The wait is nearly over! Luke Donald and his European side travel to the United States this month to defend the Ryder Cup in Farmingdale, New York at Bethpage Black.
Donald has a star-studded cast at his disposal — featuring 2025 stars Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood — and his captain’s selections finalised what looks to be one of the strongest European sides in recent memory.
Eleven of the squad that part in Rome last time, when Europe won 16½-11½, return, but the task ahead is daunting: No team visiting team has won the Ryder Cup since 2012, when Team Europe delivered the “Miracle of Medinah.”
Here is a look at Team Europe and how they have fared entering the Ryder Cup.
CAPTAIN
Luke Donald
There was a time when Team Europe captains would routinely return for back-to-back appearances. At the start of the modern Ryder Cup era, between 1979 and 1995, Europe had only three different captains: John Jacobs, Tony Jacklin and Bernard Gallacher. That’s nine tournaments split between three different captains.
Team Europe have never had a repeat captain since. Team USA haven’t used the same captain for two straight tournaments since Ben Hogan in 1949. What Donald will do at Bethpage is certainly rare.
Interestingly, it only yielded three victories, two of which came under Jacklin in ’85 and ’87. Should Donald guide Europe to another victory, he would be the only other person to manage that feat.
Still, Donald will have the backing of the group. It was in a postmatch news conference at Marco Simone that Rory McIlroy gave his blessing.
“I think everyone sitting here would be very happy to have him again,” he said.
Donald, who led Europe to a commanding victory in Italy, will also be hoping to become the first European captain to win on U.S. soil since José MarÃa Olazábal with the “Miracle of Medinah.”
“Great opportunities don’t come along very often in life and I’m a great believer that when they do, you need to grab them with both hands,” Donald said in his announcement statement.
“This is one of these moments.”
QUALIFIED
Rory McIlroy
Ryder Cup appearances: 7 appearances (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023)Individual match record: 16 wins, 13 defeats, 4 ties
Rory McIlroy was the first player to qualify for Team Europe at this Ryder Cup, and his eighth appearance at the famous event comes after one of his most memorable seasons.
The Northern Irishman infamously ended his Augusta National heartbreak and completed his career Grand Slam by winning the 2025 Masters in a trademark chaotic fashion. That wasn’t his only victory, though: He also had two wins before the Masters at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass.
McIlroy’s post-April form has been slightly more up-and-down — he missed the cut at the Canadian Open and tied 47th at the PGA Championship — but he has still managed four top-10 finishes since then, including at The Open at Royal Portrush.
In his final start before the Ryder Cup, he finished tied-20th with a 12-under scorecard across four rounds Wentworth in the PGA Championship.
Robert McIntyre
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 appearance (2023)Individual match record: 2 wins, 0 defeats, 1 tie
Robert McIntyre may not have clinched any titles on the PGA Tour this year, but it’s been a fantastic season nonetheless for the Scot who has two runner-up finishes — at the U.S. Open and BMW Championship — and six top-10s.
His second appearance at the Ryder Cup comes after he made a near-perfect debut that saw him go undefeated, including a Sunday individual victory over Wyndham Clark.
“Bob has put in some big performances on both sides of the Atlantic this season, and that fine form combined with his experience from 2023 will be invaluable in New York,” Donald said when McIntyre booked his spot.
Tommy Fleetwood
Ryder Cup appearances: 3 appearances (2018, 2021, 2023)Individual match record: 7 wins, 3 defeats, 2 ties
Just like McIlroy, Fleetwood will enter this Ryder Cup with a slightly different feeling than all the last. The Liverpool-born golfer picked up his first PGA Tour win after 164 attempts that were littered with near and painful misses.
His lifting of the FedEx Cup at East Lake Golf Club put a happy end to what was a historically rough spell. Put succinctly: He was the best golfer to have never won on Tour. His 30 top-five finishes without a victory were the most on the PGA Tour in the past 100 years, according to ESPN Research.
With that over, Fleetwood can turn his attention to the Ryder Cup where he has been a reliable contributor for Team Europe. His seven match wins over the past three Cups have seen him take down the likes of Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
He twice partnered McIlroy last time out at Marco Simone. Will we see the same again at Bethpage?
Justin Rose
Ryder Cup appearances: 6 appearances (2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023)Individual match record: 14 wins, 9 defeats, 3 ties
At 45 years old, Justin Rose will be the oldest member of Team Europe and he brings experience as well as talent to this roster.
He comes into the Ryder Cup in fantastic form, winning the the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, as well as managing a sixth-place finish at the Scottish Open and 16th place at The Open. That comes in the same year that he finished second behind McIlroy in a playoff at the Masters.
The 2023 Ryder Cup was the first time that Rose had been picked for the tournament — he had qualified for all his previous appearances — and he was paired twice with McIntyre where they won and tied before he fell to a 2&1 defeat to Patrick Cantlay.
