasize how far he’s come. MacIntyre had no doubts about
qualification contenders for the US open finish, second only to McIlroy in Ryder
Cup points and will go to New York. Now a PGA tour winner. Who knows he can handle the occasion? Just like McIlroy, it’s
been a dream season for Tommy Fleetwood. It didn’t look like it when he threw away
the Travelers Championship and then threw away the Fedex
and Jude Championship as well, and didn’t quite perform
as it is hoped to in the majors. But everything was made right
by his victory in the Tour Championship that saw him become a PGA tour winner, of
course, but also the Fedex Cup champion. A massive boost to his confidence
and really underlined that. Certainly from summer onwards, he’s been playing like the third
or maybe fourth best player in the sport. He goes to the Ryder Cup now,
attempting to right the wrongs of 2021, his only previous away game
when he didn’t perform to his best and is surely going to be a key member
of this side, particularly in foursomes. And that link up with Rory McIlroy
and when it comes down to the Sunday singles, will now,
he knows he can win a point there too. That’s what he did in Rome, and in doing
so he secured the Ryder Cup for Europe. So, like McIlroy, so many parallels here. They’ll play together
and if they can win in a way Ryder Cup, well 2025 will go down
as the best year in each of their careers. Europe
takes just one rookie to the Ryder Cup, and he has the same surname
as one of the rookies from 2023. This is Rasmus Hojgaard, God, of course, his twin brother having played two years ago. It didn’t go fantastically
well for Nikolai and there definitely would be some concern
around Rasmus, his form coming in. It had been very, very good. But then at Wentworth in the BMW
PGA Championship he produced some of his worst
golf of the year. Not an ideal way
to prepare for your debut. Certainly not when you’ve qualified via a method
which some didn’t necessarily agree with. But what we all know
is that this young Dane, who’s won multiple titles
at such a young age on the European Tour and has almost won as well on the PGA
tour, is blessed with enormous talent. He’s long off the tee
that will suit at Bethpage. And really, the question becomes
what sort of role we’d expect him to play. I would suggest they will use him
only for Fourballs, but knowing Luke, Donald and his plan, you would expect that
to involve playing on day one. Jon Rahm and Justin Rose might be the two
most obvious partners. Whoever it is will be tasked with
holding his hand, guiding him through. But Rasmus was there
as part of the backroom team in Rome. He does have some idea
what this is all about, and he is a player with huge talent, and hopefully he’s ready
to step up into this big moment. Tyrrell Hatton is one of a couple of Liv golfers on this European Ryder Cup team,
and he goes back to America knowing that he’s improved as a player
since 2021, when he didn’t necessarily perform to his best, although,
of course, he wasn’t alone in that. A record defeat for Europe. One of the potential advantages here for Europe is that he and Jon
Rahm have played a lot of golf together. This year. They’re on the same Liv team, and although they don’t play the foursomes
format as part of the Liv Golf League, the fact they’ve spent so much time
together celebrated their Ryder Cup inclusion together of course, has to be
a potential advantage. At least now
the one question mark you’d have, and I would expect
to see them in foursomes, is that these are both characters who can heat up pretty quickly. You can potentially boil over
and going to New York with those raucous crowds,
that will be a challenge for both of them. And I think in particular Hatton,
if he can hold it together, which he did. So brilliantly when he was a bit unlucky in the US open
that he’ll be a key player for Europe. But that, combined with the fact he’s
not necessarily had the best year of his career, does raise some concerns,
which certainly weren’t there maybe a year or so ago when he really was
in the form of his life. Two years ago, Justin Rose was almost
a bit part player in the Ryder Cup. He played three matches, but he was asked
to fulfill a very specific, avuncular role to hold the hand of Robert MacIntyre
as a rookie to guide him through, and in the end
it was a vital role he played. He helped Bob go on and beat him. He contributed himself,
particularly on that Friday evening when he turned around and roared
to his teammates, having secured the point in his match there. And we know Rose lives for these moments. You know, over the last couple of years, his A-game and his B game
have become further and further apart, but it’s amazing how often that A-game turns up
when he really wants to wants it too. It happened at Augusta when he was second. It happened when he won at South Wind
on the PGA tour as recently as August, and he’s continued to play well since. So every chance he plays a very,
very similar role, it will be interesting to see
whether he’s drafted in into foursomes. If, for instance, Sepp Straka isn’t deemed to be
in the right place to perform that role, but Rose himself
surely will be asked to look after one of the less experienced members of the team. Now there is only one rookie.
