Ryder Cup 2025 Player Guide: Profiles of Team Europe

• Matt Cooper profiles the European team lining up at Bethpage Black

• Includes full match records and unique angles on all 12 players

• Click here for Betfair Sportsbook's Top European Points Scorer betting

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TEAM EUROPE

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Luke Donald - captain

Record: 4 appearances (Won 10, Lost 4, Halved 1)

In the immediate aftermath of the triumph in Rome, Rory McIlroy led the calls for the Englishman to be retained for New York and Europe's decision makers concurred, taking note that two of Europe's four successful captains on American soil were not leadership first-timers. Donald has the faith of the team, he has a trusted stats man in Edoardo Molinari, and he also has a sneaky steely side to his nature.

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Rory McIlroy

Record: 7 appearances (Won 16, Lost 13, Halved 4)

The 2023 match was the Northern Irishman's seventh, but it was the first in which he had a genuine elder statesman role, and don't overlook the distinction he made that Europe's newcomers were allowed to look across - rather than up - at him. He didn't like that about previous team dynamics and the subtlety helped him lead in style. Indeed, it was the first Ryder Cup at which he top-scored for Europe with four points from five. After his post-Masters haziness, there is no doubt that this challenge has revived his competitive spirit.

Angle? He won two points when playing the fourth match in both Friday sessions in Rome, but on Saturday morning he also added to an exceptional record playing in the top match of a foursome or fourball session: he's now 5-for-5 in such circumstances.

Back McIlroy to be Europe's top scorer on the Sportsbook

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Jon Rahm

Record: 3 appearances (Won 6, Lost 3, Halved 3)

Donald demonstrated his faith in the Spaniard by sending him out first in the Friday morning foursomes session in 2023. Together with Tyrrell Hatton he took on Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. Rahm was instrumental in the 4-and-3 destruction of the American pairing, a result that set the tone for both a sweep of the session and the ultimate victory. Major glory has eluded him recently, but he remains a fierce competitor who is proud of Spain's passionate history in the event.

Angle? He's 4-for-4 in foursomes and won both of his Roman alternate shot encounters in partnership with Hatton who has since then become his Legion XIII team-mate at LIV so there seems a good chance that the partnership will endure.

Back Rahm to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Robert MacIntyre

Record: 1 appearance (Won 2, Lost 0, Halved 1)

Confined to the fourballs in Rome, when quite clearly being looked after by Justin Rose, the Scot looked a little lost in his first outing when the duo claimed a half. But he swiftly learned from that experience,  and was excellent thereafter as the pair won Europe's only point on Saturday afternoon. He also followed that up with a 2-and-1 triumph over Wyndham Clark in the singles. Since then he has blossomed as an individual performer, winning twice on the PGA Tour last year.

Angle? At Wentworth, he admitted that so many approaches from around 150 yards don't suit his average wedge game, but added that his strong driving and quality with longer approaches is a much better fit for Bethpage.

Back MacIntyre to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Viktor Hovland

Record: 2 appearances (Won 3, Lost 4, Halved 3)

Asked to play all five sessions in 2021, the Norwegian had three losses and two halves but the defeats were all close, hinting at the European star he would become in Rome. Indeed, he was again called upon to play every match possible and he won three and a half points including a 4-and-3 destruction of Collin Morikawa in the second singles out which settled the team's early Sunday nerves. His form is up and down this year, but his best remains world-class.

Angle? Captain Donald has been clear that some successful combinations from 2023 will no longer be a statistical fit, but Hovland's record with Ludvig Aberg is compelling: they won 4-and-3 and 9-and-7 in the foursomes.

Back Hovland to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Tyrrell Hatton

Record: 3 appearances (Won 5, Lost 4, Halved 2)

Another star of the 2023 success, the Englishman not only won both his foursome matches alongside Rahm, he also halved a fourball contest with Hovland, and his 3-and-2 defeat of Brian Harman in the singles took Europe to within half a point of victory. If anything he is even more bad tempered these days than in the past, but it doesn't appear to impact his golf and he chuntered his way to fifth place last time out at Wentworth.

Angle? When T48 in the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage he ranked top 12 for SG Off the Tee, Driving Accuracy and Greens in Regulation.

Back Hatton to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Matt Fitzpatrick

Record: 3 appearances (Won 1, Lost 7, Halved 0)

His 2016 and 2021 appearances were sadly similar. Both times, he lost foursome matches when not playing his own ball and then lost late singles contests when the result of the Cup was long since decided. In 2023, however, he finally claimed a point in the first fourballs (winning 5-and-3 with McIlroy), but the pair lost on Saturday, and he made it 0-for-3 in singles. The ray of light is that all five of his defeats in 2021 and 2023 went to 17 - so they were tight.