In his final event before the Ryder Cup, Rose was in contention after two days at the BMW Championship at Wentworth, sitting at 11-under, only to fall away over the weekend and finish tied-61st.
Rasmus Højgaard
Ryder Cup appearances: NoneIndividual match record: N/A
Rasmus Højgaard will make his Ryder Cup debut this year after he secured the final qualification spot with a tied-13th finish at the British Masters.
It has not been Højgaard’s best year yet on the PGA Tour: He has previously managed one win every year since he debuted in 2019. This year, he has just made a single top-10 — a second-place finish at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
At 24 years old, the Dane will likely be the youngest member of the team, and he will be hoping to do better than his brother, Nicolai, did on his rookie appearance in 2023 when he lost two and drew one, including a singles defeat to Xander Schauffele.
Tyrrell Hatton
Ryder Cup appearances: 3 appearances (2018, 2021, 2023)Individual match record: 5 wins, 4 defeats, 2 ties
The lone LIV player to secure automatic qualification for Team Europe, Hatton will embark on his fourth Ryder Cup.
The Englishman managed to earn his berth for the tournament despite his LIV ranking points not counting toward his qualification. However, his victories at last year’s Alfred Dunhill Links and the Dubai Desert Classic, alongside his major record that saw him tied-fourth at the U.S. Open, was enough to book his place.
Hatton was one of Team Europe’s best performers last time out, winning three of his four matches and going undefeated.
CAPTAIN’S PICKS
Shane Lowry
Ryder Cup appearances: 2 appearances (2021, 2023)Individual match record: 2 wins, 3 defeats, 1 tie
Lowry may not have shown the form we so often see in majors in golf’s premier team event, but the 38-year-old will add valuable experience to Donald’s side.
The Irishman, McIlroy’s best friend in golf, missed out on automatic qualification by less than four points and has consistently impressed on the PGA Tour, with two second-place finishes this year at Pebble Beach and the Truist.
He’ll be desperate to add to his 2.5 Ryder Cup points, and was Donald’s first pick.
Jon Rahm
Ryder Cup appearances: 3 appearances (2018, 2021, 2023)Individual match record: 6 wins, 3 defeats, 3 ties
While Rahm is only 24th in the European rankings, there was no way the Spaniard wouldn’t be picked for Bethpage.
Rahm, whose lowly position is exclusively due to a lack of starts in DP World Tour events, claimed his second straight LIV Golf title in 2025 and also impressed in the majors, with top-15 finishes at Augusta, Quail Hollow and Oakmont.
A two-time major winner and an imposing matchplay opponent, the 30-year-old is also a Ryder Cup natural, claiming 7.5 points from his three appearances. Expect him to be a key cog in Donald’s team again.
Sepp Straka
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 appearance (2023)Individual match record: 1 win, 2 defeats, 0 ties
Straka looked a Ryder Cup lock earlier this year after two PGA Tour victories in four months. While he still makes the team, it’s fair to say his form has been a bit shaky since May.
The Austrian, who missed the cut in three out of four majors in 2025 despite being backed for success, finished a distant 30th at the Tour Championship at seven over par and has been inconsistent with his putter in particular.
Still, his development since 2023 has not gone unnoticed by Donald.
Viktor Hovland
Ryder Cup appearances: 2 appearances (2021, 2023)Individual match record: 3 wins, 4 defeats, 3 ties
It’s been a topsy-turvy 2025 for Hovland, following up three straight missed cuts in February and March with a shock win at the Valspar. His showing there, and form since, secured his place.
Hovland made the cut at all four majors — finishing third at Oakmont — and ended his season with a top-10 at the BMW Championship before placing 12th at the Tour Championship. The Norwegian also has a stellar Ryder Cup record, playing in all five sessions of both matches he’s been involved in.
Expect him to rekindle his fine partnership with Aberg at some point at Bethpage.
Ludvig Aberg
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 appearance (2023)Individual match record: 2 wins, 2 defeats, 0 ties
The surprise pick and breakout star from Marco Simone is surely going to be a force to be reckoned with at Bethpage, and for many years to come.
Aberg won the Genesis this year and finished seventh at the Masters before going off the boil slightly. His form returned at the Scottish Open, and he went into Donald’s announcement on the back of five straight top-25 finishes.
The Swede, still just 25, won half his matches on his debut and has been given the chance to improve his record further.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Ryder Cup appearances: 3 appearances (2016, 2021, 2023)Individual match record: 1 win, 7 defeats, 0 ties
Similarly to Hovland, Fitzpatrick’s place looked in serious doubt earlier on in the year. An eighth-place finish at the PGA Championship, however, kickstarted his campaign.
Fitzpatrick has six top-10s in 11 tournaments since then, and it’s that form that earned him a fourth Ryder Cup appearance.
What does need to improve, however, is the Englishman’s Ryder Cup record. Fitzpatrick has only a single match win — with McIlroy in four balls two years ago — and has never claimed a single point Stateside.