It’s Rasmus Hoygaard. I would say him and Jon Rahm in particular could have a big role to play there,
but Rose’s experience for the whole team is a massive advantage and Luke Donald
will be sure to make best use of that. We’re onto Luke Donald’s wildcards now,
and although in Donald’s mind, I don’t think Shane Lowry’s inclusion
was ever in doubt, some felt that after a quiet summer for The Irishman,
he might be the name left out of the team to make room for a real X-Factor selection
such as Marco. Perhaps in the end he’s gone with experience, and in Lowry, that’s
the beating heart of that dressing room. You know, he’s performances
in the Ryder Cup haven’t always been as he’d expect as he’d like,
but he was standing tall as others faltered at Whistling
Straits four years ago. And that ability to go to America
and stand up to whatever these crowds or whatever
the players on the US team throw in his direction, is a massive asset
for Shane Lowry. He is, of course, a major champion. And yes, he doesn’t win golf tournaments
as often as he would like. I’m sure in these moments I think
he’s a player you can probably rely on. And certainly Rory McIlroy did
when things got a bit tasty off the course in Rome as far as his playing role,
while foursomes was what he was asked to go and do in Rome,
he paired up with Sepp Straka there. Now, there could be a doubt
as to Sepp Straka and how ready he is, but Shane compare
with just about everybody. He’s straight off the tee. He’s a fabulous iron player. He can get you up and down from anywhere and although shaky over short parts,
there’s really not many weaknesses in this game and it’s a game that’s come
good again lately. Sepp Straka was named by Luke
Donald as one of his six wild cards that would have been absolutely guaranteed
in everybody’s minds when he won two PGA tour tournaments
from January to May this year. The seed of doubt crept in
when he withdrew from the BMW Championship and then finished
last at the tour Championship. But it’s since been revealed that
he became a father during that period. We can certainly excuse him
being distracted from all things golf and come the Ryder Cup. Of course he’ll be ready and raring to go. That said, the one doubt has to be
that he’ll be one of two players here, along with Zander Schauffele,
who’s in a very similar situation who won’t have played competitively since
two thirds of the way through August. That was a problem for the US
team in Rome. Actually. Europe were far better prepared,
and Luke Donald will want to have a look at strategy, I think, in practice
and get a sense of where his game is. He will have a plan
B, and that plan B would be to use somebody else in that first foursome
session, potentially still alongside Shane Lowry, or go
as far as to take both of them out of that, knowing that Lowry
is not been at his best as well of late. They will play together, I’m sure, if not on Friday, then on Saturday
they play the same strokes on ball. They get on very, very well and they formed a good partnership
in round two. It’s just a question
of when we see them together, not if. Viktor Hovland plays in his third Ryder Cup
and it’s been a mixed bag so far. His debut didn’t go to plan. He didn’t win a match, but of course
he would have learned so much from that. A Whistling Straits
and that’s four years ago. He’s come a long way since. He’s become a lot more prolific
in winning titles, and it was at the end of his fabulous 2023 season that he was such a key
part of Europe’s success in Rome. That included a nine
and seven record win in the foursomes, and not against anybody against Scottie
Scheffler and Brooks Koepka. The two biggest names
really on the US side. Scheffler in tears by the end of it as Hovland and Ludwig Aberg,
his fellow Scandinavian, proved such a likable partnership of all back
two years on, is much more experienced. And while Hovland has not had the same
level of form consistently this year, he does come into the event in really good
form, actually, and with his iron play, some of the very best among both sides,
he’s sure to be a key player again for Luke Donald. Expect him to play early,
expect him to play again with Aberg. and from there we’ll see. Two years ago, Ludwig Aberg won the European Masters
for his first professional title and was quickly named as part of Luke
Donald’s Ryder Cup side. This was a couple of months
after he turned professional. We all knew the name,
we all knew the potential. But to see him given that faith from Luke
Donald, who said this is a once in a generation player,