Angle? While his Cup record is deceptively bad, if he doesn't win early points he'll need all sorts of Yorkshire grit to remain sanguine about the flak the NYC galleries bellow in his ears.

Back Fitzpatrick to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Tommy Fleetwood

Record: 3 appearances (Won 7, Lost 3, Halved 2)

The short par-4 16th stadium hole in Rome was a glorious spot made yet more glorious still when Fleetwood found the green in his singles match against Rickie Fowler, then lagged up to guarantee a half point and with it regain the Ryder Cup. It maintained his wonderful record in Europe (7-2-0), but can he turn around what happened on his American soil debut at Whistling Straits when he went 0-1-2? Off his first win on the PGA Tour, you'd think the answer is: yes.

Angle? He's 4-0-0 in foursomes, winning twice with Francesco Molinari in Paris and twice with McIlroy in Rome. Odd he was benched in Whistling Straits, really.

Back Fleetwood to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Shane Lowry

Record: 2 appearances (Won 2, Lost 3, Halved 1)

Something of a controversial captain's pick two years ago, the Irishman didn't entirely convince his detractors with his 1-1-1 return, but there can be little doubt that he is the sort of Ryder Cup performer who helps a team generate more than the sum of its parts. In 2021, Padraig Harrington kept him to the fourballs (he recorded 1-1-0) while Donald preferred him only for the foursomes (also 1-1-0). Of the latter, note that he and Sepp Straka play the same ball.

Angle? He finished eighth in the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black when ranking 12th for SG Approach.

Back Lowry to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Ludvig Åberg

Record: 1 appearance (Won 2, Lost 2, Halved 0)

There was no sense in 2023 that Captain Donald would hide his rookie, perhaps because he was so convinced of what he called his "generational talent". The Swede was sent out in the second Friday morning foursomes when he and Hovland thumped Max Homa and Brian Harman 4-and-3. More astounding still, the pair trounced Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9-and-7 in their Saturday alternate shot contest. When you remember that it is alternate shot, surely the pair are record breakers on a shots-played-per-point basis?!?!

Angle? He warmed up for this Ryder Cup exactly as he did two years ago: by getting into contention at Wentworth, then heading backwards on Sunday.

Back Aberg to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Justin Rose

Record: 6 appearances (Won 14, Lost 9, Halved 3)

Two years ago, the Englishman was handed a guiding role, playing the fourballs with a wide-eyed MacIntyre, and he impressed. But any notion that he was taking a first step towards vice-captaincy territory have been blown apart by runner-up finishes in last year's Open and this year's Masters, plus victory in August's St Jude Championship. He's played in three Ryder Cups on American soil, twice winning three points (his record in away matches is 8-6-0 in all).

Angle? He's very experienced at Bethpage Black (four starts), but has never finished in the top 25.

Back Rose to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Sepp Straka

Record: 1 appearance (Won 1, Lost 2, Halved 0)

The Austrian was one of the stars of the early months of the 2025 season, winning twice on the PGA Tour in January's The American Express and May's Truist Championship. He was also third in June's Memorial Tournament. However, he struggled in the FedEx Cup playoffs after his wife gave birth prematurely, and he also missed the BMW PGA Championship. Captain Donald wanted Ryder Cup experience, though, and didn't hesitate to make him a pick.

Angle? His match play record isn't too strong. He was 1-for-6 in the WGC Dell Match Play and lost to Justin Thomas in the 2023 singles.

Back Straka to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Rasmus Højgaard

Record: debut

Never has there been a Ryder Cup team that has been quite so subtly altered from the previous match. Why so? Well, Europe line up as in Rome with the minor exception of nothing more than a few genetic differences in the Danish twin brothers: Rasmus instead of Nicolai. Needing to finish T29 in the final qualifying event to seal his debut, Rasmus did so after a final round in the British Masters that he described as his most stressful - but that's about to be topped!

Angle? He's a rookie, but is not entirely inexperienced because he drove a buggy and hung out in the team room at Marco Simone in 2023.

Back Hojgaard to be Europe's top points scorer on the Sportsbook

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Recommended bet - Tommy Fleetwood each way at 6/1

If Europe is to pull off a stunning coup then it will need one of its stars to perform. The inside team has identified the performance of the top trio on both sides as being key to the destiny of the trophy. That suggests that much will be asked (and expected) of McIlroy, Rahm and Fleetwood, and that means, in turn, that they will have the greatest opportunity to win points. 

We'll take Fleetwood because he will cop less flak than the other two, and he also has a nice record in New York/New Jersey too (second at Shinnecock Hills, top 20s at Oak Hill and Ridgewood, in the top 20 through 54 holes at Bethpage in the 2019 PGA Championship until a poor final round). His price also earns a profit with a place.

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Now read Matt's Team USA profiles here

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