it was quite something. And then to see him gone break that record with Viktor Aberg
to win nine and seven against two of the best players on the US team,
certainly two of the most qualified. Absolutely extraordinary. And I think almost we take for granted
how much he’s achieved in a short career so far. Perhaps since then he’s not won
quite as often as people would like. But he still won a massive event,
the Genesis Invitational, earlier this year, played well in the majors
and comes into the Ryder Cup both in good form
and sure to play a key role. That role will involve
Viktor Hovland again, and the difference really for me with Aberg this time
is that whereas on debut, when he faced Koepka in the singles,
it felt like a big challenge. Whoever is against him
in the singles on Sunday at Bethpage for, they could well be underdog unless their
name happens to be Scottie Scheffler. It’s felt all year really, since Justin Rose was second in the Masters that the European Ryder Cup
side was just about set, we’d find out whether Rasmus Hojgaard
could qualify in the end. He did, but there weren’t many questions
to answer. One of them emerged in the summer
and that was Matt Fitzpatrick find his game again? Because had he not,
he would have been left out of this side. His record eight matches played, only one
match won gives a captain the room to make that decision, even though he is,
of course, a US open champion and has stacks of experience
playing golf on the PGA tour. To his immense credit,
Fitzpatrick played the best golf he’s played in a couple of years,
from May through to the end of August, and that secured his inclusion
despite the fact that he didn’t win, he was a permanent fixture. It felt like on leaderboards,
two major top tens, it really answered every question
we could ask. As to the state of his game, the questions he can’t answer
until we get to Bethpage, maybe even until we get to a Adair Manor in two years
time, is is that Ryder Cup record of his an anomaly? Is it a freak set of circumstances,
such as being paired with an out of form Lee Westwood, or being left out of the
first day altogether in 2016 on his debut? Or does it reflect
a problem with the format? Is this simply not his game? Well, the evidence of Rome is encouraging
because he paired it with Rory McIlroy in the fourballs
and it was Fitzpatrick, not McIlroy, who led them to a resounding win
the first six holes of that pairing. He was electric,
parts were going in from anywhere, and he is one of the best putters
across both sides, and he will surely take great confidence
from that, from being part of the winning side
for the first time and for contributing
in the way that he did. He also experienced
what it’s like when things get tasty in that fry Saturday evening match, again
alongside McIlroy. And that’s a very likable partnership. I’m sure Rory would enjoy having someone who holds
so many putts alongside him again. Whatever happens with Fitzpatrick,
if we had one wish for him this week, I think it would be to win
his singles point. That would answer some questions
well and truly, and he’s well capable of doing it. You. It seems odd to be getting to Jon Rahm
is the final name on the European side. That’s a reflection of the fact
that he was the final player on the points list, owing to the fact
he’s based on the Liv golf tour and didn’t play as he’d like in most of the majors
during the qualifying period. That being said,
even if he’s not being quite at his best in 2025,
even if we say he is not quite the player he was two years ago
when, just before leaving for Liv golf, he was a key part of European success
in Rome. He’s still an enormous presence,
a fantastic golfer, a generational golfer, in fact,
and one who lives for the Ryder Cup just as his predecessors have. Seve Ballesterois, Jose-Maria
Olazabal, Sergio Garcia and now Jon Rahm. That’s the line of succession
in Spanish golf and the Ryder Cup. It’s important to for Team Europe to have
that running through the team room, and it’s obviously important as well. Wherever he was from in the world,
to have someone of extraordinary skill like Jon Rahm,
he will pair up with Toro Hatton. As I’ve said with Hatton, the question
mark will be their temperaments. If things do get a little bit intense
during a foursomes match where you’re playing alternate shot
and there is no room for mistakes, but Jon Rahm has done
everything there is to do in this game. Just about, and he’ll be ready
and raring to go in New York. The crowd certainly won’t bother him,
and if he can keep Hatton with him, they’ll be a formidable foursomes pairing.
